Sheriff's 'Lost Pet Network' Helps Reunite Missing Pup With Family

WADING RIVER, NY — One lost little pup in Wading River found his way home safely, thanks to a new program launched to help reunite families with missing pets.

Suffolk County Sheriff Errol D. Toulon said that the "Sheriff's Lost Pet Network," along with the help of the community, brought Parson, a 4-year-old terrier mix, back to his family less than 10 hours of the dog going missing on Tuesday morning.

As part of the procedure established by the Sheriff’s Lost Pet Network, notices were placed on the Suffolk Sheriff’s social media page with a description of the dog. By early evening, the Suffolk Sheriff’s Office received a call that the dog had been found and Parson was shortly reunited with his joyful family.

“I am glad to see that the Sheriff’s Lost Pet Network is proving to be a success and with the help of the community we were able to locate Parson in just a few hours. It is my hope that we can continue to be the pipeline to reunite animals with their owners,” said Toulon.

In May, Sheriff Toulon launched the first-ever “Lost Pet Network,” which provides participating owners with a printed pet identification card and adds enrolled pets to a database to help track and locate missing pets utilizing social media and deputy sheriffs. Since the program has launched hundreds of Suffolk residents have enrolled their pets — and that number is growing.

Residents can enroll for the Pet Network for free on the Sheriff’s Office’s website. The information about the pet is stored on a secure database that helps the Suffolk County Sheriff’s Office alert the appropriate stakeholders if a pet goes missing.