FIND ME A HOME: Ranger Kellie Tulacz with beautiful boy, Jet, who has found a new home with the assistance of Facebook. Photo: Robert Chappel 041012RCA01
SOCIAL media has been instrumental in connecting people worldwide – a phenomenon the Tamworth Regional Council Pound now hopes to benefit from.
SOCIAL media has been instrumental in connecting people worldwide – a phenomenon the Tamworth Regional Council Pound now hopes to benefit from.
Yesterday, the pound unveiled a new Facebook page devoted to reuniting lost pets with their owners.
Tamworth Regional Council ranger Kellie Tulacz presented the idea some time ago to environment and health manager Ken Reid.
“Kellie came to me and I was very resistant at first and it’s probably because she’s younger than I am, so I was hesitant about this type of medium,” Mr Reid said.
“The other rangers were reluctant too – but Kellie was determined and didn’t give up.
“She went away, did some research and came back to me, but it still took me a few weeks to come around.”
Mr Reid said he even spoke to his daughter about the concept and she told him he needed to “get with it”.
The page features photos and details of each animal at the pound. People can then contact them to enquire about a lost pet or about offering one a new home.
Ms Tulacz said it was a way for animal lovers in the Tamworth region to identify and communicate about lost and found pets. She also hoped it would make searching for them less stressful.
“The aim of the Facebook page is to make the searching easier and get more pets back to their homes,” she said.
“It will also give those people looking for a new pet the chance to buy an animal from the pound which has not been claimed by its original owner.”
Mr Reid said Ms Tulacz had put a lot of work into the project and he was now “excited” about the opportunities it presented.
“It’s a credit to her enthusiasm for her work and her love of animals,” he said.
“She also now has an iPhone which allows her to constantly update the page as required.”
Social media offers immediacy and the ability to reach many people quickly and in this circumstance, it also allows for more detailed descriptions and continued updates of possible lost animal sightings.
The ability to regularly update Facebook posts and spread the word via tweeting on Twitter, can help reach an audience of thousands in a short space of time.
Statistics revealed that the Tamworth pound cared for 958 dogs and 271 cats in 2011-2012.
Of this, a total of 20 cats and 584 dogs were returned to, or reclaimed by their owners, released to organisations such as the RSPCA, or were found a new home.
Ms Tulacz said she was positive this number would increase with the help of the Facebook page – www.facebook.com/tamworthregionalcouncilpound