Looking out for lost pets
Chris Hansen saw the fliers posted everywhere and couldn't help but photograph them.
"Lost Dog ... needs his medication"
"Found Parakeet"
"Have you seen me? I'm Hazel."
He realized he had amassed a collection and decided to do something with them. He created Lost Pets of Baltimore, a group on flickr.com to help reunite local pets and owners by photographing and posting lost and found signs.
So far the group has 41 members. He's yet to hear that LPB has been responsible for bringing a pet and owner back together. But his effort inspired a Seattle photographer to create a similar group in his city.
Chris, who lives in Baltimore with his cat named Killer, understands the pain of losing a pet. When he was growing up, two family dogs went missing and never returned. "I've always been an animal lover. Anytime I see those signs, it's heartbreaking," says Chris, who works for the University of Maryland, Baltimore.
This group hasn't yet caught on the way others he's formed have. One devoted to photographing vending machines has 392 members, and another about portable toilets has 144.
Still, he says, "Any way to network to let people know that these lost animals are out there is worth it."
Photo by Chris Hansen
Comments
That is so smart! What a great use of Flickr and networking.
Posted by: Mary | March 3, 2009 11:10 AM
Keep up the good work!
Posted by: Adam | March 3, 2009 12:07 PM
Nice work, Chris!
Hope there will be some reunited soon. Hugs to Killer (Adam, too)
Posted by: Gwenyth | March 3, 2009 3:46 PM
HI CHRIS GREAT STORY
HOPE YOU SAVE LOTS OF ANIMALS.XXX
Posted by: JOSIE | March 3, 2009 7:04 PM
What an awesome idea! I would love to see success stories.
Posted by: Audrey | March 3, 2009 10:06 PM
It's heartwarming to know that there are still people out in the world today with a caring heart & soul. Good luck reuniting lost owners with their pets!
Posted by: Robin Fortner | March 4, 2009 7:48 AM
Chris...I can't tell you how much your efforts mean to many pet lovers searching for their loved ones. It breaks my heart to see these flyers especially in the winter months. Thumbs up to a great guy !
Posted by: JeffRey Clagett | March 4, 2009 10:50 PM
I send out crime alert emails for our neighborhood, and we occasionally get a notice about a lost pet. It is truly satisfying when we are able to help reunite a pet with its family. We all love happy endings!
Posted by: Dahlink | March 5, 2009 10:01 AM
HI AGAIN LET ME KNOW WHAT HAPPENS.SURE LOVE YOUR STORY. HUG KILLER FOR MEXXX
Posted by: JOSIE | March 15, 2009 9:53 AM
I am not in Baltimore. But my son's girlfriend is beside herself over her lost dog, in Portland. The dog is so shy, the girlfriend is afraid that the dog will just run from people forever, until something happens to her.
Any thoughts? Anything...
Posted by: P.D. | March 15, 2009 6:00 PM