HELSINKI, FINLAND – A new technology is being tested in Finland to help locate lost pets. It is estimated that thousands of pets run away from their owners every year in Finland, and fast spreading of information is crucial for finding them.
With the technology piloted by the pet supply chain Musti Group, a missing pet alert submitted online appears immediately on outdoor advertising screens in the area where the pet went missing. This way, information about the lost pet reaches people in the area quickly, speeding up the pet’s recovery.
A more efficient solution has finally been developed to complement traditional posters and social media updates in the search for a lost pet. The solution is an experiment by the pet supply chain Musti Group, utilizing outdoor advertising screens in the area where the pet has gone missing. When a pet goes missing, the alert submitted on the Karkurit.fi website automatically appears on the outdoor screens in the area based on the postal code. The site is Finland’s most widely used platform for reporting lost pets. The alert appears on the screens among regular advertisements around the clock – free of charge.
“With this technology, information about a lost pet reaches people in the area quickly. Musti Group operates nationwide, and we have the opportunity to give visibility to missing furry family members from south to north and east to west. We want to promote the wellbeing of families with pets in every possible way and with the full power of our network” says animal trainer Janica Raudasoja from Musti Group.
The concern of losing a pet affects a broad range of Finns, as according to research company Kantar, Finland has approximately 800,000 dogs and one million cats. Almost all outdoor advertising operators are participating in the Lost Pet Alarm trial. It makes use of the extensive network of thousands of screens operated by outdoor advertising companies. The service will be visible in public spaces for months and may even become permanent.
Sightings of the runaway guide the search
The Karkurit.fi website, specialized in lost pet alerts, has operated in Finland for 22 years. Last year, almost 2,000 lost pets were reported on the site. Most alerts concerned cats.
“When searching for a lost pet, speed and effective spreading of information are key. Alerts are used to gather sightings to determine where to search. Using advertising screens will certainly draw attention and increase sightings. Most people care about animals and feel concerned when a pet has gone missing in their area”, says Maija Ankkuri, Chairperson of Suomen löytöeläinapu, the association operating the Karkurit.fi website.
Searching for a lost pet is primarily the owner’s responsibility, and Finland has no professional pet-searching services. A few parties train search dogs, offer search instructions, and lend traps.
Borya the dog was missing for over two weeks
The worry of a pet on the loose is familiar to Kirsi Pihlainen from Laukaa in central Finland. Her dog was missing a few years ago for as long as two weeks and four days in the middle of a harsh winter, when temperatures dropped below –15°C.
“Our rescue dog Borya ran away on the second day after arriving. We searched for the dog day and night across a wide area. We distributed flyers, submitted an alert on the Karkurit website, spread information on social media, and used a trap set in the terrain. Eventually, an onlooker 40 kilometres away had seen an exhausted dog on the ice. The woman managed to catch the dog, and her husband recognized the runaway from a flyer he had seen on a gas station wall.” Pihlainen says.
Borya was found in fairly good condition, likely thanks to his sturdy build and thick fur. Not all pets necessarily survive this long in the wild.
“If a pet has been on the run for a long time, it rests during the day and moves at night. Therefore, searching should also be done in the dark or at dusk. It is not advisable to gather random people for the search. The best searchers are the owners and people with search dogs,” Ankkuri says.
According to Musti Group, demand for pet GPS trackers is also increasing. This indicates that pets are increasingly seen as important family members whose safety owners want to ensure that they return home safely.
“The hardest part of Borya’s disappearance was the uncertainty, the guilt and the distress. If such a Lost Pet Alarm system had existed at the time, it would certainly have eased the psychological burden,” Pihlainen says.
The Lost Pet Alert was designed by the creative agency Erma&Reinikainen, and its technical implementation is handled by Inuits. The project’s PR is managed by the brand and communications agency United Imaginations.
