St. Charles Parish is giving lost pets a better shot at getting back home, thanks to a new partnership between its animal shelter and Petco Love Lost. Animals brought into the parish shelter will now be entered into a national photo-matching database that scans shelters and community posts for likely matches, with officials hoping shorter shelter stays and more reunions follow.
As outlined in a parish reel on Facebook, every animal that arrives at the shelter will be automatically uploaded to Petco Love Lost for real-time matching and alerts. The parish notes that the platform uses photo-matching technology and scans public social media posts to surface possible owner matches, and that residents can check found animals online.
How the matching tech works
Petco Love Lost describes itself as a free national database that uses photo-matching to search thousands of shelter listings and community reports for possible matches. According to Petco Love Lost, users can upload a photo, create sharable alerts and receive possible matches from participating shelters and neighbors.
Local safeguards and scanning
St. Charles Parish added another tool to the mix last year with a 24/7 microchip scanning station outside the shelter in Luling, giving both finders and officers a way to check for chips after hours. When the station was unveiled, the parish highlighted its broader push to keep animals safe. "Our Animal Shelter staff are constantly looking for ways to enhance pet safety and promote responsible pet ownership," Parish President Matthew Jewell said in a release on the St. Charles Parish website.
What residents should do
Pet owners are urged to keep microchip registrations up to date and to upload a clear photo of their pet to Petco Love Lost so a profile is ready if the animal ever goes missing. The shelter's Petco Love Lost page lists found and adoptable animals in Luling and nearby neighborhoods and is billed as a fast way to see if a missing pet has turned up, according to Petco Love Lost.
Residents who find an animal are asked to keep the pet safe, scan it for a microchip or bring it to the shelter, and reach out through the parish's animal control pages for guidance. For hours, contacts and adoption details, see St. Charles Parish for the latest information.
