Killeen Animal Services is teaming up with Petco Love on a new way to reunite lost pets with their owners.

According to a press release from the City of Killeen, on April 23 Killeen Animal Services partnered with Petco Love Lost, is a new searchable national database that uses patented facial recognition technology to make finding lost pets quicker and easier.

The database is accessible to participating animal organizations nationwide as well as to any pet parent or person who finds a lost pet. Uploaded photos of a missing dog or cat are immediately scanned to determine whether the lost pet is at a participating shelter, like Killeen Animal Shelter, or with a neighbor in the community.

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The new Petco Love nationwide database is free and lets you easily search through 53,000+ found pets. The Petco Love database also lets you quickly create and share lost pet alerts to Nextdoor, Facebook, email, and more.

“We see firsthand how quickly a pet can go missing, whether they were curious, following a scent, wandered through an open gate or became scared during a storm,” said Jessica Dunagan, Killeen Animal Services manager. “We work tirelessly to care for pets that are awaiting their forever homes or are lost and need help getting back to their families. There’s nothing more rewarding than reuniting families with their beloved pets, and with Petco Love Lost, we’re confident there will be many more happy reunions right here in Killeen.”

“We know that one in three pets goes missing in its lifetime, an estimated 10 million pets each year, and we’re not okay with that,” said Petco Love President Susanne Kogut. “That gives us 10 million reasons why we created Petco Love Lost, because we believe nothing is more important than keeping people and pets together for a lifetime of love. Together with Killeen Animal Services, our goal is to keep pets where they belong – at home, with you.”

Killeen Animal Shelter, located at 3118 Commerce Drive, is open for adoptions Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. More information about Killeen Animal Services and a link to view adoptable animals online are available at killeentexas.gov/animals.

Pets are just like any member of your family, and of course you want to ensure their safety, especially if your pet becomes lost. With new technology like micro-chipping, and now facial recognition databases, more pets can be reunited with their families.

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