Sleuth keeps eye on precious pets
THOUSANDS of people can join in on the search for a missing pet, thanks to the RSPCA Queensland's new Pet D-Tect service.
Pet D-Tect allows people to record a message about their lost animal, which is then sent to about 2000 nearby telephones.
People who receive the calls can then choose to transfer to the RSPCA if they have seen the animal.
RSPCA Queensland customer service manager Ronelle Reid said it was great to be able to let so many people know to keep an eye out for a wandering pet.
"The beauty about this technology is that we can reach people in the immediate area where the pet went missing in under 20 minutes," Ms Reid said.
She said RSPCA Queensland believed the technology would increase the chances of pet owners being reunited with their missing dog or cat.
She said hundreds of pets went missing in Queensland every month.
Last year, RSPCA Queensland received more than 32,000 calls about lost and found pets.
"We have our lost and found service which rings local pounds and tries to match animals that have been found with those that have been lost," Ms Reid said.
"We also help people with posters and flyers to erect in the neighbourhood."
While the RSPCA Queensland's lost and found service is free, the Pet D-Tect Service incurs an external fee.
Pet D-Tect is offered through Reach TEL's Voice Broadcast service.
People who receive calls can choose to permanently opt out of the service.
Visit rspcaqld.org.au for more information.
FINDING FIDO
- Make sure your pet is microchipped and has a registration tag, RSPCA VIP tag, and personal tag with a phone number.
- If they go missing, put up posters and register details with RSPCA and pounds.
- New technologies include the Pet Detective service and GPS collars that text a pet's location to its owner's phone.
