Battersea Launches Lost Dog Kit
Battersea Dogs & Cats Home launches ‘Lost Dog Kit’ to prevent flood of stray dogs in summer holiday season
Battersea Dogs & Cats Home is launching a new free online tool www.lostdogkit.org.uk to help owners find their lost dogs, in order to prevent a flood of stray dogs into the Home over the summer holiday season.
The rescue charity has traditionally seen a more than 10% increase in stray dogs in July and August, as owners go on holiday. Research carried out by Battersea has also shown that only 5%* of owners know to start the search for their lost dog with their local authority.
The Lost Dog Kit is an easy to use online tool, which takes owners through a four stage process in order to help them find their lost dog.
Scott Craddock, Director of Operations at Battersea Dogs & Cats Home, said:
“The number of strays coming into Battersea invariably rises over the summer months, however at present only one in four stray dogs are reunited with their owners.
“The Lost Dog Kit gives people all the information they need to help them find their dog in four simple steps, including contacting their local authority, reporting the dog missing to Battersea’s Lost Dogs & Cats Line and identifying local animal rescues and veterinary surgeries. We hope that the Lost Dog Kit will mean more dogs are reunited with their owners in their local areas without ever having to come to Battersea.”
The Lost Dog Kit is designed to help people like Irene Witts, who lost her dog Pip in Victoria, London, in May 2008. She said:
“A year on, and we’re still heartbroken by the loss of Pip. We did everything we could to track him down and still call Battersea every week to see if he has turned up there.”
In an online poll carried out by Battersea Dogs & Cats Home, only 5% of people surveyed said that they would go to their local authority first to look for their stray dog. Local authorities took over responsibility for stray dogs from the Metropolitan Police in April 2008 and should be the first point of contact for anyone who has lost a dog. 24% of people said they would still go to the police to look for their stray dog, while 71% said they would start their search with their local animal sanctuary or veterinary surgery.
Battersea hopes that the Lost Dog Kit will help make people aware that local authorities are the best place to start looking for a lost dog.
The Lost Dog Kit will be available from 28 July 2009.
Battersea Dogs & Cats Home has also created a Lost Cat Kit, to help people locate their lost cat. If you would like some tips on finding your lost cat go to www.lostcatkit.orgt.uk.
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