Revolutionizing How We Reunite Lost Pets With Their Families
Santa Barbara County Animal Services Partners With Petco Love Lost
![](https://www.independent.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Screenshot-2024-07-23-at-1.26.39-PM.png)
Good news for pets and their owners in Santa Barbara! Santa Barbara County Animal Services (SBCAS) is joining forces with Petco Love Lost to update how they report and track lost pets.
Since 1999, Petco Love Lost has aimed to better connect lost pets with their families. Petco Love Lost has designed a database that essentially functions as a massive online lost and found for missing animals. Connected to thousands of shelters and rescue partners across the U.S., this database intends to reduce the confusion and chaos that tends to accompany the frenzied search for a missing pet or a found pet’s owner. Instead, anybody can upload images of a pet that has been lost or found to the database. Petco Love Lost then implements a face recognition feature that notifies those involved with potential matches.
According to the Petco Love Lost website, nearly 10 million pets go missing each year. By creating a large online community that is dedicated to bringing lost pets home, Petco Love Lost has facilitated nearly 30,000 pet reunions. Petco Love Lost recognizes that it takes a village but, under the “unite to reunite” motto, Petco Love Lost is taking a huge step forward in cultivating and ensuring animal wellness.
Petco Love Lost is part of the Petco Love umbrella, a nonprofit that is more broadly committed to supporting pet families. Petco Love consists of Petco Love Adopt, Petco Love Care, and, of course, Petco Love Lost. Petco Love Adopt connects prospective owners with pets in the area that are ready for adoption. The goal of Petco Love Adopt is to help pets in need find their forever families. Petco Love Care looks to improve access to affordable pet care, offering cost-efficient vaccines and veterinary care in an effort to keep pet families healthy.
For more information, see petcolove.org/lost.