MALIBU, Calif. Animal Planet has already gone to the dogs. Now it's time for ducks, iguanas and the occasional parrot.

Finding a pet that's compatible with your lifestyle may be as difficult as finding that perfect mate. Animal Planet is coming to the rescue with its new reality show, "Petfinder," which premiered yesterday.

"We take people who want a pet and decide what kind,' says Rob Buchta, supervising producer on the show. "Maybe their 10-year-old wants a lizard and the mom hates lizards; that's the last thing she wants. We have our animal experts and their challenge is to find what pet is going to satisfy everybody. We have two experts and they're like detectives on a mission. By the end of the show the family gets to rescue an animal from four or five choices."

The choices don't have to be only dogs and cats. Everything from chinchillas to miniature horses is in the offing.

Families who agree to do the show are committed to a five-day, 12-hour day shoot. "On the first day we have to do some detective work, find out what their house looks like and how that might that affect a pet," says Buchta.

"What kind of personalities do these people have? What is their work schedule? The first day is about absorbing the situation."

On the second day the families get to test-drive different pets. "These pets are owned by someone, we just borrow them for a few hours to try them out . . . Say we have someone who wants a talking bird; we'll bring in a talking macaw and they'll spend five or six hours with it and maybe that's not really what they want. It's a good way to know for sure," says Buchta.

Jon and Crystal Hoffman, who live in the hills beyond Malibu Beach, were the subjects of the premiere.

"My wife saw an ad on Craig's List and replied to that," says Hoffman, who's self-employed. "Apparently we needed another dog; I wasn't aware of it. This is our fourth day."

Crystal Hoffman insists it doesn't have to be another dog. "I'm open for anything. It doesn't matter to me, I love all animals. I'm going to school right now for exotic animal training. I want to train tigers," she says.

On the third day the show does what it calls "the reveal." Menageries of several different kinds of pets -- from lop-eared rabbits to tortoises -- are presented as possible pets for the family.

Jarod Miller and Dina Zaphiris, both animal lovers with backgrounds in the field, are hosts of the show. Miller has a degree in zoology with a focus on animal behavior and has managed several zoos. "This show came about because as a young person I had a lot of experience with domestic animals and pets and in 1999 started getting into national television work by doing talk show appearances," he said.

"When I was at the zoo I did a lot of public appearances as well, and just got into television production that way. And then the opportunity to come work with Animal Planet and host 'Petfinder' was a great opportunity because I get to do everything I like."

Co-host Zaphiris is a dog behaviorist and full-time dog trainer. "I grew up on a ranch in Chico, California. We had horses, dogs, chickens, sheep -- basically I was an only child, grew up on the ranch and the dogs were my brothers and sisters and friends. Then I went on to become a professional dog trainer, studied with Richard Vie for five years and started training dogs full time in L.A. about five years ago."

The most unusual pet ever placed, says Zaphiris, was a house-trained duck. "And he wore diapers. I thought that was the funniest thing I'd ever seen."

Erin Wanner, the show's producer, says that they follow up with their adoptive families. "We also leave them with a camera so they can video their adjustment with the animal."

Wanner said a family usually takes one animal out of three presented, which means the others go back to the shelter. "What we do is follow those two animals and make sure through petfinder.com they get adopted as well -- so we end up with multiple adoptions not just one."