Adoptions

''This article is about Petz fans adopting petz out to other Petz fans. Adoption can also refer to obtaining a pet from the Adoption Center, a process which involves one user only.''

Adoptions are one of the most fundamental ways of participating in the Petz Community. In fact, they were anticipated and encouraged by the game creators, who include a template for a Petz adoption page in the Petz Publisher.

The core of why adoptions are such a basic element of Petz is that, even though there is no provision for them in the gameplay itself, the structure of the files (each pet is a single file) makes it easy for petz to change hands. A user can simply attach a pet's file to an email and send it off to another player.

There are multiple ways to go about adopting one's petz out to others. The most common, basic technique is to make a page on your Petz site or a post on a Petz forum that lists the petz you're adopting out, along with pictures and any pertinent specifics. Applicants specify which pet they want and give their email address so the pet can be sent to them.

Freebie adoptions
Freebie adoptions are those that are on a first-come, first-serve basis. You don't need to do anything but ask for the pet (and give your email address, of course) and the pet is yours. These kinds of adoptions are common on forums.

Non-freebie adoptions
Sometimes, you must apply for the pet. This may simply involve nothing more than giving the reason why you'd like the pet. Other times, you may need to offer a pet of your own and trade it for the pet. Non-freebie adoptions can also be raffles or use some other technique for deciding who gets the pet.

MPA
MPA stands for My Petz Adoptions. All it means, strictly speaking, is that the pet was not bred or created for the purpose of being adopted out. It's a pet that's been a member of your own personal "crew" that you have now decided to adopt out. It's often used to refer to adopting out a pet that you adopted out from someone else.

Adopting out a pet that you adopted out from someone else is not always permitted by the person you adopted the pet from. Whether or not this is the case is usually specified in the adoption rules.

MPA can be either freebie or non-freebie.

Downloadable adoptions
Downloadable adoptions were a lot more popular in the past than they are today. Here, the pet is transferred from one owner to another by being downloaded from a website, rather than sent by email. As a result, an indefinite number of people can own and play with a copy of the pet. Since distributing mutliple copies of a pet is unpopular in the PC today, it's little surprise that downloadable adoptions have gone out of style. There are many older petz sites which still have them, however.

Petz Auctions
There used to be a website named Petz Auctions (PA for short) which used a virtual currency system and an online auction format to distribute petz. It's download-based, but the nature of the auction format means that only one user (the one who wins) is able to download the pet.

Petz Universal Game Site
Petz Universal Game Site (PUGS for short) is a website in which you can buy petz from other players, but unlike PA, it doesn't use an auction system. Also, points can be earned by playing games.

Note that PUGS is not only for adoptions, but also for distributing playscenes, hexed toyz, and "made to order" services (see below).

Adoptions vs. "Made to order" services
Hex archives and breeding services bear some resemblance to adoptions. The key difference is that the petz don't exist until you apply for them.