National Lost Dog Awareness Day is observed every April 23rd.
April 23, 2018 is the fifth annual National Lost Dog Awareness Day. Shelters and rescues across the United States use this day to bring attention to the many dogs in their care who have family looking for them.
This day was created not only to bring awareness to the dogs that go missing but to also celebrate the reunions. Through networks of shelters, veterinaries, social media and other media sources, many lost canines are reunited with their loved ones. National Lost
Dog Awareness Day is an opportunity to learn more about prevention and networking.
HOW TO OBSERVE
Participate in National Lost Dog Awareness Day by posting your experiences on social media using #LostDogAwarenessDay.
HISTORY
The first annual National Lost Dog Awareness Day was celebrated on April 23, 2014.
On April 23 [2014], the U.S. celebrated its first annual National Lost Dog Awareness Day (NLDAD)! Created by Susan Taney and Kathy Pobloskie – directors of Lost Dogs Illinois and Lost Dogs of Wisconsin, respectively – the canine-centric holiday aims to bring attention to all dogs that are lost each year. On a happier note, NLDAD also celebrates the thousands of lost dogs successfully reunited with their families.
Lost Dogs Illinois (LDI) is an all-volunteer organization created for the exclusive purpose of providing a free service to help reunite families with their lost dogs. With the help of popular social media platforms, Facebook and Twitter, and their extensive connections throughout Illinois, LDI is able to facilitate a statewide alert as soon as a lost dog posting is released. By working to recover lost dogs, this 501 (c) 3 non-profit helps to decrease the number of homeless animals brought into shelters and animal control facilities, thereby preventing unnecessary euthanasia. Lost Dogs Illinois offers an invaluable service when many feel helpless otherwise.
The Lost Dogs mission has been so successful that the concept has been accepted and put into practice states throughout the country. You can see listings for the various states here.
The tenacious efforts of these combined states’ volunteers along with over 150,000 fans have helped reunite over 21,000 dogs with their families since 2010. Getting lost dogs back home reduces stress on owners’, staff at shelters/animal control facilities, other dogs in the facilities, and ultimately saves taxpayers’ money. It also opens up cage and kennel space for truly homeless dogs.
“When a dog goes missing, many families give up looking for their lost pet. National Lost Dog Awareness Day was created to give hope to the families still looking for their dogs and remind the public that not all stray dogs are homeless” explains Taney. “One of our most recent success stories was finding a beagle named Charlie. He was missing for almost two months in the most brutal winter ever. We never gave up, and neither did Charlie’s foster family. Together, and with the help of our social media following, Charlie was trapped and he was successfully reunited with his foster family. Never doubt a dog’s ability to survive.”
According to LostDogsOfAmerica.org, Lost Dogs of America (LDOA), a coalition of states, has documented over 42,000 reunions since 2011. LDOA facilitated these reunions by providing tips to owners, by using Facebook pages for individual states, and by providing free flyers courtesy of HelpingLostPets LDOA makes it possible for dogs such as Molly to find their way home.
Your participation will benefit your community because:
· Getting lost dogs home reduces stress on the owner and the dog, and
· Reduces work for staff at shelters/animal control facilities and rescues, which
· Saves taxpayers’ money for animal care, and
· Opens up cage and kennel space for truly homeless dogs.
It also shows individuals with lost dogs that their community cares!
“When a dog goes missing, many families give up looking for their lost pet. National Lost Dog Awareness Day was created to give hope to the families still looking for their dogs and remind the public that not all stray dogs are homeless” Susan Taney.
You can find Lost Dogs of America on Facebook here.
