Pets Deserve a Real Search
Not just a flyer on a telephone pole.
The Problem
Roughly 10 million pets are lost or stolen in the United States every year. Only a fraction are ever reunited with their families. The odds drop dramatically after the first 24 hours.
The tools available to pet owners haven't changed in decades: print a flyer, post on Facebook, call the shelter, and wait. Meanwhile, their pet is moving — scared, hungry, and getting farther from home with every hour.
The real problem isn't awareness. Neighbors want to help. The problem is coordination. Five people drive the same three blocks while entire neighborhoods go unsearched.
Our Technology
PETSAR's search grid system is built on Department of Defense mapping technology combined with Uber's H3 hexagonal spatial indexing system — the same grid-based approach used in military search and rescue operations, enhanced with the geospatial framework that powers Uber's global logistics. We adapted it specifically for searching neighborhoods, subdivisions, and urban areas where lost pets are most likely to be found.
AI-powered route optimization analyzes the road network within each grid to generate efficient driving routes that cover every street, cul-de-sac, and side road. The AI accounts for road connectivity, one-way streets, and dead ends to minimize backtracking and maximize coverage.
When a confirmed sighting shifts the search area, the entire grid is regenerated in real time around the new location — volunteers are redirected automatically and the search continues without missing a beat.
Our Approach
PETSAR treats a lost pet like what it is: a search and rescue operation. We divide the area into GPS search grids, generate driving routes that cover every road, coordinate volunteers so no block is missed, and shift the search in real time when a sighting is confirmed.
This isn't a social media feed or a flyer generator. It's a search coordination platform built on proven military-grade search methodology, adapted for finding pets in neighborhoods.
Why We Built This
PETSAR was born from personal experience with the helplessness of losing a pet and the frustration of realizing there was no real tool to organize a search. Posting on Facebook felt like shouting into the void. Driving around aimlessly felt useless. There had to be a better way.
So we built one. PETSAR is a small team with a big mission: make sure that when a pet goes missing, the community response is organized, trackable, and effective — not just well-intentioned.