AN app is being launched to help reunite dog owners with their lost pets.

A unique phone app to help people find their dogs if they are lost is due to be launched in the New Forest.

Owners will be able to store their dog’s details in the app, and if they are ever unable to locate them, they can press a button to send out alerts out to other app users.

The users will be able to see a photograph of the dog, and its last known location, and can report sightings back to the owner.

Any active dog searches will also be sent to the New Forest Dog Owners Group (NFDOG), a highly successful dog recovery service who can share the message on social media.

The app, available for both Android and Apple users, is set to be launched at the upcoming New Forest Show.

It has been in development for three years by NFDOG, and Highcliffe-based Triple W Design.

Bournemouth Echo: Preview of the app. Photo: David BennettPreview of the app. Photo: David Bennett

The app will also include other useful information such as a ‘go-to’ first aid section, advice specific to the New Forest such as round-up and stallion release times, and general dog news for the New Forest.

Heather Gould, chair of NFDOG, said: “It can be heart breaking if a walker loses their dog and we wanted to find a solution, using technology, to make the search easier and quicker to launch.

“Clearly the faster the search gets underway, using other dog walkers as well as the services of dog searchers, the better chance of finding the lost pet as it can’t have travelled far.”

Andy Clayton of Triple W Design said: “I approached NFDOG with this idea, as I was keen to help. No one has done anything like this before and after testing we’re keen to get it out and helping dog owners, of whom I am one.”

For verification reasons, reporting a lost dog will only be available to NFDOG members. 

The app will be launched by the Chairman of the New Forest Show, Martin Stewart, at the NFDOG stand at 11.00 on Tuesday, July 26.