The ingenuity of a computer science student in Brno will help reduce the number of lost dogs that end up in animal shelters. The website is free, and the developer says she is happy that the website can serve a useful purpose while the state is planning to establish a central chip register in 2022. Photo credit: Freepik / For illustrative purposes.
Czech Rep., Oct 14 (BD) – A computer science student in Brno has launched a website which owners can use to find their lost dogs. The website has been in operation for just a few weeks but has been commended by police and veterinarians.
Kristýna Zaklová created the website, “Komu patřím” (Who do I belong to) as a bachelor project. Kristýna loves dogs and is studying at the Brno University of Technology (BUT). There are about two million dog owners in the Czech Republic, one of the highest rates in Europe.
The website allows owners to search through 15 private dog registers in the Czech Republic. Police and veterinarians have chips which help them search the website. By placing the device around the neck of the dog, the code in the chip can be read from under its skin. Alternatively, for dogs registered with an ear tattoo, you can search for the tattoo number on the website.
A dog’s mark or bald spot from its vaccination can also be used to find stray dogs on the website. Other available search functions include pet passes or municipal stamps.
Brno Police have used the website to search for the owners of stray dogs. Aside from the police, the website has had about 600 users in the past week.
“Many dogs no longer have to end up in a shelter, where they would sadly wait to see if their owners would find them. I am very pleased that the system works,” said Zaklová, as reported by Novinky.cz.
In 2022, the Czech Republic is planning to create a central register chip for finding stray dogs, but until then the computer scientist is happy that her website can serve a good purpose.
