The City of LaGrange has partnered with Finding Rover to help pet owners find their four-legged family members. 

Chris Bussey, City of LaGrange Animal Services Supervisor, discovered the software earlier this year when he went to a conference in Louisiana. 

“This should help reduce the number of strays and help owners find their pets a lot faster,” Bussey said. “The animal shelter is typically the last place pet owners look. Sometimes the pets would have been lost for two weeks and have been here the whole time.”

The app allows a pet owner to upload a picture of their cat or dog. Then, if the pet is lost, owners can click a button specifying that the animal is lost. 

The facial recognition software on the app will then search the area and shelters to see if there is a match. 

“Every dog and cat that enters the City of LaGrange Animal Shelter will be registered on Finding Rover,” Bussey said. “We upload a photo of every dog and name them based on the street they were found on.” 

If a dog or cat ever gets lost, their record will already be in the system, so it’ll be easier to reunite the pet with their family.

Registering a pet on the app or website is free of charge. In addition to helping lost pets find their way back home, Finding Rover also features dogs and cats that are available for adoption.

To register a pet, download Finding Rover on a smartphone or tablet, or go to findingrover.com and upload your pet’s photo, enter a few details about your pet, then enter your name, email address and zip code.

“Your pet will be more protected with this,” Bussey said. 

The LaGrange Animal Services Building is located at 1390 Orchard Hill Road. The shelter is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday.