Saving $450–600 Million a Year: The Power of a National Pet Reunification and Identification Initiative

My name is April Curry and I’m reaching out because I believe we share a common goal: preventing the unnecessary heartbreak and loss caused by missing pets. After my beloved German Shepherd, Smokey, disappeared in August 2024, I experienced that pain firsthand. Eight months later, in April 2025, I spotted a dog at a local shelter whose publicly reported condition (weight loss and hair loss) resembled Smokey enough that I needed closure. My polite requests for simple verification—a meet-and-greet, a DNA test, and a short video of the dog’s tongue (he had 4 distinctive black spots)—were unfortunately refused. That experience inspired me to create Healing Broken Hearts: a ready-now national pet identification system (like a mandatory Amber Alert for pets) using advanced, patent-pending facial recognition technology that goes beyond what’s publicly known today. It’s designed to reunite lost animals in hours, even when their appearance has dramatically changed. What excites me most is how this could directly support the animals in shelters. • Total startup cost: only $35–75 million nationwide (less than Americans spend on pet Halloween costumes each October). • Pays for itself in 3–8 weeks through shelter efficiencies, then generates $450–600+ million in annual savings for taxpayers. • Could save 200,000–300,000 healthy pets from euthanasia each year (550–820 animals going home daily instead of dying). • Free basic use for pet owners forever; no cost to shelters in the pilot phase (I’m personally funding the first 200 camera/software systems). • Proves ownership instantly via unique markers (tongue spots, scars, freckles) to combat the 2+ million annual pet thefts. • Works reliably even when microchips fail (58% failure rate). • Protects mental health by ending months of agonizing uncertainty—grief that studies show affects 32–55% of owners with major depression or anxiety. I’ve launched this petition to help secure federal support for this national rollout, and I would be honored if you would consider partnering with me & Smokey by spread the advertisement funds even further or by sharing it with your community. Together, we could make reunifications faster, reduce shelter overcrowding, and heal countless broken hearts.