Lost animal
When an animal goes missing, every minute counts. The app posts a notice on the community map, alerts nearby users and gives you a link and a poster to spread the word.
Reporting your lost animal
- Open the animal's profile.
- Tap the … button in the action bar, then Lost pet.
- Check the Pet name.
- Add a Description: collar, behaviour, anything that can help people recognise it.
- Enter a Contact phone: this is the number people who spot it will call.
- Add a photo with Add a photo.
- Tap Publish.
The notice appears immediately on the community map with a 🐾 marker. People whose alert zone covers that spot receive a notification, and users passing nearby with the app open receive an alert. You are also automatically subscribed to the notice's messages: you are notified as soon as someone reports having seen your pet.
During the search
As long as the animal is reported lost, its profile shows the This pet is flagged as lost banner with four actions:
| Action | What it does |
|---|---|
| Mark as found | Closes the notice, which disappears from the map. |
| Update location | Republishes the notice with your current position, for example after someone has told you they saw the animal elsewhere. |
| Share | Sends the notice's link by message, on social media, by email… |
| Search poster (PDF) | Creates a poster to print and put up in your neighbourhood. |
The search poster
The poster shows the animal's name and photo, the date it went missing, your phone number and a QR code. By scanning it, a passer-by opens the notice's page directly, always up to date.
What someone who opens the link or scans the poster sees
The link and QR code lead to a public page that can be viewed without an account or the app:
- the animal's photo, name, species and breed;
- the description you entered;
- See last known location, which opens the position in a maps app;
- Contact, to call you in one tap;
- Share, to pass the notice on;
- the first name of the person who made the report.
Once the animal has been found, the page shows Good news — this pet has been found!. If the notice has been removed or has expired, the page says This announcement is no longer available.
Following the notice on the map
On the community map, the notice's marker opens details with the contact phone number, directions and a Comments thread where anyone can report having seen it, with a photo. If you reported the animal from its profile, you already follow these messages; otherwise, turn on the bell at the top of these details to be notified of each new message.
From these details, you can also Mark as found and create the Search poster (PDF). See Community map.
Have you found or spotted an animal?
- If there is a notice: call the number shown, or leave a comment on the map marker.
- If there is no notice yet: on the map, tap Add, tap the place where you saw it, choose Lost pet, then fill in the name if known, a phone number, the Date and time last seen, a description and photos.
Shelter QR codes
Shelters can stick a QR code on an animal's kennel or on an enclosure, so their volunteers can log walks and meals with a single scan (see Volunteers and scheduling). Depending on who scans it:
- a logged-in member of the shelter team lands on the animal's profile with the quick actions (or on the list of animals in the enclosure, with Action for the whole enclosure);
- a visitor sees the animal's public page, if it is presented for adoption on the shelter's page;
- otherwise, the page says Reserved for the shelter team.;
- a QR code withdrawn by the shelter shows This QR code is no longer valid.