Hank Investigates: Lost Pets

Missy was gone…the cherished family pet...was nowhere to be found.

Debra Ahearn, pet owner
"I looked outside and she wasn't on her run. Just her collar hanging from her leash and no Missy."

Debra Aherne searched the streets, called animal control officers in several towns, but no one had seen Missy.

Debra Ahearn, pet owner
"The kids are crying and its just so hard not knowing, not knowing whether she was alive or dead."

What the family didn’t know: though Missy was lost in Pembroke, she had been picked up in Duxbury - the town next door. The problem was animal control never matched the report of her being lost with the report of her being found.

Hank Phillippi Ryan, 7News
"This not in chronological order, it's not in breed order, how are you supposed to find anything in here?"

Lt. Roger Banfill, Duxbury Police Department
"It is very difficult."

In fact, our statewide investigation found the process for reuniting lost pets with grieving owners is so disorganized and so disconnected--pets who wander into a neighboring towns may be gone forever.

So Missy was caged. First in Duxbury's tiny animal shelter, then transferred to the Animal Rescue League - the clock ticking on her future. With her family still searching, she would be adopte or put to sleep.

Lt. Roger Banfill, Duxbury Police Department
"So does this system work? Poorly."

Then, only by chance, a shelter volunteer who knew the family recognized the dog and Missy finally went home.

Debra Aherne, Pet owner
"We found our dog by luck, no question about it."

But many family pets are not so lucky. Animal Control officers admit the search process is archaic - a patchwork of paper, phone calls and random web sites. As a result - lost pets are found, but their owners never know it.

Cheryl Malone, Animal Control Officers Association of Massachusetts
"It’s very sad and always heart-breaking when we have a dog that just doesn't make it back home."

Problem is that each of the state’s 351 communities handles strays differently. Some have full time animal control officers running well-kept shelters and computer hookups---others rely on paper files and part timers.

And here's the ultimate disconnect - if an untagged, un-microchipped stray is picked up in one town, there's no requirement that other towns be notified.

Anne Lindsay, President of Mass. Animal Coalition
"The result is that the person who lost their pet is devastated."

Ann Lindsay - President of the Mass. Animal Coalition - says lack of communication is why lost pets stay lost. Ann's own Cokey escaped through an open gate.

Anne Lindsay, President of Mass. Animal Coalition
"I don’t know what happened to her and I will live with that for the rest of my life."

There are so many other lost pets. What will happen to them? No one keeps track of the statewide bottom line. But experts admit hundreds are put to sleep.

Virginia Courtney, Dracut Animal Control Officer
"It's like where was your owner why wasn't he here to take care of you? Why do I have to make this decision?"

A statewide database could link animal control officers and allow them to merge and match reports of lost and found pets. But we found that doesn't exist. Hard working animal control officials know the system is broken.

Lt. Roger Banfill, Duxbury Police Department
"We're in the dark ages right now."

So what ahead for these unclaimed pets? It may be an against-all-odds reunion like Missy's.

But more likely, it’s the uncertain future of a stray – found - but still lost in the system.

Debra Aherne, Pet owner
"If they don’t change the system, I would think that a lot of animals will never find their way home."

The key for pet owners is prevention. Experts say make sure your animals have tags, microchips or tattoos - pets with identification will never be lost in the system.

For more information:

Since there is not one central place to report lost and found pets, experts say you need to act fast with phone calls to shelters, animal control officers in your town and in surrounding communities. Posters, web posting and ads in the paper also help. Remember some animals can travel 20 miles a day so you need to call multiple cities and towns.

UPDATE:
Changes are already in the works as a result of our story. Click below for more information:
http://www.massanimalcoalition.org

Web sites offering information on what to do if you've lost your pet, how to help your pet from being lost and allows postings of lost and found pets:

http://www.lostdogsearch.com
http://www.petrescue.com/library/find-pet.htm
http://www.k9finder.com/
http://www.petfinder.com
http://www.pets911.com/services/lostandfound/index.php

Organizations to contact for more information about this topic:

http://www.massanimalcoalition.org
http://www.arlboston.org/Main/index.aspx
http://www.acoam.info