Nov. 19--A new program in Riverside will use Twitter to help reunite lost dogs with their owners.
Police officers in the western suburb were instructed on Tuesday to begin posting photographs of lost dogs on the police department's Twitter account, @pdriverside, Riverside police Chief Thomas Weitzel said. The tweets will also include a brief description and a time and location of where the dog was found.
Riverside Police Lt. Bill Gutschick, an animal lover, came up with the idea to utilize the department's account, which currently has about 1,500 followers, Weitzel said.
"We decided to use Twitter to make a better effort in finding the owners," Weitzel said. "Most of the dogs we come in contact with seem like nice pets that were cared for. We've been noticing more and more that these dogs are going unclaimed."
Weitzel said the department comes across about 40 to 50 lost dogs per year. He said about half of the dogs go unclaimed. So far, since starting the program, the department hasn't come across any lost dogs, but it expect that will change soon.
Cats will not be part of the program at this time.
"Most cats are tough to catch," Weitzel said. "They also usually find their way home."
He said the department only receives about three cats per year.
The village currently has a contract with Countryside Veterinarian Center to hold dogs for 10 days as police look for the owners. If nobody claims the dogs, they will stay at Countryside Veterinarian, at 9823 W. 55th St. in Countryside, until someone adopts them. In 2014, the police department decided to send its dogs to Countryside Veterinarian because it has a no-kill policy, Weitzel said.
Colette Bradley, a spokesperson with the Anti-Cruelty Society in Chicago, thought the Twitter idea was a unique way to help find a dog's owner.
"I think it's a really great resource for residents in the town," said Bradley. "I will probably be a successful program especially because it's a smaller community."
Riverside has just fewer than 9,000 residents. The large amount of lost pets in Chicago, however, might make it too difficult for city officials to adopt a Twitter program, she said.
Bradley believes that technology has been a great tool in helping owners find their pets. For example, the Anti-Cruelty Society often directs people with a lost pet to the Lost Dogs Illinois website. The organization also has a Facebook site and a Twitter account.
The site includes photographs and descriptions of lost dogs throughout the state. The Lost Dog Illinois site is at lostdogsillinois.org.
The public can also follow other news about the Riverside Police Department on its Twitter site.
Joseph Ruzich is a freelance reporter.
