1 in 3 in pets will become lost during their lifetime. Certainly, pet owners never plan to lose track of their pet, but the harsh reality is that it happens, even to the most prepared. Besides obvious stress and heartbreak for the owner, a lost pet also brings hardships to their community by requiring funds and resources to be spent on finding, corralling and sheltering the temporarily displaced pet. Pet licenses aid this process by making it easy to identify that a lost pet is indeed just that: lost with an owner ready to welcome them back home.
In our perfect world, every pet has a safe and happy home – this means that owned pets don’t get lost (or stay lost for long) and in turn, shelters are spending their time and resources on the vulnerable animals that truly need the care so these animals (cats, dogs and other fur, scaled, or feathered friends) may be adopted out to their furever homes. What helps make all this a reality? A successful licensing program that identifies ALL owned pets in a community while providing crucial funds to local animal welfare initiatives via the money provided by pet licenses. Additionally, as we continued to develop and enhance services to provide communities with the best licensing solution available, we thought “how else can we help solve this lost pet problem?” And out of that, HomeSafe® was born.
What is HomeSafe®?
Named after where and what each pet should be at the end of each day, HomeSafe® is our lost pet service that works around the clock to reunite lost pets with their owners. This valuable service relies on linked ID tags and a 24/7 dispatch team, and the best part? It’s all free.
How does HomeSafe® work?
Every DocuPet tag includes a unique HomeSafe® code that links to a pet’s respective secure online profile. Pet owners have the option to etch either a personal phone number, or our 24/7 hotline number on the pet’s tag. If a lost pet wearing a DocuPet tag is found, their finder has two easy options:
- They may call the number etched on the pet’s tag to either contact the owner directly (if the personal phone number is provided) or to be connected with a member of our 24/7 dispatch team to begin the reunification process.
- They may simply search the unique profile link found on the tag to view the pet’s public information (as set by the owner in the privacy settings of their account) and create a Found Pet Report in seconds.
So, what exactly do these linked profiles entail? Online, pet owners include detailed information about their pet that will help identify, retrieve, and care for them in the event that they become lost. The more information in a pet’s profile, the more helpful it will be in getting them home. Pet owners get to decide when and what information is made available to anyone searching that pet’s code. Here are just a few of the aspects of a pet’s profile that the HomeSafe® service relies on:
- Photo upload: owners may upload multiple photos of their pet to indicate unique markings or characteristics that will make identifying the pet simple
- Pet care information: this section of a pet’s profile provides information that will help a finder or temporary caregiver proceed with caution and purpose while the lost pet is in their possession. Here, an owner may note a pet’s temperament (whether they’re friendly with cats/dogs/children/people), their feeding schedule, food preferences, and more. These details help avoid potentially dangerous situations – such as a temporary caregiver bringing a non-cat-friendly dog into a home with two cats while waiting to be reunited with their owner.
- Pet Owner information: a phone number, email, and/or home address provides the key details needed to notify and reunite a lost pet with their owner. It is at the discretion of a pet owner to decide which of this information to make public and thus visible once a pet’s profile link is searched. If a pet owner prefers to keep this information private, they may defer to our HomeSafe®team to serve as a middleman in communications with a lost pet’s finder.
- Pet Guardians: In the event an owner can’t be reached, additional contacts may be added to a pet’s profile as alternates to be notified of a pet’s found status. Pet Guardians could include a spouse, grandparent, friend, neighbor, or any other trusted individual who is familiar with the owner and their pet.
Reports and Automatic Alerts
Sometimes, reuniting a lost pet with their owner is as simple as the finder only needing to call the number on the back of the tag. In fact, we’ve seen this work so quickly that when the owner was contacted about their lost pet, they were unaware that their pet was even lost in the first place. Reuniting a lost pet within minutes and without the involvement of other agencies is a win-win situation. Unfortunately, this isn’t always the case, so we equip pet owners with a proactive approach to finding their lost pet the moment they realize they are missing.
A Lost Pet Report allows an owner to instantly notify our dispatch team and their community that their pet is on the loose. This report includes important details such as a pet’s last known location, their photo and identifiable features and any information that the owner has opted to include for public viewing. Additionally, a pet owner may include special considerations that may help someone retrieve their pet, such as “Do not chase after her, she will run away” or “Stella will come to you if you ask her ‘wanna treat?’”. Once a lost pet report is submitted, it is broadcast to a community-wide network of pet owners in the area, and our HomeSafe® dispatch team gets to work on locating the lost pet. This is especially effective in communities in which DocuPet is the official licensing partner as every licensee has access to the HomeSafe® service – a true power in numbers approach.
On the other hand, a Found Pet Report may easily be submitted by anyone who finds a lost pet wearing a DocuPet tag. Upon visiting the unique profile link on a pet’s tag, the finder has the option to quickly submit this report which will notify our HomeSafe® team and the pet owner that their pet has been found. If the finder instead reaches out to the HomeSafe® dispatch number on the tag, then a team member will fill out this report while they have the finder on the line. This report includes the finder or temporary caregiver’s contact information along with details about the pet’s current status such as their condition, when and where they were found, and whom they are in the care of or will be in the care of as they await reunification with their owner.
24/7 Dispatch Team
Our dedicated HomeSafe® team works around the clock to reunite lost pets with their owners. 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, all year round, this team is available to respond to all calls and lost or found pet reports to help find and/or reunite lost pets with their owners. Another goal of this team is to allow for a dedicated avenue to direct residents to in the event of a lost pet. Rather than contacting the shelter directly, or the police dispatch, or whoever else a resident may think to contact in this stressful situation, the HomeSafe® dispatch team is instead able to field these calls with the expertise and tools needed to help get the word out about lost pets. With pet profiles and pet owner information on file, the HomeSafe® dispatch team is equipped with the important information needed to facilitate lost pet reunions. This dedicated team takes on the work that shelter staff may not have the time or resources to execute. Plus, knowing it is actually a real-life person’s dedicated job to locate and reunite lost pets gives owners peace of mind.
We know that effective pet licensing programs can help alleviate the pressure communities feel from the overwhelmingly common lost pet problem. Our hope is that eventually, all pets in a given community will be licensed, but until that is a reality, our HomeSafe® service will continue to work day and night to help quickly reunite lost pets with their owners and thus provide relief to local shelters.
Reunited and it feels so good. Here’s just a few of the thousands of pets we’ve helped reunite with their owners thanks to HomeSafe®.
“I went out to my garage workshop to do some work. Unfortunately, the garage door was open and Zoey bolted out the door and down the street. After searching on foot and then by car for a while I received a call from DocuPet that Zoey had been found. I was given the name and phone number of the finder. I called, got the address, and went to get Zoey. Thank you Barbara and DocuPet.” – Richard.
“Coco is a master at digging and escaping. We prevent his escape by blocking all the holes or fences around the backyard. As usual he was enjoying his day in the backyard; however, the wind was so strong on that day it pushed down one of my blockers. Coco found an opportunity to dig underneath the fence door and escape. After we realized his disappearance, in 5 minutes we received a phone call from Docupet that one of our neighbours found Coco. We got him home safe and sound. The whole process didn’t take us long from realizing his disappearance to getting him back home safe. I’m glad that I registered him.” -Dieu
“While we were visiting family out-of-state over the holidays, our golden retriever Myah got lost in a new neighborhood after being let outside on what was supposed to be a quick potty break. As we were frantically looking everywhere for her, my phone rang and I received an email that she had been found and was warm and safe inside a neighbor’s garage. We had her back home within minutes. It was such a relief to know that she had been found! We were so grateful for the swift communication by the neighbor and DocuPet to let us know she was okay. Thank you for providing this service to help keep our beloved pets – our family – safe!” Karen
“Zeena is a wanderlust to say the least and very stealthy. She takes any opportunity to go out the door when the kids are coming through. After she is out, she loves the chase of the game and won’t give up until she is exhausted. Her collar has a plate of info, air tags and her license all attached. But it has been because of the license and DocuPet that Zeena has been safely returned home now on two separate occasions. We so appreciate everything DocuPet has done and we would never go without licensing. It’s a very small amount to pay for the benefits and grace shown.” – Darleen
“Zeph is 2 years old and still puppyish at times, he ran away when we returned from the dog park. We were just getting in the doorway when he decided to quickly turn around and run down driveway, gone down the street- it happened so fast!. I got in my car and started whistling for him, looking up and down many streets, passing the dog park, the club house, back to my house, with no luck. I prayed he would be okay and I would find him unharmed. My cell phone rang – It was DocuPet telling me Zeph was safe with a gentleman who took him into his car!! They helped put me in direct contact with his finder (Aaron), who I then called and promptly met up with across the highway. Aaron saw Zeph crossing the highway while a semi truck and cars were coming. Aaron positioned his car to block Zeph from the oncoming traffic and (thankfully) Zeph jumped into Aaron’s car when he called for him. Aaron looked up the tag on his collar he contacted DocuPet. I was so happy and thankful for Aaron’s quick thinking and DocuPet’s expedient contact. Only 10-15 minutes went by but it felt a lot longer when your mind worries…it could not have gone better.” -Diane