Lost your dog or cat in Charlotte? Local business launches new alert system.
A North Carolina legislator has added to his pet-centered business to launch a new text-based service to help find lost pets.
N.C. Rep. John Bradford, III, a northern Mecklenburg County Republican, was raised in a household filled with animals, including squirrels and rabbits rescued by his mother. He owns Pet Screening, a service for landlords and property owners aimed at helping them accept more tenants who have pets.
Last month, he launched FidoAlert and TabbyAlert, a free service that uses text messages to alert neighbors about lost pets and reunite animals with families. In an interview with The Charlotte Observer recently, Bradford said the aim is to keep pets safer and that a wider base of users will broaden the reach of alerts.
Text alerts for missing pets
The technology dispatches SMS text alerts with identifying information and a photo of the pet to all registered users within five miles of where the pet was last seen. When users sign up, they input their phone numbers, up to 10 emergency contacts, and information about their pets into the system. In return, the PetScreening sends a free stainless steel tag with a QR code that anybody can scan and find information about the animal’s owner.
The cat tags are shaped like a mouse, and the dog tags are shaped like a bone. The back of the tag displays a unique nine-digit ID number in addition to the FidoAlert or TabbyAlert website, so that those without phones that scan QR codes can also find the owner. When someone finds the pet, the owner and their emergency contacts are notified via text.
Texts are the fastest form of communication, said Bradford. This is key, because a missing animal becomes more endangered each minute they’re lost. Over 10 million dogs and cats in the U.S. lost or stolen each year, according to the American Humane Association.
Fortunately, stray intake from the CMPD Animal Control & Care Unit has fallen from 5,511 dogs and cats in 2019 to 1,384 strays as of April 30, 2022. Still, Melissa D. Knicely from the CMPD ACC says both microchipping and extra layers of tracking are vital to keep pets safe. She signed up for FidoAlert and commended the user-friendly experience, as well as the fact that it is free and without added fees.
Before he entered politics and founded PetScreening, Bradford ran a property management company in Charlotte that he always ensured was pet-friendly. When their insurance made them exclude certain breeds of dogs, he switched the company’s insurance so that all breeds were welcomed at their properties. After running the company for 13 years, Bradford moved on and started PetScreening. The service provides landlords and property owners with information about pets and their upbringing that assure them it is safe for owners to keep their pets with them.
Charlotte pet events
The FidoAlert/TabyAlert team kicked off a road tour through North and South Carolina with their “First Annual Rescue Round-up” last Saturday in Iredell County. Here are the events in the Charlotte area:
Saturday, June 4th from 12 - 5 p.m.: Doggie Day at Sycamore Brewing
Thursday, June 30th from 7 - 10 p.m.: Charlotte Knights Bark in the Park
Friday, July 15th 7 - 10 p.m.: Charlotte Knights Bark in the Park
Sunday, July 17th from 12 - 7 p.m.: Doggie Day Summer Blitz at Sycamore Brewing
This story was originally published June 3, 2022 at 5:00 AM.