When a dog goes missing, many families do not know what to do or where to turn to locate their pet. To address this need, Lost Dogs Illinois (LDI), an all-volunteer organization, was created for the exclusive purpose of reuniting families and their lost dogs. Thanks to the social media platforms of Facebook and Twitter as well as their extensive connections throughout Illinois, Lost Dogs Illinois facilitates a statewide search party. By working to recover lost pets, this 501 (c) 3 non-profit helps to decrease the number of stray dogs brought into shelters and animal control facilities reducing the burden on the system and helping to prevent euthanasia.

 “Our free service provides tips and education to assist people in keeping their pet safe, and in the event their dog does go missing, the resources to recover and be reunited with their missing dog.” explains Susan Taney, founder of Lost Dogs Illinois.  Lost Dogs Illinois provides an invaluable service at a time when many pet owners may be feeling powerless.

Since its inception in December 2010, Lost Dogs Illinois has assisted in returning over 1500 dogs to their homes.  In addition to reuniting families with their dogs, Lost Dogs Illinois helps to reduce the number of dogs entering the overburdened and under resourced animal control/shelter system ultimately saving taxpayers’ money.  This frees up space and resources in animal control/shelters to focus on caring and placing truly homeless dogs into new homes.

For more information on Lost Dogs Illinois, visit www.lostdogsillinois.org or join the LDI community on Facebook (www.facebook.com/lostdogsillinois) and Twitter (@LostDogsIL).