Madison Reporter

Public Health Madison & Dane County is promoting a new initiative to help connect lost pets with their owners. In March, Public Health Animal Services officers began promoting and utilizing 24PetConnect, an online database for lost pets.

“We are teaming up with the Dane County Humane Society (DCHS) to help spread the word about this helpful resource for pet owners,” said John Hausbeck, Animal Services Division Director. “It’s essentially an online ‘lost and found’ for pets, providing real-time updates to help get animals back to their homes faster.”

In 2023, DCHS helped reunite 1,200 animals with their owners, the majority of which came to the shelter. With 24PetConnect folks can communicate with each other directly about lost and found pets, hopefully preventing an animal from an unnecessary trip to the shelter.

24PetConnect gives owners of lost pets and the people who find them an outlet to communicate directly. Here’s how it works:

If someone finds a lost pet, they can head to the 24PetConnect database, upload a picture, description, location, and contact information.

If someone is looking for a lost pet, they can check the 24PetConnect database to see if it has already been found or upload a picture and information about the missing pet. In addition to creating a lost pet notice on the website, pet owners can also create free, printable lost pet flyers.

“We know pets can be sneaky and become separated from their families, making it a challenging time while they’re missing. We’re glad 24PetConnect can be another tool in the toolbox to help reunite families with their lost pet,” said Lisa Bernard, DCHS’s Public Relations Coordinator.

DCHS asks that pet owners still file lost pet reports on the DCHS website. There they can also find the shelter’s found animal database and review other helpful pet reunification resources.

If anyone needs additional help, Public Health also assists with lost, stray, or abandoned animals. When Animal Service officers receive reports of lost animals, they try to find the owner by checking for a microchip and monitoring 24PetConnect. The team also supports returning pets to their owner or taking them to Dane County Humane Society for shelter.

More tips for those who own a pet or find a lost animal are available on the Public Health website.