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On
the road you can phone home, but
your pet can't
American Humane, SECURE
CONNECTIONS, LLC, PARTNER to give
pets a voice &endash; even when
owners travel
DENVER,: In an effort to save
the lives of lost companion
animals and spare millions of
people the heartache of losing
their pets, the American Humane
Association is partnering with
Secure Connections, LLC, the
company that developed the FINDER
Lost Pet Tag System™, to
give lost pets a voice. The
collaboration is part of American
Humane's public awareness
campaign, Every Day is Tag Day,
to help consumers understand the
need to equip their pets with
some form of identification.
Without an ID tag to provide a
voice for an animal separated
from his guardian, a lost pet
faces endless dangers, including
traffic, starvation, and exposure
to the elements or human
violence. Most animal shelters
can hold an unidentified pet for
only a short time in the hopes
that his family will claim
him. Eight to twelve
million animals end up in
shelters across the country every
year, six to nine million of
these animals will have to be put
to sleep. "Any time a stray
animal enters a shelter without
an ID tag or other form of
identification, the chances are
very slim that the pet will ever
see its family again," says Marie
Belew Wheatley, president and CEO
of American Humane.
"Getting the word out to pet
guardians about the need for some
form of identification will go a
long way toward saving countless
animal lives, which is why we're
so delighted to partner with
Secure Connections for Every Day
is Tag Day." American Humane's
Every Day is Tag Day kicks off
April 2, 2005, and is part of a
nationwide effort to increase
usage of ID tags. (For
information on Tag Day, including
original Tag Day artwork by Lori
Faye Bock, visit
www.americanhumane.org/tagday.)
"Having an ID tag on your pet
is crucial," agrees Barry
Stiefel, president of Secure
Connections. "But only if the
information on that tag enables a
finder to reach you. Traditional
ID tags generally provide one
phone number. But what if you
can't be reached at that number
because you're out looking for
your pet? If your pet wanders off
during a family vacation to the
Grand Canyon, where you don't
receive cellular coverage, how
much does it help to have your
cell number on his ID tag? People
today are mobile and they need to
be reached wherever they might
be."
Available in retailers
nationwide as petFINDER™ or
from the Home Shopping Network's
(HSN) line of pet products as the
Royal Treatment Lost and
Found™ Pet Locator System,
the Finder Lost Pet Tag System is
based on patented communications
technology originally developed
for child safety products. "We
consider this system to be the
next generation of Pet ID tags,
says Wheatley. "The American
Humane Association has always
asserted that 'Without a voice
and a tag, a lost pet will never
find its way home and we think
that petFINDER™ and the
Royal Treatment Lost & Found
provide a great solution."
Using a simple to understand
communication platform, the
FINDER System allows the person
finding a lost pet to dial a
toll-free number and enter an ID
number printed on the specially
made collar tag. They will first
hear the owner's previously
recorded message with vital
information pertaining to their
pet. Then, with just the push of
a button, that person is
connected directly to the owner
at any of three personal contact
phone numbers. If the owner is
not reached at the first number,
the system will dial the next two
personal numbers helping to
ensure that the owner is be
reached wherever they might be.
Furthermore, the caller will
never know the numbers they are
connected to thus protecting that
owner's security. Good for the
life of their pet, the FINDER
System allows the user to change
the message and contact numbers
an unlimited amount of times.
Among other activities for
Every Day is Tag Day, Sara
Spaulding, vice president of
marketing and communications for
American Humane, will appear live
in the HSN studio to educate
viewers on the importance of
tagging their pets and to help
showcase the Royal Treatment Lost
& Found system on shows
airing at 7 a.m. and 4 p.m. on
Thursday, April 7, 2005.
About The FINDER Lost Pet
Tag System
Secure Connections, LLC is a
privately held company based in
McLean, Virginia. In 1999
the company developed and
patented a telecommunications
technology to help quickly locate
and reunite children accidentally
separated from groups during
off-campus outings or field
trips. The solution, marketed as
KidCallAlert™, is currently
used to protect thousands of
children in school systems,
camps, and early childhood
programs around the country.
The company's subsidiary,
FINDER Products, developed the
FINDER Lost Pet Tag System
based on the patented
KidCallAlert™ communication
platform and began
marketing this newest
communication safety product for
pets in July 2004 under the name
petFINDER™.
About American Humane
Founded in 1877, the American
Humane Association is the
nation's only organization
dedicated to protecting both
children and animals. Through a
network of child and animal
welfare and protection agencies
and individuals, American Humane
develops policies, legislation,
curriculum, and trainings to
protect children and animals from
abuse, neglect, and exploitation.
The nonprofit membership
organization, headquartered in
Denver, raises awareness about
The Link® between animal
abuse and other forms of
violence, as well as the benefits
derived from the human and animal
bond. American Humane's regional
office in Los Angeles is the
authority behind the "No Animals
Were Harmed…"® End
Credit Disclaimer on TV and film
productions, and American
Humane's office in Washington,
DC, is an advocate for child- and
animal-friendly legislation at
the state and federal levels.
Visit www.americanhumane.org to
learn more.
k a t h r y n j a h n i
g e n
p r a s s o c i a t
e
a m e r i c a n h u m a
n e a s s o c i a t i o
n
303.925.9418
kathrynj@americanhumane.org
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