Abous us
A community platform built to bring lost pets back to the people who love them.
The Spark Behind the Search
UnlostPaws was born from a deeply personal heartbreak. Years ago, my beloved cat, Tedi, wandered out of our home and never returned. The painful silence of his absence left me with a lingering sense of duty: to build a platform that could reconstruct the trails of lost animals and bring them back to their families. As artificial intelligence matured, I realised we finally had the technology to match scattered clues and reunify these vulnerable souls. What was once a developer’s silent promise has now become a living tool designed to turn despair into hope.
How the Platform Works
To connect lost pets with their owners, our system operates on a direct, automated three-step workflow:
- Create Detailed Alerts: Users quickly submit reports containing descriptions, last-seen locations, and clear photos of their missing companions.
- Run Intelligent Matching: Our custom AI algorithms analyse images and textual data to cross-reference new listings against existing database records.
- Notify Local Communities: When potential matches are discovered, the system instantly alerts all involved parties to establish a direct contact line. This automated pipeline reduces critical search times, transforming sparse clues into actionable leads when every passing second is absolutely vital.
Built for the Community
To ensure this mission remains accessible to all, we self-host the platform and make the entire ecosystem completely open source. Our code is publicly hosted on GitHub, inviting global contributions, from refining our machine learning matchers to optimizing our database queries. We do not run this for profit; instead, we rely on the simple generosity of community donations through Buy Me a Coffee to keep the servers powered. By sharing our technology openly, we believe we can build a stronger, borderless safety net for pets in need, welcoming anyone who wants to contribute.
Trust and Safety
Operating a platform of this scale requires balance, which is why we rely heavily on automation for matching and moderation. However, algorithms only go so far, and the most critical cases still rely on the warmth of human judgment. We are not a rigid corporation, but rather regular people balancing this project alongside our everyday life responsibilities. There are no strict obligations here; we move forward with empathy and joy, always welcoming partners who want to share this weight. By verifying matches and moderating reports manually, we protect our community from potential scams and spam.
A Multilingual Safety Net
To bring communities closer, our platform is fully designed to support diverse regions, starting with native English and Persian (Farsi) languages. Because lost pets are a global concern, we utilize local translations to adapt search tools for different cultural and language groups seamlessly.
Since our codebase is entirely open, we invite volunteers from around the world to help translate our components into new languages. By removing communication barriers, we can extend this safety net to other countries, ensuring that every pet parent can seek help in the language they speak and understand best.