Our No Place Like Home Challenge may be over, but our initiative to reunite pets with their families will forever continue. And with lost pets making up the majority of intake at most animal shelters, we highly encourage reviewing the Lost Pet Reunification Toolkit from Human Animal Support Services. 

This toolkit is just one of the TWELVE professional resources for implementing the Human Animal Support Services model of animal sheltering. The toolkits and resources have been created in collaboration with the HASS Project Working Groups, Pilot Shelters, and HASS/American Pets Alive! staff. 

The goal of the Lost Pet Reunification Toolkit specifically is to help organizations operate a comprehensive lost pet reunification service to successfully get most roaming pets home without them having to enter the shelter system. 

According to Human Animal Support Services, the most successful lost pet reunification programs have these characteristics in common: 

• Operate under the assumption that the majority of lost or stray animals have people who love and care for them. 
• Ensure lost animals are returned quickly and safely. 
• Build community partnerships to utilize people’s willingness and desire to help. 
• Develop an organizational culture and a community expectation that promotes reunification. 
• Involve dedicated staff and volunteers to focus on reunification efforts. 

View the full toolkit to read more about the problems this toolkit helps solve, step by step instructions on how to begin (or grow) a program, inspiring success stories and more!