Found Call is a new nonprofit with a simple and effective purpose. In a pet market saturated with gadgets and expensive solutions, they’re one of a kind. The allure of these gadgets is understandable. My pet is a member of my family and I want to do everything I can to keep him safe. Thankfully, one simple site is going to help keep him safer than ever.
Creating a profile for my pet on Found Call was easy. I added my dog’s details and a list of trusted phone numbers. The service costs $1 a month to help keep the servers running. After setting up my pet’s profile, I placed Found Call’s phone number and my dog’s unique ID on his collar. That’s it! If my dog ever gets lost, anyone who finds him can call the number on his tag, and Found Call will go through the list of contacts until someone answers. It’s like an old-fashioned phone tree, but with the assistance of technology making it more efficient and easier to update.
So why Found Call instead of Airtags or battery-powered tracking devices? I’m sure we could use those as well, but Found Call stands apart for several reasons. Here’s why I rely on it.
Number Changes, My Nemesis
I recently had to change my phone number for the first time in over a decade. If you’ve ever done this, you know what a hassle it is. I had to go through updating everything from every single online account to each medical office. Even my realtor received a text from my new number. I had to go through piece by piece to update everything. Changing my dog’s tag is just another thing in a list of many.
Luckily, with Found Call, I don’t have to. The number on my dog’s collar remains the same, and updating my contact info on their website took seconds. The platform is refreshingly simple and easy to navigate. No unnecessary links or clutter. It isn’t bloated with a bunch of pages or screens. Having backgrounds in Silicon Valley tech, the creators focused on simplicity and user experience. Everyone is able to access what they need to when they need to.
Even if I delay updating my own number, Found Call gives me peace of mind because I can add multiple trusted contacts to my pet’s profile. If I miss the call, they’ll reach out to my husband, neighbor, or even my parents. This fail-safe made what could have been a stressful process much easier while I transitioned to a new phone number.
Pet Sitters, Travel, and Worst-Case Scenarios
If you’ve ever scrolled through a lost-and-found pet page, you’ve probably seen the dreaded posts. “Out of town, dog ran off!” It’s common for pets to get confused or stressed when their owners are away, leading to sometimes worst-case scenario escapes. The change in routine and new people, such as petsitters, can lead to pets thinking they need to enter the wide world to find their obviously lost owners!
On a recent trip out of state, I felt reassured knowing that if my dog escaped, Found Call would contact my pet sitter. When you’re in an airplane or a situation where your phone is out of reach, this feature is invaluable. Without Found Call, the person who finds your dog might call your number repeatedly with no success. Or with all good intentions, drop your dog off at a shelter, where the situation becomes much more stressful and complicated.
While devices like Airtags can help track a pet’s location, they rely on cellular connectivity and don’t offer a way to connect the finder with a trusted person in real-time. A battery powered collar attachment isn’t going to connect my dog with my pet sitter when I am miles in the air. Found Call bridges that gap and provides an added layer of security.
Work: The Labor We Must All Endure
Travel isn’t the only scenario to consider. Many of us have jobs that limit phone use—teachers, doctors, nurses, factory workers, and countless others. When I was a teacher, I couldn’t check my phone for hours at a time. If my dog had gone missing during the workday, I would’ve had no way to respond quickly.
Found Call solves this by automatically contacting someone else on the list who can take the call, ensuring my dog gets help even when I’m unavailable.
Updating Tags Feels Permanent
When I added my (now) husband’s number to my dog’s collar, it felt like a milestone. What a sign of commitment! What a step to take toward joining our lives together! What if we broke up?
Life changes, and not all relationships last forever. Found Call makes it easy to add or remove additional numbers as needed. Whether it’s an ex-partner, a temporary pet sitter, or a friend who can help while you’re at work, you can update the list anytime without the hassle of replacing a physical tag.
Finally, Fees and Complications
What about microchips? While they’re essential for pet safety, they aren’t always easy to update. If you’ve moved or changed your number, you might not have remembered to let the chip company know. Some companies even require you to call to make changes, which isn’t as quick or convenient as it should be. Chips can also move or get lost in the pet’s body! People finding your pet might also not have access to a chip reader. Shelters aren’t always open 24/7 and instead rely on “overnight drop offs” which would leave your pet in a kennel alone for hours.
Even if the chip is current, there’s no backup plan if you can’t answer the phone. Found Call works great in addition to a chip by providing a reliable backup. The person who finds your pet won’t have to track down and rely on a scanner. They just need to call the number on the collar and Found Call will do the rest.
Without Found Call, there’s a higher chance your pet could end up at a shelter, leading to fees far exceeding $1 a month. Shelters are overwhelming environments where dogs risk illness and anxiety. Found Call helps prevent that by connecting the finder with someone who can pick up your dog directly, skipping the middleman and reducing stress for everyone involved.
Whether I’m working, traveling, or simply unable to answer the phone, I know everyone in my pet’s corner is on his tag. It’s not just a service. It’s a safety net keeping my dog home where he belongs.
Make sure you can always be contacted!