NAHANT — The town’s police department created an easier way for pets to make it home to their owners.
Lt. Stephen Shultz came up with the idea of a “dog profile book,” which will allow pictures of residents’ pets to be on-hand in the event that one goes missing. He said the idea came to be after noticing an increase in missing pets over the past year, specifically dogs.
Since January, the town has had 16 missing dogs reported by animal control. To combat the problem, the system will not have a limit on the number of submissions and will run continuously.
When submitting a picture, residents should include the name of their dog, home address, dog owner, and phone number. All of the information will be kept on file and will be available for police usage only.
Shultz, who has two dogs himself, said that the department has tried to use dog licenses, but believes profiles will be a lot easier.
“The true test will be the first lost dog who has a profile and whether it helps to find them,” he said.
According to Mariana Hire, the secretary to the chief of police and creator of the system’s database, the department notified the town of the idea through a post on Facebook on Monday. Since then, there have already been 17 submissions.
Nahant Police Chief Timothy Furlong said he would like to credit Shultz for the idea, and Hire for her effort to create the database and get the system up and running so quickly.
“This will help continue the police department’s on-going efforts to keep the Nahant community and its pets safe,” he said.
To submit a picture, you can reach the department at [email protected].
Rachel Galatis can be reached at [email protected].
