Latest news with #missingpets
Yahoo
12-07-2025
- General
- Yahoo
How to help reunite missing pets after the Independence Day Floods
AUSTIN (KXAN) – Flash flooding has left a trail of devastation, with search and rescue teams focused on victim recovery and aiding affected families across more than 40 miles of river. Adding to the heartbreak, countless families are still missing pets. Central Texas animal rescue groups have united together to recover and reunite displaced animals with their families. MAP: Where have flash flooding fatalities been confirmed in Texas? Austin Pets Alive! (APA!), which recently flew over 130 animals out of the state to create more shelter space, has been steadfast in their search for missing pets since deploying Friday afternoon. In partnership with Kerville Pets Alive, APA! cleared all the animals from the Kerr County Animal Shelter so that only recently-recovered pets remained in the flood-affected shelters. Since then, both Pets Alive locations have enlisted their teams of veterinarians, volunteers and staff to the surrounding shelters to support incoming pets. This work includes searching for missing pets. 'One of our volunteers, who is an expert cat trapper… went two doors down and was able to get a cat that was about to go underneath the home,' said Suzie Chase, Austin Pets Alive! community affairs officer. 'She was able to retrieve it and give it back to the home owner's daughter.' Chase emphasized that pets are family. 'Just like if you are missing a person, you would also want to have everyone out supporting you and looking for your pet,' Chase said. Whether you're missing a pet or you've found one, PetcoLoveLost is a good first place to look, according to Chase. The website uses image-recognition technology to notify families when photos of lost dogs match photos of found dogs. You can also manually search its national database of photos. Posting pet information on community platforms can also assist in the search process. Williamson County Regional Animal Shelter and Hill Country Humane Society have photos of animals on their social media. And of course, reach out to your local animal shelter. 'The people who have microchipped their pets are getting their pets back faster,' Chase said as a helpful reminder. If you find a dog, follow all the same steps, including taking the pet to get scanned for a microchip. April Peiffer, Williamson County Regional Animal Shelter's community engagement coordinator, said that if it's an option to shelter the animal at your home, hold onto missing pets until recovery efforts slow down. 'It's just better for the pet if they don't have to stay here at the shelter,' Peiffer said. 'Not only is it more comfortable in a home environment but they're also less likely to be exposed to illnesses.' Luis Sanchez, Austin Pets Alive!'s director of public relations, said that all found pets should stay in or near the local community to give owners at least 10 days or more to find them. Currently, Chase said the best way to help is with monetary donations. The money will go to veterinarian supplies, medicine, animal rescue staff resources and more. If you have the space, fostering pets allows animal shelters to take in more displaced pets. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
CNET
01-07-2025
- CNET
This AI Tool Brings Lost Pets Home. Here's How it Works
A friend recently shared how overwhelming it was to lose (and thankfully find) their pet, with no idea how to reach the nearly 4 million people living in Los Angeles. This -- and the slew of national pet-related days in July -- prompted my research into how to maximize communication output for missing pets. Around 10 million are lost annually in the US alone. It's also what led me to wonder how artificial intelligence can help solve this problem for both pets and pet owners. Thankfully, Love Lost -- an AI pet recovery platform -- also had the same idea. What is Love Lost and how does it use AI? Petco Love/Screenshot by CNET Love Lost is a free pet recovery platform developed by Petco Love, the nonprofit organization owned by household name Petco that works to support animal adoption, recovery and health care initiatives. Its free photo-matching service helps reunite lost dogs and cats with their families, using facial recognition technology that analyzes over 512 pet features -- like muzzle, shape, tail and markings -- to compare your uploaded photo against a national database of shelters, written posts and community submissions. This is thanks to partnerships with companies like Nextdoor, which leverages its posts, and integration with over 3,000 shelter systems and community platforms for a wider reach. At time of writing, its database includes over 300,000 lost and found pets, with an average of 1,000 pet reunions/month. How to use Love Lost to find and report missing pets Navigating and using the Love Lost site is pretty simple -- but make sure you have clear photos of the animal you're submitting ready. Navigate to the Petco Love Lost page. No sign-up is required for its free photo search feature. Grab those well-shot photos and submit your missing or found pet including face, body and distinguishing marks. Once submitted, AI will use pet facial recognition to scan available pet entries to try and pinpoint your pet. I tried this out using an old event flyer featuring a grey pitbull and was pleasantly surprised at the accuracy of animals it retrieved to compare. If no immediate match is found, you can post your pet as Lost or Found and receive SMS or email updates. Love Lost notes that shelters and other humans will be continually checking the database. Once identified, you can connect through the platform to reunite with your pet safely. If you haven't lost a pet, but would like to prepare in case you do, you can register your pet's photo and details beforehand on Love Lost's website to expedite the process during an emergency. Love Lost also features Lost & Found Pet Tips on its site for more information. You can enter the address, cross streets and photos of any stray pets you find on the Love Lost app. Petco Love/Screenshot by CNET Should you use Love Lost? Love Lost acts as a bridge for pet parents and their communities to report and locate missing dogs and cats. This provides more eyes (and opportunities) to identify stray animals and reunite them with their owners. I also see it as a complementary tool for shelters, community organizers and even your neighbor who needs a way to identify stray animals quickly. Petco Love also holds a four-star Charity Navigator rating for transparency and financial accountability and was awarded for its disaster relief grants and innovation in animal welfare in response to the 2025 LA wildfires. But while Petco Love states it doesn't sell your data, language regarding AI data storage and model training is minimal and vague. I reached out for a request for more information, but didn't hear back by the time of publication. It's also unclear whether data is shared beyond shelters. So, yes, there is a risk with any public listing -- even of your pet -- for scraping or misuse. Animals we consider pets or family are an emotionally charged topic, but it's important to keep in mind where your data goes after the rescue process. Ultimately, Love Lost is Petco's national online database for hosting lost animals -- but it also brings animal-focused professionals together to reach more people and speed up reunions.
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- Yahoo
East Lothian woman 'heartbroken' as pet ducks 'stolen' during late night break-in
An East Lothian woman is pleading with locals after her pet ducks were allegedly stolen. Anna Crow woke up on Saturday morning to find the five birds had been 'taken from their enclosure' overnight. She says someone entered her property in Haddington. Anna, who is 'heartbroken', is now offering a £100 reward to anyone who helps her find the missing ducks. READ MORE: Edinburgh police tape off home and forensics scour the scene as campervan 'torched' READ MORE: Tragedy as Edinburgh police find body in search for missing Midlothian man Speaking to Edinburgh Live, she said: "We are heartbroken. "We've been crying the whole morning. It feels like a nightmare. Sign up for Edinburgh Live newsletters for more headlines straight to your inbox "I don't understand why someone would do that." Posting on social media, she added: "Our five pet ducks have been stolen from our property. "Someone entered during the night and took them from their enclosure. The case has been reported and the police are working on it. Join Edinburgh Live's Whatsapp Community here and get the latest news sent straight to your messages. "If you have any information that might help us, please message me. We are offering a £100 reward to anyone who helps us find our missing ducks." Police Scotland has been approached for comment. Anyone who may be able to assist can email news@
