On Wednesday, December 2, 2020, El Paso Animal Services and the Department of Information Technology Services (DoITS) were announced as the winners of the 2020 Diane & Bob Hoover Annual Innovation Award presented by Pethealth Inc.

This prestigious award is presented to individuals or groups who strive to better the animal welfare industry through innovation in technology.

The City departments were recognized for their visionary work in creating a unique Pet Finder Map. This web tool makes it easier for residents to locate lost and found pets by placing their location on a citywide interactive map. This innovative map was made possible through the cross-functional efforts of the DoITS’ GIS team and Animal Services’ research and marketing team who had a shared goal of providing the community with a useful tool aimed at reuniting pets with their family.

“Congratulations to the Animal Services and IT Team for continuing to collaborate and innovate to continuously improve services and support a high quality of life for our pets,” said Dionne Mack, Deputy City Manager. “This effort is another example of City staff producing low cost, high value results for our community.”

“The judges felt that the Pet Finder Map was an excellent example of an innovation that will greatly impact the animal welfare in the city of El Paso and beyond,” said Nichole Bennett, Pethealth CEO.

As the sole winner of this grant, the City will also be presented with $10,000, which will be used to further enhance Animal Services’ technological capabilities.

The announcement of the 2020 Diane & Bob Hoover Annual Innovation Award was made earlier today during the Association for Animal Welfare Advancement’s Fall Conference.

To view the Pet Finder Map, visit https://gis.elpasotexas.gov/petfinder/index.html

For more information on the award, visit https://pethealth.force.com/community/s/diane-and-bob-hoover-innovation-award.