An organisation which helps reunite missing pets with their owners is now set to reopen after being closed for almost five months due to a shortage in volunteers.
Lost Paws NI announced in June that it would be shutting for two weeks as it was struggling to recruit the right people.
The closure, however, ended up lasting longer due to the lack of “manpower” needed to conduct the searches that Lost Paws NI carries out.
The group, which has almost 50,000 Facebook followers, is often the first call for pet owners whose furry friends are missing.
It reunites hundreds of pets with their owners each year and uses a range of techniques to find animals, including thermal drones to help search large land areas covering all terrains.
Volunteers print thousands of ‘missing’ posters monthly, spread the word on missing animals online, and set up feeding stations and traps to help safely capture cats and dogs.
Lost Paws NI’s Andrew Forbes and volunteer Nikita Hamilton using a drone with heat-seeking capabilities (Pic: Peter Morrison)
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With the recent recruitment of two new volunteers — located in Newtownards and Maghera respectively — the team are now looking forward to getting back up and running.
Lisburn man Andrew Forbes set up Lost Paws in 2019 as a more “hands on” way to find missing animals.
He said that he is “pleased” that the charity can now reopen and wants to thank everyone who applied.
“There were many people who applied with a keen interest in helping out, but some didn’t feel it was for them after finding out what was involved,” he said.
“Some people didn’t realise just how physical the work included was, but we still appreciate each and every person who turned up to muck in and really give it a go. Anyone showing interest and support in what we do means a lot.
“We are now pleased to welcome two new volunteers on our specialised drone searches, and we will be helping them attain their drone licences in order to help.
“But we are still encouraging more people to get involved and volunteer because we still need people transporting equipment and putting posters up even if they aren’t operating drones.”
Drone footage of a search by Lost Paws NI
He said that he wanted to expand the area where volunteers are based, as most are from the Lisburn or Portadown areas.
“We had this end of the motorway covered but not many anywhere else,” said Andrew.
“We would be keen for people around Tyrone and mid-Ulster and maybe the north coast to get involved because we get lots of calls to go there to search.
“It would save us having to travel. But every volunteer gets expenses paid, so there’s no need to worry about fuel or travel costs for searches,” he added.
“We are still getting between 20 and 30 requests per day on social media to help look for missing pets, but we only have two pilots and two drones, so we try our best to cover what we can.
“Our priority at the moment will be undertaking drone searches for missing animals, so messages on our social media pages will still be delayed and some messages may be responded to with advice only. Our drone is waterproof so can operate all winter long.”
He added that drone searches are not appropriate for dogs who are fit and healthy and have only just disappeared (the dog warden should be used as first port of call), or if the dog has gone missing in a dense forest, as thermal drones are unable to see through it.
Andrew also pointed out that drones cannot be deployed if there are sightings of your dog covering large distances in a short space of time. Priority will be given to elderly dogs who may have fallen over; dogs who have suffered RTAs; or to instances where there have been no sightings of your dog in 24-48 hours.
The charity is always looking for volunteers in areas right across Northern Ireland. To apply, visit www.lostpawsni.com/support-us/volunteering-application/.