SAN ANTONIO – Animal Care Services announced a new program on Monday to help reunite pet owners with lost animals by using the power of social media.
ACS officials are calling the effort “The ACS Lost & Found Pet Network,” a closed Facebook group that reviews digital flyers of pets brought into the municipal shelter and cross-referenced with the pets in the care of ACS staff.
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According to the group on March 3, Gypsy, a German Shepard was found by a Good Samaritan walking around Medina Base Road and Loop 410. Gypsy’s family was able to send the group a message and was reunited with her, marking the group’s first successful reunion.
In a statement released to KSAT, organizers say ACS staff members review animal intake reports and search the kennels for pets who are “wearing collars, have had recent grooming or who otherwise appear to be owned.”
Additionally, alerts, including the pet’s picture, animal ID and area where they were found, are created for distribution through the group.
“Gypsy is our first official reunion and we’re thrilled, said Lisa Norwood, ACS’ public relations and outreach manager. “The Lost & Found Pet Network works because it engages the community in our shared mission—to keep pets with their people!”
According to Norwood, utilizing an online and offline network, volunteers have shared “close to 50 ACS pets since the project’s inception less than a week ago.”
The private Facebook group currently shares pets from San Antonio Animal Care Services, but plans are underway to expand access to individuals seeking their own lost pets.
Currently, the group has close to 100 members, however, the group is always looking for new partners. Residents can become volunteers at saacs.info/lostfoundnetwork.
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