Bruce was up for adoption at Brampton Animal Services in 2020. He has since been adopted.
BRAMPTON, ON (April 23, 2021) – Nobody wants to lose their cat or dog, but if the unthinkable happens, a new technology is now available in Brampton to help reunite lost pets with their families. Brampton Animal Services is one of the first Canadian shelters to adopt an innovative facial recognition technology from Petco Love to make finding lost pets quicker and easier.
“Pets are family, and it can be devastating to lose your furry friend,” said Mayor Patrick Brown. “We are proud to announce that Brampton Animal Services will now have the facial recognition technology to help you find a lost pet if that day comes.”
How does it work?
The free, simple-to-use Petco Love Lost is a searchable online database that uses patented facial recognition technology. Pet owners can upload photos of their missing dog or cat to the website, which are immediately scanned to determine whether the lost pet is at a participating shelter – in this case, at the Brampton Animal Shelter.
“At Brampton Animal Services, we took in 562 lost dogs and cats in 2020. Of these, only 163 dogs (67%) and 36 cats (11%) were returned to their families and we want to increase those numbers. Pets who were not returned to their owners needed to be rehomed with new families,” said Kathy Duncan, Manager, Animal Services, City of Brampton. “There are many reasons why a pet may go missing, whether they were curious, wandered through an open gate, or even got scared during a storm. We hope this new initiative leads to more happy reunions between lost pets and their families for years to come.”
To explore the platform, visit petcolovelost.org. Learn more about Brampton Animal Services at Brampton.ca/animalservices.
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 nearly $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? Join us. Visit petcolove.org to be part of the lifesaving work we’re leading every day.
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MEDIA CONTACT
Christine Sharma
Media Relations, City of Brampton
647.242.4319 | christine.sharma@brampton.ca
