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GRAND CANE, La. (KTBS) — DeSoto Parish Animal Services is the first shelter in northwest Louisiana to use an app that utilizes facial recognition software to match shelter pets to photos users upload to its database.
“As we (upload) animals that come into the shelter, we take pictures of them, and you see them up there for adoption all the time,” said Connie Philipp, Director of DeSoto Parish Animal Services. “If you register for Finding Rover and (upload) your picture, the technology will take those points of facial recognition and compare them.”
Finding Rover has a growing network of users and shelters across the country, and a growing list of pets that have been reunited with their owners who use the app.
According to Philipp, six shelters in Louisiana use the Finding Rover app. She said the network needs to grow in order to make for more happy reunions.
“It’s a new product and a new service,” Philipp said. “I’m hoping by me sharing this, word will get out.”
The app is free to download, and it takes moments to upload a picture of your dog or cat.
Philipp recommends using a well-lit photo that contains just one pet and shows the animal’s full face. She adds that Finding Rover should be a supplement to other methods of locating your pet, like a microchip, rather than a substitute.
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