The Maui Humane Society is always looking for ways to reunite stray animals with their owners.
Now the organization has been selected as one of 25 shelters around the country to participate in a program called Network Neighbors to help more lost pets get back home. The program is launched by Best Friends Animal Society using Petco Love Lost technology.
The platform uses image recognition software to match its database with photos of lost pets.
Maui Humane Society spokesperson Victoria Ivankic said they are open to all innovations to help reunite animals with their owners.
“Our belief is that there really are no stray animals," she said. "Every pet that comes into our care, the vast majority kind of with the exception of community cats, have a home at some point, so we like to refer to them as lost. So any additional efforts to help reunite lost pets with their families is something that we will always try. We'll try anything."
"We have a dedicated pet reunification specialist, he's like an investigator," she continued. "He reaches out to people on social media. He kind of deep dives in our system to try to reunite pets with their owners. So the Best Friends Animal Society partnership that we have is just another way to help reunite pets with their families.”
If successful, the pilot program could expand to additional communities across the country, with the potential to reunite thousands of pets with their families.
