“Lost: 2-year-old Basset Hound named Jefferson. Call 555-1010.”
Cardboard signs announcing lost pets are tacked to telephone poles throughout the City. Many people know the frustrations of trying to locate dogs and cats that have wandered from home.
Neighborhood resident Chris Richey is using his entrepreneurial skills to reunite pet owners and their favorite animals. Last year, Richey established PetFind, a national lost and found service for pets.
Richey and his wife, Julie, live in a corner house on a busy street, and they own two golden retrievers, Lucy and Barney. Neighbors that find stray animals often bring them to the Richeys, knowing the two will care for them until the owners can be found.
“We are always finding dogs and cats wandering near our house,” Richey says, “and it is so frustrating to find a pet and not be able to contact the owner because the tags are outdated.”
Hank is a black Labrador that appeared frequently in the Richeys’ front yard. One Saturday, they found him and tried to contact the owner, but the veterinarian’s office listed on the tag was closed until Monday.
Richey says PetFind was created for dogs such as Hank and the animal lovers who take in lost pets until their owners can be contacted.
Owners pay a one-time fee to register pets with the service. Each pet receives an identification tag engraved with a registration number and PetFind’s toll-free telephone number, 1-800-PET-FIND.
When someone finds an animal wearing a PetFind tag, they can call the toll-free number and report the whereabouts of the truant hound or feline. PetFind then calls the owner, who can retrieve his or her pet.
Richey says his service is ideal because, unlike a veterinarian’s office or animal shelter, callers can report finding a pet 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, and the owner will be notified immediately.
In addition, Richey says, there is never a need to buy new identification tags. If the owner moves, he or she can call PetFind to register the new address at no charge.
Richey and his partner, Drew Marshall, another neighborhood resident, aren’t new to the toll-free number business. PetFind is an offspring of their first company, Safest 1, which monitors the driving of corporate fleets.
Truck decals that read “How’s my driving?” are the tool by which the company monitors the safety of buses, trailers and other commercial vehicles. Other drivers can call 1-800-SAFEST-1 or 1-800-SAFE-BUS to report vehicles with Safest 1 decals that are speeding or driving dangerously.
What started as an idea two years ago has grown into a business monitoring thousands of vehicles for companies such as Coca-Cola and Wingtip Couriers.
PetFind registration is $14.95. Five percent of all proceeds are donated to the Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. PetFind identification tags will be available soon at pet stores, groomers and veterinarian’s offices.
To register your pet or for more information, call 1-800-PET-FIND.
