We thought you could use a little pick-me-up! Check out this adorable video that Boiling Springs Fire District made to spread the word in their community about how they are helping lost pets. Greenville County Animal Care, the largest open-admission animal facility in South Carolina, teamed up with local fire departments in their community to keep more pets in homes. Shelly Simmons, Division Manager and Animal Care Manager, said that through their partnership with local fire departments, they have started distributing microchip scanners to each station. 

One of the stations that Greenville County Animal Care partnered with made the video showcasing community heroes in action! They encourage any community members that come across a lost dog to stop by the fire department so they can read the chip and try to contact the owner. 

Simmons shared that the fire department has been making an impact on keeping people and pets together through fostering, too! “They have fostered and rehomed so many dogs.” It’s a perfect fit because someone is always around. She says that they are working to expand this program and get more fire departments involved fostering as well as distributing more microchip scanners.  

Forming partnerships with fire departments is one great example of the new Human Animal Support Services (HASS) programs. Kristen Hassen-Auerbach, Director of Pima Animal Care in Tucson, AZ, said, “It is an important example of what HASS is, because Human Animal Support Services programs are not just a vision or an idea. They’re concrete solutions to keep more animals home, get more animals home, and rehome animals quickly when they need a home.” She continued, “All of the programs are really grounded in doing actual things now to impact the number of animals coming into your shelters.” 

Do your local fire stations have microchip scanners? Are they fostering animals? If not, reach out to create partnerships to better serve your community by helping lost pets get home.  

Be sure to check out the video on Greenville County Animal Care’s Facebook page, as well as their website to learn more about the work they are doing in their community.