WILLIAMSON COUNTY ANIMAL CENTER ADOPTS INNOVATIVE TECHNOLOGY FROM PETCO LOVE TO HELP REUNITE LOST PETS WITH THEIR FAMILIES ON NATIONAL LOST DOG AND CAT AWARENESS DAY
Pet of the Week: Festus is available for adoption at Williamson County Animal Center, and his handsome face is now part of the new free ‘Petco Love Lost’ facial recognition system. If he is ever lost or found, his owners can search a national database for dogs that match!
When the Unthinkable Happens, New “Petco Love Lost” Database Uses Breakthrough Facial Recognition Technology to Find Missing Cats and Dogs in Williamson County
FRANKLIN, TN – On April 23rd, National Lost Dog and Cat Awareness Day, Williamson County Animal Center (WCAC) is proudly joining forces with Petco Love, formerly known as the Petco Foundation, a national non-profit working to lead and inspire change for animals, and animal welfare groups across the country, on a shared mission to help reunite lost pets with their families should they ever go missing. According to industry statistics, sadly, one in every three pets will go missing in their lifetime.
Petco Love Lost is a new, searchable national database that uses patented facial recognition technology to make finding lost pets quicker and easier. Beginning today, this simple-to-use tool will be easily accessible to participating animal organizations nationwide, as well as any pet parent or person who finds a lost pet. Uploaded photos of a missing dog or cat are immediately scanned to determine whether the lost pet is at a participating shelter or with a neighbor in the community.
“Every day, we have lost pets come into the shelter,” said Ondrea Johnson, director of Williamson County Animal Center. “We know pets can escape quickly through an open gate, bolt during a storm or catch a scent. Whatever the reason, we work to return them home as quickly as we can. Petco’s Love Lost facial recognition system is an invaluable new tool for reuniting pets with owners here in Williamson County.”
“We know that one in three pets goes missing in their lifetime, an estimated 10 million pets each year, and we’re not ok with that,” said President of Petco Love, Susanne Kogut. “That gives us 10 million reasons why we created Petco Love Lost, because we believe nothing is more important than keeping people and pets together for a lifetime of love. Together with WCAC, our goal is to keep pets where they belong – at home, with you.”
To learn more about Williamson County Animal Center visit www.adoptwcac.org and follow #WCAnimalCenter. If you’ve lost or found a pet, Petco Love Lost is here to help get them home. Visit www.petcolovelost.org or join the conversation @PetcoLoveLost on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter via hashtags #PetcoLoveLost and #LoveandFound.
About Petco Love (Formerly Petco Foundation)
Petco Love is a nonprofit changing lives by making communities and pet families closer, stronger, and healthier. Since our founding in 1999 as the Petco Foundation, we’ve empowered animal welfare organizations by investing nearly $300 million in adoption and other lifesaving efforts. We’ve helped find loving homes for more than 6.5 million pets in partnership with Petco and organizations nationwide. Today, our love for pets drives us to lead with innovation, creating tools animal lovers need to reunite lost pets, and lead with passion, inspiring and mobilizing communities and our more than 4,000 animal welfare partners to drive lifesaving change alongside us. Is love calling you? Join us. Visit petcolove.org or follow at Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn to be part of the lifesaving work we’re leading every day.
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