When a beloved pet goes missing, the world stops. It’s a unique kind of panic—one that Petco Love understands deeply and is working to address through innovative technology. In this episode of The Four Worlds Podcast, Abbie Moore, COO of Petco Love, shares how their approach to reuniting lost pets with their families is reshaping animal welfare in America.
The numbers are stark: Roughly 89 million U.S. households own pets, and one in three pets will go missing during their lifetime. That adds up to an estimated 10 million lost animals each year. Once a pet enters a shelter as a “stray”—often a loved pet that simply got lost—the chances of them returning home can be as low as 6% in some areas. These realities led Petco Love to build a technology-driven solution to a long-standing problem.
At the center of their effort is Petco Love Lost, a free platform that uses artificial intelligence and image recognition to match lost pets with found ones. Unlike traditional search methods, the technology analyzes 512 data points in each photo to identify distinguishing features—everything from fur patterns to subtle differences in eye shape. It can even create composite profiles using multiple photos to improve accuracy.
What sets Petco Love Lost apart is its integration across multiple systems. It automatically pulls listings from over 3,200 shelters nationwide and platforms like Nextdoor and Neighbors by Ring. This creates a centralized database and helps overcome one of the biggest barriers to lost pet recovery: fragmentation. As Abbie explains, “Unlike in any other category, competition harms everybody in this space.” Petco Love’s universal approach makes it easier for lost pets to find their way home.
Accessibility is another key pillar. The platform is completely free—no subscriptions, no paywalls—ensuring that everyone has equal access to the same tools. Funded primarily through donations at Petco checkouts, Petco Love Lost stays focused on its mission rather than monetization. To date, it has helped reunite at least 120,000 pets with their families.
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The platform continues to evolve. Originally developed as Finding Rover, Petco Love has expanded and refined the technology, now processing around 10 million pet images annually. Future features may include nose-print recognition or even proactive alerts when a pet wanders off, identifying potential risks before owners even notice.
In today’s shelter landscape—marked by rising euthanasia rates and longer stays—tools like Petco Love Lost offer real impact. By keeping pets out of shelters or helping them return home faster, the platform addresses a critical cause of overcrowding. Behind each reunion is a meaningful story—whether it’s a dog found across state lines or a cat returned to an elderly owner after months apart.
For pet owners, the takeaway is simple: register your pet at PetcoLoveLost.org before you need to. It’s quick, secure, and could make all the difference. Even those without pets can help by reporting found animals—becoming, as Abbie puts it, “block parents” for their communities.
In doing so, Petco Love isn’t just returning pets to their families—it’s building a stronger, more compassionate network for all.
This blog post was generated using Buzzsprout’s CoHost AI tool and is based directly on content from the associated podcast interview. While it has been reviewed for general accuracy and alignment with Tomorrow’s World Today’s values, minimal edits have been made. The views and information presented may not fully reflect those of Tomorrow’s World Today or its partners.
