Not-for-profit organisation Lost Pets of South Australia nominated for Pride of Australia Award

WHENEVER a pet goes missing, the Lost Pets of South Australia team is there.

WHENEVER a pet goes missing, the Lost Pets of South Australia team is there.

No matter the time, day or night, the volunteers who man the group’s Facebook page will drop everything to go the extra mile to help reunite much-loved pets with their owners.

Lost Pets of South Australia co-founder Christine Robertson said the Facebook-based service was set up to help people. “I have animals myself and have encountered numerous people devastated and beside themselves because they’ve lost their animals,” she said.

“We also pick up animals off the side of the road. We saw this as something we could do and something we’re good at because the people in the group are all animal lovers.”

Ms Robertson said 80 per cent of the animals that went missing were returned home.

“We have a great relationship with the Animal Welfare League and RSPCA, so there is a lot of background work going on to make sure we can reunite animals with their owners,” she said. “We have plans for the page to get bigger and have an even wider reach.”

The dedication of Ms Robertson and volunteers, such as Kelly Tincknell and Cara Schroder, has not gone unnoticed. The not-for-profit organisation has been nominated for a Community Spirit medal in the Pride of Australia Awards. The anonymous nomination said the group “dedicated endless hours online making matches (and) going out searching for missing pets”.

Visit advertiser.com.au/-prideofaustralia for details. Nominations close July 19.