RSPCA and Animal Search unite as Bournemouth pets missing

Since the beginning of April, the RSPCA has started using Animal Search UK to help reunite missing animals with their owners.

This comes as 66 pets were recorded on the Animal Search UK website as missing in the Bournemouth area alone in the 12 months to the end of March.

The actual number of lost pets is likely to be higher as not all would have been recorded on the website. Just over half of cases reported on the website are ultimately closed.

Now, thanks to the new partnership between the services, if a stray comes into RSPCA care it will be registered on the Animal Search website – which will automatically match any found pets with a lost animal of the same description.

Animal Search UK officers

Members of the public who contact the RSPCA will also be encouraged to register them in the same way.

Animal Search’s website is free and owners don’t have to pay to register their pet as missing. Almost 10,000 pets in the UK were reported missing on the website last year.

Due to the high volume of registered users and the awareness that Animal Search already has in place, it’s hoped the new partnership with the RSPCA will result in more pets being reunited with their owners.

Dermot Murphy, RSPCA chief inspectorate officer, said: “It’s devastating when a much-loved pet goes missing, so we’re really pleased to be partnering with Animal Search who have been helping to reunite missing pets with their owners since 1999.

“We hope that their extensive knowledge and resources in this area, free website, pet search teams and seven-day advice and information service, will result in more animals being successfully reunited with their owners, should the unthinkable happen.

“In the first instance, the RSPCA would always recommend that owners get their pets microchipped as this gives them the best chance of being identified and quickly reunited with you if they become lost or stolen.”