On Wednesday, November 20, 2019, Pitt County Animal Services (PCAS) officially launched its partnership with Finding Rover, a software developer which uses facial recognition technology to match pictures of lost dogs and cats with new shelter arrivals or found pets. In entering this partnership, PCAS hopes to join the dozens of animal and public service organizations throughout the nation, already using facial recognition technology to identify lost dogs and cats. This now provides Pitt County with an invaluable, additional tool to help lost and adoptable dogs and cats find their forever home.
Moving forward, every dog and cat that enters the Pitt County Animal Shelter will be registered on Finding Rover, allowing users to search the Shelter and surrounding areas right from their smartphone or computer. This greatly simplifies finding a missing pet, a neighbor’s missing pet, the family of a found pet, or the search for adoptable pets.
Additionally, every dog and cat that leaves the Shelter through a reunion or adoption can remain protected when the pet parent registers on Finding Rover with the same email address that the shelter has on file. If that dog or cat ever gets lost, their record will already be in the system, greatly increasing the chances of a quickly finding and identifying that pet.
Pitt County pet owners are encouraged to register their pets as well, which can be done on the Finding Rover website at www.FindingRover.com. Information can also be found on the Finding Rover Facebook page at www.facebook.com/FindingRover.
John Polimeno, CEO and Founder of Finding Rover emphasized the importance of this partnership, saying: “Dogs and cats are beloved family members, and if he or she goes missing, it can be devastating to everyone involved.” Polimeno added: “We want to do everything we can to safeguard our pets from being lost forever. Registering on Finding Rover is another step all pet parents should take to further protect their furry family members.”
Together through this partnership, PCAS hopes to utilize this new technology to effectively serve out its mission to the pet and animal populations in Pitt County. Current pet owners can assist with this by registering their pets as well, and helping to encourage others to do the same.
