New “Petco Love Lost” Database Uses Breakthrough Facial Recognition Technology to Find Missing Cats, Dogs

EL PASO, Texas — El Paso Animal Services is proudly joining forces with Petco Love, a national nonprofit formerly known as the Petco Foundation, on a shared mission to help reunite lost pets with their families should they ever go missing.

According to industry statistics, one in every three pets will go missing in their lifetime. Petco Love Lost is a new, searchable national database that uses patented facial recognition technology to make finding lost pets quicker and easier. This simple-to-use tool assists any pet parent or person who finds a lost pet. Uploaded photos of a missing dog or cat are immediately scanned to determine whether the lost pet is at a participating shelter or with a neighbor in the community.

“We see firsthand how quickly a pet can go missing, whether they were curious and followed a scent through an open gate or became scared during a storm,” said Ramon Herrera, El Paso Animal Services Interim Director. “We work tirelessly to care for pets, no matter if they’re awaiting their forever home, or lost and need help getting back to their families. There’s nothing more rewarding than reuniting families with their beloved pets and with Petco Love Lost, along with our other tools, we’re confident it can lead to many more happy reunions, right here in El Paso.”

“We know that one in three pets goes missing in their lifetime, an estimated 10 million pets each year, and we’re not ok with that,” said President of Petco Love Susanne Kogut. “That gives us 10 million reasons why we created Petco Love Lost, because we believe nothing is more important than keeping people and pets together for a lifetime of love. Together with El Paso Animal Services, our goal is to keep pets where they belong – at home, with you.”

To learn more about El Paso Animal Services and what to do if you lose your pet, visit www.ElPasoAnimalServices.org/lostpetresources.

If you’ve lost or found a pet, Petco Love Lost is here to help get them home. Visit petcolovelost.org or join the conversation @PetcoLoveLost on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter via hashtags #PetcoLoveLost and #LoveAndFound.