Perhaps one of the most interesting pieces of information we've come across in our work to solve microchip and lost pet issues is that most shelters do not share lost/found information between them.
This may come as a shock to some of you, it did to us.
Firstly, the issue is not malicious. Shelters do not do this because they want to or because they do not want to work together. Rather, it is a reality of the dynamics in the software products that shelters use.
Each shelter runs a software program to organize their data and provide better services. A shelter has a lot of data to organize and there are more than a few companies willing to provide them a software product to use. According to AnimalSheltering.org there are some 23 different software solutions.
What is the benefit?
Having the benefit of choosing the right software solution for your shelter is a immense benefit to a shelter. Just as there are dynamics between Google and Bing and consumers have the option to chose the right service for their needs, so too should a shelter have a choice in their shelter software system.
What is the result?
The result of having multiple shelters in the same area running different software services is that (most) do not have the availability to share information between them. Therefore, if you visit one shelter in an area where there is actually seven different shelters, they will most likely not share information between them.
For those who have lost a pet, it is critical that they visit every single shelter in their area, including all shelters that are within a reasonable area. Also, include rescue groups in your search. In the Mountain View area of California alone, there are some 10-15 different cat/dog/breed rescue groups and three major shelters within a reasonable distance of Mountain View.
How can we fix this problem?
The fact of non-share of information may be upsetting to most people and we strongly urge those reading this to think about smart ways to solve pet issues when dealing with shelters. A shelters job is to house and provide care for pets that are in need of help.
Our company is working to fundamentally change the way the lost pet ("reunification") process happens and a part of our work is to find the smartest and easiest way to solve pet issues like these.
Finding an issue with one problem is a different issue than finding a smart way to solve the problem. We understand fully that shelters struggle with "too many pets, not enough funding". It is clear to us that complaining about the non-share of information to a shelter will only make their job more difficult and expend valuable staff time to a potentially less than desirable outcome. Shelters do not staff software engineers to write code for aggregation services!
In reality, the responsibility to fix this issue is better left to those who focus on streamlining and aggregating information: the software providers.
When we have more information, we will be sure to pass it along.
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