Petco Love and Kat Albrecht-Thiessen Introduce Preventative Tips to Stop the Annual July Influx of Lost Pets into Shelters and New Technology to Reunite Lost Pets

4th of July Holiday Traditionally Sees Spike in Lost Pet Activity Impacting Shelters and Pet Parents Nationwide

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Jun 29, 2021, 01:11 ET

SAN ANTONIO, June 29, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Petco Love, a national non-profit working to lead and inspire change for animals, is partnering with Kat Albrecht-Thiessen, founder of Missing Animal Response Network, ahead of Lost Pet Prevention Month in July to share important safety tips for pet parents and raise awareness about Petco Love Lost, a new innovative technology that helps reunite lost pets.

1 in 3 pets will go missing in their lifetime. Use these tips from Petco Love Lost and Missing Animal Response Network's pet detective Kat Albrecht-Thiessen to keep your pets from getting lost this 4th of July.

One in three pets will go missing in their lifetime, and more pets go missing July 4-6 than any other time of the year. July 5^th will be one of the busiest days of the year for animal shelters. Yet, a recent survey* of pet parents found that more than half are unsure of the steps to take or the resources available to find their pet.

"At Petco Love, we believe nothing is more important than keeping people and pets together for a lifetime of love. That is why we launched Petco Love Lost, a single national platform that connects shelters, pet parents, and good neighbors together," said Petco Love President, Susanne Kogut. "Our goal is to reunite more pets with their families with this free, simple-to-use tool accessible to all pet parents, or anyone who finds a lost dog or cat, should the unthinkable happen."

Petco Love Lost which launched last April, with the support of more than 1,000 industry partners, received positive initial user feedback with 96% of those surveyed recommending the tool¹. This new national database powered by pet facial recognition search technology scans through thousands of found pets with a single photo in less than a minute. Pet parents can receive real-time notifications of new possible matches should the initial search not locate their pet. Additionally, Petco Love recommends conducting a physical search of your immediate area, as data collected from Petco Love Lost users found 66% of pets are found within one mile of their home², and nearly 13% of users reported it took more than a week to locate their lost pet.³

Simple preventative steps can be critical to keeping pets home where they belong. Petco Love and Kat Albrecht-Thiessen share five ways to keep pets safe this 4th of July:

Protect your pet before and after the holiday: When panicked by fireworks and other loud noises, dogs run, and cats hide. Early fireworks celebrations and leftover fireworks catch many pet parents off guard, so be prepared to protect your pet a week before and after the holiday.
Keep your pet secure: Think about your pet's behavior as you decide to attend holiday celebrations or leave them safe at home. To keep your pet safe indoors, crate them or place them somewhere comfortable and turn on a TV or stereo to drown out loud noises. If you're outdoors, properly leash your dog. Loop the leash around your shoulder so that your dog is still attached to you if you trip or fall.
Check your yard and home: Ensure your yard and home are secure and your pet cannot escape when panicked. If you've recently brought a new pet home and have not yet experienced fireworks together, be cautious that they may react negatively. Make sure your yard's fence is sturdy with no loose boards, nothing your dog could climb and jump over, or dig and crawl under, and that window screens and exterior doors to your home are securely in place.
Keep your pet's ID tag and microchip up to date: Microchip your pet and ensure your contact information is registered and up to date. Make sure your pet has a properly fitted collar with a current ID tag. This goes for cats too! If your cat does not wear a collar and tag, try a temporary paper tag.
Register your pet on Petco Love Lost: Upload your pet's photo to Petco Love Lost, a free national lost and found database. If they go missing, one click will allow you to quickly search thousands of found pets from animal shelters and individuals using patented pet facial recognition technology, and it's also available in Spanish.

Petco Love Lost is here to help if you've lost or found a pet. Visit petcolovelost.org or join the conversation @PetcoLoveLost on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter via hashtags #PetcoLoveLost and #LoveandFound.

* An online survey of 1,005 past and current dog and cat owners was conducted by Petco Love on March 16, 2021.
All other data was cited from a Petco Love Lost user survey completed by 694 users from April to June 2021 :
¹ According to 96% of 619 Question Respondents
² According to 66% of 596 Question Respondents
³ According to 13% of 664 Question Respondents

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 $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? Visit petcolove.org or follow at Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn to be part of the lifesaving work we're leading every day.

About Kat Albrecht-Thiessen
Kat Albrecht is a former police bloodhound handler, crime scene investigator, search-and-rescue manager, and police-officer-turned-investigative pet detective. Since 1997, Kat has solved lost pet investigations by using law enforcement-based techniques and strategies that are normally used to solve lost person investigations. Kat was the first person to pioneer the proper application of search dogs for lost pet investigations. She is the founder of Missing Animal Response Network, an international organization that offers Missing Animal Response training for Field workers, K9 handlers, shelter staff, Animal Control Officers, and volunteers, and also works to conduct research into lost pet behaviors. Kat's memoir Pet Tracker has received incredible reviews and was a 2017 Silver Medalist for the e-Lit book awards. Learn more at www.missinganimalresponse.com. Over 200 dogs and humans have tracked down thousands of lost pets!

Contact:
Jennifer Perez
Petco Love
[email protected]

SOURCE Petco Love