PetScreening unveils "Amber Alert for Pets"
Text message alerts aim to help quickly reunite lost pets with owners
PetScreening has released FidoAlert.com (for dogs) and TabbyAlert.com (for cats)—a free “lost-and-found pet platform” available to all pet owners created to help lost pets return home and is fully funded by PetScreening as the company's social mission.1
According to the American Humane,2 each year about 10 million dogs and cats are lost in the United States. Thus, this platform was the brainchild of John Bradford, MBA, founder and CEO of PetScreening, who always strived to find a solution to reunite missing pets with their families.
"We consider it an 'Amber Alert for Pets,'" Bradford shared, in a company release.1 "For years, I've constantly brainstormed and sought to create ways that could bring more happy endings in cases when pets are lost, stolen, or otherwise unable to find their way home. Just as importantly, I wanted it to be free and easily accessible for all pet owners nationwide.”
“I knew we had to design and build a national alert network that uses SMS-texting for primary communication because it's undoubtedly the fastest way to spread the word of a lost or found pet. It is no secret that most people read their text messages within minutes and when a pet is lost every minute counts,” he added.
Pet owners nationwide can enroll and self-register their companion animals into the FidoAlert and TabbyAlert networks and generate SMS-text and email alerts for when a pet is lost or found. If a registered pet is lost, the pet owner can start a lost pet alert that sends an SMS message with a digital lost-pet-flier (that can also be shareable on social media) to all those in the network within several miles of where the pet was lost.1 The text alert features the lost pet’s photo plus additional information to spark immediate awareness.
Each pet registered receives a complimentary pet tag engraved with their name, individual ID number, and unique QR code. If a lost pet wearing this tag is found, anyone—even if they are not enrolled in the alert network—can scan the QR code with a cellphone and begin a FidoAlert or TabbyAlert. The pet parent and up to 10 trusted emergency contacts they can enter into the system receive an SMS-text message and email informing them their lost pet has been found and connect them to the finder.
"This provides extra layers of protection beyond microchips and GPS collars," said Andrew Hartman, chief growth officer of PetScreening.1 "With FidoAlert and TabbyAlert, battery power is never required, nor is there an app to download or a radio frequency identification reader needed. If a registered pet owner ever encounters an unfortunate and stressful instance when their pet goes missing, a cell phone or web browser is all they'll need to initiate a Fido or Tabby alert."
FidoAlert and TabbyAlert teams are partaking in a summer road tour throughout the Carolinas to register as many pets as possible and spread awareness. Other pet parents across the United States can register their pets at no cost at FidoAlert.com and TabbyAlert.com.
References
- PetScreening launches "Amber Alert for Pets.” News release. Petscreening. June 20, 2022. Accessed June 20, 2022. https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/petscreening-launches-amber-alert-for-pets-301570629.html
- “Every Day is Tag Day™”—Is your pet protected? American Humane. April 1, 2019. Accessed June 20, 2022. https://www.americanhumane.org/blog/every-day-is-tag-day-is-your-pet-protected
