Finding Rover App Partners with Miami-Dade Animal Services
We are excited to share that Miami-Dade Animal Services has partnered with Finding Rover, a free mobile app that uses facial recognition to help pet parents find their lost dogs. Animal Services’ database of dogs is integrated into the app, making it easier for users of the app to search for their dogs. Miami-Dade Animal Services director Alex Munoz hopes this app will help the center become a no-kill shelter. We hope that happens, regardless, but the app certainly seems to be a powerful tool to bring that to fruition a little more quickly!
How to Use Finding Rover:
- First, register online for the app; you can do this through the Apple Store, Google Play store, or even via your desktop. You can register via Facebook; all you need is to input your zip code.
- Take a front-facing photo of your pet (the app comes equipped with a “barking” button to get your pup’s attention- clever!). Mark the nose and the eyes, as shown in the video above, and then upload it.
- If your dog is ever lost, post your dog as lost in the app. Members within a 10-mile radius will be notified.
- Anyone who finds your dog should take a photo and add it to the app, where the facial recognition technology will do the work. If the dog is recognized (there is a 99% accuracy rating), your information will pop up and then whoever found the lost dog can text or call you to arrange pick-up without having to take the dog to the shelter.
This app is the brainchild of John Polimeno, who worked with the University of Utah for over a year to get the algorithms and tech right. We hope that you all register your pups today; it’s free at the time of this posting, and could really help prevent or alleviate the heartache of searching for a lost dog in this big city. Of course, we hope you have ALL microchipped your pets! This app should not be a substitute for that! We also hope that they add cats to their app soon.
A founding member of the Equipaws family, Frankie can mostly be found working behind the scenes, helping co-create online branding, managing several social media accounts, designing brand collateral, writing copy, and managing events. She also fills in for pet sitters and dog walkers when needed in Palmetto Bay, Pinecrest, and South Miami. Her own small pack consists of Boots the Shih Tzu mix and Nutmeg the Chiweenie.
