Our initial approach has been to help people find their lost pets. Using any appropriate technology and providing real support for people when they really need it.

Our research identified that there was no effective co-ordinated system to reunite lost animals with their owners.

Pet Search revolves around a database to which we add information about animals found all over Australia.

Basically, Pet Search is all about creating synergy.

It brings together the efforts of many caring people who have been working in the "wilderness" trying to help people and lost animals get back together.

Until the introduction of Pet Search all vets, councils and animal welfare agencies worked in isolation - pockets of information were kept in different locations all over Australia. This meant that to search even a small section of a state for a lost pet, a person would have to make many phone calls to ensure all avenues were investigated.

At Pet Search we collect data from members of the public, vets, councils, pounds and animal welfare agencies such as the RSPCA, Cat Protection Society and The Animal Welfare League about animals found all over Australia. This information is continually fed into our computer.

When someone contacts us who has lost a pet we search our computerised database given the description they provide about their lost pet. When matches are highlighted we provide the details of the person or organisation which is holding the animal, the client then makes contact to identify and collect the animal.

It has been our experience that many people are concerned about sending animals they have found to the municipal facilities because they are concerned that the animal will be euthenased. Even if told that legislation requires that they do so, they still prefer to keep the animal at home.

By advising Pet Search of the animal's whereabouts it at least ensures the animal enters the "system" and thus increases the possibility of it being reunited with its owners.

There is absolutely no charge to anyone who wishes to add a found animal to the database. For those who wish to access the database to help find their pet, a small fee is payable which covers one week's access to the database and our support.

We can also publish a written "Lost Pet Report" to vets, pounds, pet shops, grooming salons, obedience clubs and police stations etc. This enables our clients to communicate directly with hundreds of people who may take in their pet. The lost pet report actively communicates the lost pet's description where it will do the most good - again with only one telephone call. For a pet owner to undertake this task personally would be very expensive and very time consuming.

The establishment of our web site is a natural expension of what we already do. It helps us to communicate the descriptions and illustrations of lost pets to an appreciative audience easily, efficiently and effectively.

Aside from all this technology we have at our displosal we believe a large part of the service which we provide is one of counselling - really listening to people when they are sometimes quite distressed and also guiding them on the best methods to use to find their lost animal.

Pet Search is one service which doesn't have a down side - it helps the people who have lost their pet - it assists the vets to get "strays" out of their surgeries and any fees paid - it helps councils get animals off the street at the same time cutting down kennel and vets fees - it helps the animal welfare agencies reduce what sometimes appears to be an insurmountable problem - finally it reduces the number of animals which are put down each year.

For those individuals and organisations operating within the system, it doesn't cost anything to use the database - only those people who have lost their pets pay a fee - as little as $50.00.

Pet Search is designed to cater for any domestic pets - not just dogs. In the past we have been asked to help find horses, rabbits, all types of birds, ferrets and a blue tongue lizard to name just a few.

Please encourage anyone who has found a pet to contact Pet Search on 1300 309 004 (or fax us on 1300 760 836) to add it to the database. If you know of someone who has lost a pet, tell them about the service, we can help them find their lost pet.