AHS & MCACC Join Forces to Reunite Lost Pets with Owners

AHS’ Stray Pets Now Showcased on MCACC’s Interactive Online Mapping Tool!

 AHS and Maricopa County Animal Care and Control are joining forces to ensure lost pets within Maricopa County make their way home and stay out of overcrowded shelters.

Every day, hundreds of lost and stray animals end up in County shelters. Many of these animals are not microchipped or licensed, which makes finding their rightful owners challenging. Since 2013, MCACC has utilized an interactive online mapping tool to highlight lost dogs as an additional tool for individuals to properly locate their animals. In that time, MCACC’s return to owner rate has increased from 12 percent to 21 percent.

Meanwhile, AHS has anywhere from seven to 10 people each day visiting the shelter looking for their lost pets, and countless inquiries over the phone or online, yet the success rate for reuniting pets and their owners is just seven percent. Often times, owners are unaware of the difference between the two organizations and the potential need to search both for their lost pets.

Due to the success of MCACC’s mapping tool, the Valley’s two leading animal welfare organizations that handle lost and stray animals have decided to join forces to help get more pets back to their homes. AHS’ stray pets will now appear on MCACC’s mapping tool making it easier and more efficient for owners to search for their lost pets.

“Every day, we see anywhere from 80 to 100 animals come in to our shelters that are lost or stray,” says Jose Santiago from MCACC. “By having both shelters’ resources available to the public, we can not only get these pets safely home but keep shelter overcrowding from happening.”

“Pet owners may not know to look for their lost pets at the Arizona Humane Society due to our role in caring for the Valley’s sick, injured and abused homeless and lost pets, yet sadly many pets can get injured while out roaming the streets,” said Melissa Hernandez, AHS’ Admissions Manager. “We are grateful to Maricopa County Animal Care and Control for this opportunity and look forward to witnessing more happy reunions than ever before.”

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