Teen’s bright idea leads to pets being found
Pets have a new leash on life thanks to the power of Facebook and the vision of a local teenager.
A Boksburg West teenager’s passion for animals led to the creation of a Facebook page for lost and found pets, which now has a following of just under 1 500 members.
Tatum Bainton was 14 years old when she started the Facebook page at the end of 2015.
“It all started when we saw a sausage dog running in the street in Parkdene.
“We took the dog home and put up posters in the hope of tracing the owners. But, that night, I also had the idea to start the Facebook page, which I did,” she explained.
Purely by sharing the post with friends and family, the social media monster bit and before the family knew it, Tatum’s Boksburg Lost and Found Pets Facebook page had quite a few hundred members.
The lost sausage dog was reclaimed by its owner within two days, but Tatum’s not sure whether this was thanks to the posters or Boksburg Lost and Found Pets.
Tatum, who is now 16 years old, is homeschooled which allows her time to interact on her page, do the necessary screenings of people who send friend requests and undertake the other admin duties involved.
“We are vigilant with screening new members, as we are aware there are cruel people out there who want to get their hands on lost pets for sinister reasons,” she said.
Tatum’s mom, Juan, is also an administrator of the group and said she is delighted at the success the Facebook page has had in helping owners to trace their missing pets.
“It’s difficult to keep track, as the page is very active, but we have had many successes, which is very heartwarming and exactly why Tatum started the page,” Juan said.
As several other pages for lost and found animals in Boksburg were running simultaneously, it was recently decided to merge all of these with Tatum’s Facebook page.
The new page is called Boksburg Lost and Found Pets 2018.
“This page has really shown me the power of social media,” Tatum said.
“The page is for pets of every description which have been lost or found in Boksburg. Its success has spurred me on to start a Facebook page for pet adoptions – the idea is still in the pipeline, but I think it will also be highly beneficial.”
Boksburg Lost and Found Pets 2018 not only highlights the plight of lost and found pets but also offers good advice on various aspects of pet care, as well as information about fund-raisers related to animals and lots of good advice from community members.
