LOST DOGS ILLINOIS NFP

Lost Dog Illinois hopes to:

Educate the general public on what to do if they find a lost dog.

Provide resources, tips, support and hope to families of lost dogs.

Encourage Animal Control and other stray holding facilities to increase their return to owner percentage by implementing our suggestions and ideas to make it easier for the public to find their lost dogs.

The ASPCA estimates over 40-60% of dogs in shelters are strays. The average national return to owner is only 20%. These dogs in the shelter do not need a new home; they need to go home to rightful owner.

Lost Dogs Illinois has a website with articles which include lost shy dog and lost friendly dog strategies along with tips and resources. We post tips every day. We also post reunion stories which provide much hope, support for other owners of lost dogs.

We are doing a mailing to all the animal control facilities to join Helping Lost Pets, LDI's partner, to utilize a centralized database.

Making presentations to state and local organizations like Chicago Animal Shelter Association (CASA), University of Illinois Veterinary Students, etc.

Have done webinars for ASPCA.

Attend events and hand our literature.

We have volunteers throughout the state who monitor our page by sharing, writing supportive comments and making matches from other Facebook pages and website..

Since our inception, small groups of concerned citizens who are affiliated with LDI provide a helping hand with flyering, feeding stations and trapping when a dog is lost in their area.

We have seen a groundswell support among the public to get lost dogs home. The public is also putting pressure on their animal control and stray holding facilities to become more proactive increasing their return to owner rates.

We would like to see every animal control/stray holding facility, police departments, veterinarian, etc. to use a centralized lost and found database such as Helping Lost Pets where there will be one database to look for lost and found dogs.

We hope to continue to promote our message "Not All Stray Dogs Are Homeless".

We believe in preserving the human/animal bond.

We have created a volunteer group called Microchip Hunters which research dead microchips for both cats and dogs. Have successfully reunited families with their pets.

We have offered Free microchip clinics to over 10,000 dogs.