Website reunites lost pets with their owners

A dog who had wandered off from his owners served as the impetus for Victoria Foulkes-Pyle to create a unique tool that will be a welcome resource for pet owners who are trying to reunite with their pets or for those who have found lost pets.

AikenPetsReunited.org is a new website that's doing its part to help reunite pet owners with the members of their family who have lost their way. Foulkes-Pyle and Wes Funderberg, the City of Aiken's web administrator, created the website, which is a free service.

Foulkes-Pyle had discussed the idea for the website with Aiken SPCA President Barbara Nelson and with the Aiken County Animal Shelter prior to creating the website, which is now available as a countywide resource.

"I found a dog while I was walking my dogs on a farm in Montmorenci," said Foulkes-Pyle, who added that the dog has since been reunited with his owners in Windsor. "He had been running around, and I didn't have any idea of how to put him back in touch with his owner. He had a collar on but there was no identification. He appeared to be lost and was a really nice looking dog. He came into the house without any problem or hesitation. I sent an e-mail out to a number of people that I knew, and they forwarded it out to a number of people they knew."

Future plans call for the addition of a phone number as another way to help reunite lost pets with their owners for those people who don't have access to the Internet.

Any pet that has been found can be listed on the website, said Foulkes-Pyle.

The website was launched April 17. Lost and found cats and dogs are currently on the website. People who are interested in having their pets listed on the website can contact Foulkes-Pyle, and the pets will be placed on the website the evening of the day the site is contacted.

"As of 4 p.m. each day, the SPCA sends me the calls they've received during the day for lost and found pets, whether it be dogs, cats, horses or pigs, and they e-mail me any new calls that have come in, and they're uploaded to the site," said Foulkes-Pyle. "The way the website is constructed, we have unlimited pages to list lost or found animals."

The pets who have not been reunited with their owners will be listed indefinitely for the moment on the website, she said.

AikenPetsReunited.org is open to all lost pets. The site will offer a picture of the animal; if a picture isn't available, the site will have a written description of the colors, whether it's been microchipped and a vague description of their markings.

For more information, call 641-2048 or visit www.AikenPetsReunited.org.