would be purrfect for me, love the kitty’s. Downton Abbey one of my...RTO* in the Hands of Facebook Fans
The first time we read about a lost dog reunited with his owner thanks to a Facebook post from Joplin Humane Society Animal Adoption & Resource Center (JHS) asking their fans for help, we thought that was pretty darn great. The next time it happened, we realized the Missouri agency is really onto something here.
Take a minute to scroll through these. We promise, it’s worth it.
It’s a real trip to read this thread and watch the story unfold: 1.) JHS identifies lost dog’s owner – yay microchip success story! – and asks for help. 2.) Fans look for owner. 3.) Fans find owner. 4.) JHS reports success. 5.) Everyone celebrates with an outpour of cyber support.
How did this engaged, take-action Facebook community come to be?
“We’ve been really fortunate to have such a following that developed during the tornado recovery in May,” says Dani Reynolds, JHS Administrative Assistant. “After the tornado, the cell phone towers were unreliable for weeks, so social media is where we spent a big chunk of our energy.”
According to Dani, the public helped JHS reunite an unbelievable amount of animals since they recognized them as pets of neighbors, friends and family members.
“We welcomed any help that we could get – and still do,” Dani reports. “Our Facebook page has taken on a life of its own where the fans will jump in and answer questions and look up phone numbers for us. As long as we get an owner’s name, the fans can usually track our dead ends down for us through Facebook or Internet searches. They’re a rather enthusiastic bunch and love to be a part of the reunions.”
And here’s the part where Dani makes our head spin: “In each case that we’ve posted, the owner has contacted us in less than an hour.”
* Return to Owner
Does your agency have a special Return to Owner story? Share it here!
P.S. Shelters, this story is a good reminder to ask your pet parents to keep their microchip contact info up to date.
Related Links:
Shelters Helping Shelters: Staff From 85+ Agencies Aid Animal Tornado Victims
Return to Owner section
Using Social Media
Tags: ID Tagging, Marketing & Media, Return to Owner, Saving Lives
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Dani Reynolds Says:
Melissa was thrilled on the phone with me that she was contacted several times by good Samaritans before she could get through to us to come pick up her dog. Our fans are incredible.