Google and pedigree team up to help find lost dogs

Dogs get lost. There is no way to completely prevent it, but the era of lost dog posters and dogs missing for days on end may be over in the near future. Pet food giant Pedigree is teaming up with massive internet search engine Google to create an app to help lost pets get home faster.

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More and more companies are looking to technology to help keep dogs at home and help find them as quickly as possible if they do get lost. With the help of innovative technology like GPS dog tracking collars and devices that alert owners’ smartphones when their dogs leave the property, the number of lost dogs is sure to decrease. But what happens if your dog does wander off?

A new app, called Found, has been created that allows dog owners to register their pet and receive help from other users the minute they realize their dog is missing. The app was created by Colenso BBDO, a New Zealand creative agency, in conjunction with Google.

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Once owners pre-register their dog with basic information and an uploaded picture, they can use the app to send out a geo-targeted message to people in their vicinity as soon as their dog goes missing. Many pet owners fear what would happen if their dog went missing, and being able to harness the power of mobile technology to help with the search would be a huge benefit.

Once a dog is lost, their owner simply clicks the “Lost” button in the app and a pre-registered advertisement featuring their dog is instantly served across the Google Display Network within a 1.5 mile radius of their location.

Video: Pedigree Found - the real time lost dog app

A push notification is also sent to other dog owners in the area that have registered with the app. Instantly sharing the information to everyone online that it is the immediate area will hopefully help more lost dogs reconnect with their owners as soon as possible.

The need to help owners find their lost dog was perfectly paired with the technology that Google has to offer. Other apps have popped up recently that are focused on reuniting lost pets with their owners, but they all have one thing in common- they are only able to contact other registered users of the app.

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Partnering with Google gives Pedigree a jump on the competition because now they are able to contact all internet users in the area and not just the select few that are registered with the Found app.

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