The Lost Dogs of America (LDOA) website was created and is maintained by the two original founding members of the Lost Dogs network: Lost Dogs of Wisconsin and Lost Dogs Illinois. The Lost Dogs mission has been so successful that the concept has been accepted and put into practice in Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Iowa, New Jersey, Minnesota, Texas, and Wisconsin under the umbrella organization Lost Dogs of America.
Lost Dogs of America is an all-volunteer organization founded for the exclusive purpose of providing help to reunite families with their lost dogs. With the help of popular social media platforms, Facebook and Twitter, and their extensive connections throughout each state, the chapters are able to facilitate a statewide alert as soon as a lost or found dog report is received.
By working to recover lost dogs, LDOA helps to decrease the number of homeless animals brought into shelters and animal control facilities, thereby preventing unnecessary euthanasia. Lost Dogs of America offers an invaluable service when many feel helpless otherwise.
The tenacious efforts of these combined volunteers along with over 150,000 fans have helped reunite over 21,000 dogs with their families since 2010. Getting lost dogs back home reduces stress on owners, staff at shelters/animal control facilities, other dogs in the facilities, and ultimately saves taxpayers money. It also opens up kennel space for truly homeless dogs.
“When a dog goes missing, most owners do not know how or where to begin looking. Our specially-trained volunteers make them a flyer to distribute and offer helpful support and advice tailored to their situation and locale. We also constantly remind the public that not all stray dogs are homeless and that there is likely an owner looking for a dog that has been found” explains Pobloskie.
“One of our recent success stories was a lab mix named Abner. He was missing nine weeks during really bad weather. We never gave up, and neither did Abner’s owner. She read the articles on our website and followed the advice of her caseworker. Abner was successfully lured into the home of some kind Good Samaritans who patiently gained his trust. Never doubt a dog’s ability to survive.”
If you are interested in starting an organization in your state, please visit the Lost Dogs of America website at www.lostdogsofamerica.org
Sources: prlog.org and lostdogsofamerica.org
Image via lostdogsofamerica.org
Wow. I had no idea about this day, but it's so needed. There are so many lost dogs around us - we try to catch and return them, when possible. One has been a chronic little fellow, and I saw via social media that he's missing again. Organizations like that make such a difference in reuniting lost pets with their families!
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