Updates
Arlington Animal Services Leverages Technology To Improve Response Times , Help Unite Owners With Lost Pets And More ...
“ Leveraging technology helps optimize resources for field services staff to maximize life-saving efforts ,” said Ray Rentschler , “ Utilizing technology literally provides a roadmap to efficiently connect field staff to locations where they are needed in the community and aid in our focused effort to reunite pets with their owners .”
Social Media by the Numbers
December 2022 Total Followers 262,054
Facebook Followers- 78,299 Spanish Facebook Followers- 5,032 Twitter Followers- 46,659 Instagram Followers- 13,754 Nextdoor- 118,380
Technology is advancing Animal Services to a new level . As staff handle a multitude of incoming reports , they not only see in real time the mapped physical locations of the shelter ’ s field officers ’ citywide , but another map layer provides location information about every licensed pet in Arlington . Development of the map was the creation of Ray Rentschler , in partnership with the city ’ s Information Technology department about six months ago .
In overview , in the Spring of 2020 ,
Pawboost was introduced to the Animal Services website to help with reuniting lost animals . PawBoost is like an AMBER Alert for lost & found pets . Over 3 million pet lovers have signed up for their local lost & found pet alerts . Between fiscal year ( FY ) 2020 and FY 2021 an average of about 10.75 % of dogs were returned to owners . Since implementation of the new mapping tools , FY 2022 into FY 2023 ( beginning in October 2022 ) the average is up to 23.95 % - a 123 % increase in the number of dogs reunited with their owners .
Rentschler also created a dashboard with information about Arlington ’ s feral cats that helps with administering
Trap-Neuter-Return ( TNR ) program . The TNR program has produced significant results since its implementation in August 2013 . Since that time , over 7,000 feral cats in Arlington have been spayed or neutered through the TNR program .
Each feral cat going through the program is sterilized , receives vaccinations and an ear tip – the universal sign of a feral cat that has been through the program . Prior to TNR being established , the cat kennels in the shelter were consistently filled to capacity . TNR helps stops the breeding cycle of feral cats and over time , will minimize feral cat numbers and nuisances .