On Saturday February 21, 2015, worried owners went door to door searching for their pets. As they searched they encountered details suggesting their much loved companions were brazenly stolen. In early March Chocco was found dead. The difficulties Brad Tanner experienced inspired him to start the Sea of Green campaign.
Infostream (IS): What prompted you to begin this campaign?
Brad Tanner (BT): The first answer is because of my dog, Chocco. The second answer is finding out the hard way that there was nowhere to turn when your dog goes missing, and you’re left all alone. Anyone that should care either can’t help or doesn’t care. The only ones that did care were the pet owners, who rallied to my aid and showed empathy and support. That is when I realized we had an opportunity to make things better and provide coverage for the multiple gaps in the systems.
IS: Tell us about the gaps in the systems.
BT: In the case of the BC SPCA, the issue is not being able to reach out to them because they have such limited hours and don’t have any after-hours services. The BC SPCA couldn’t check voicemail until the afternoon of the next day to find out if anybody may have found my dog. I found it difficult to contact city bylaw, it was hard to get the number and hard to get in touch with someone that could help me. They couldn’t do anything for me because I'm a rural resident and live outside their jurisdiction or municipality limits. My only other avenue was the RCMP but at first, they shrugged me off.
I began reaching out and contacting the media to get exposure. After the first media exposure the mayor got in touch with me and was concerned about the situation. She reached out to some of her contacts, which brought me to the Return-to-Owner program of PetLynx, called HomeSafe.
I had searched all kinds of websites, lost pet sites, rescues, and collected phone numbers for rescues across Canada, looking for my dog. I went through it all and it was difficult and very time consuming.
Once I learned about the HomeSafe system and how that would have been helpful, I was wishing I would have known about it earlier. It was by far the best system I found, but there was still room for improvement. To make it even better, it needed that something extra, the community aspect…. that Sea of Green.
Part of what I have learned is that the pet industry is very fragmented. It seems that part of the industry is mostly interested in selling the pet owner products. The other side of the industry is so bedraggled and tired, suffering from compassion fatigue and lack of funds that it is hard for them to do any more than they already are. All across the industry I have not been able to find something that actually works to keep you and your pet together. There is nothing out there that keeps the pets with the family. Nothing that prevents loss. It is all reactive. The Sea of Green is a proactive program rather than a reactive approach.
The identification tools available such as tattoos, microchips, smart tags, etc. may aid in returning your pet, but do not prevent your pet from leaving. The systems available are slow, confusing, cumbersome and difficult to access for a pet owner who is not familiar with the industry. These systems require a great deal of time, communication, and efforts from many different agencies…How do you do it? How do you reach out and know you have covered all the avenues? You’ve got this group, that group, all the other groups, how do you know you got them all? Do you need to stroll through the yellow pages or every online site? Do you need to wear out your phone by dialling 60 numbers and explaining your story over and over? No.
It only took me 3 days to realize we had a hell of a problem, a very real and serious issue going on up here and when I first spoke to the mayor she was a non-believer. She wasn’t aware there was an issue. As she became aware of the magnitude of the issue at hand, it opened my eyes further to learn that this municipality, as well as many or all others, are themselves suffering from a lack of resources due to fluctuating economy and various political factors. The municipalities are doing the best they can to provide the coverage required with the resources they have. But I can see where they need our help.
IS: Please tell us about the Sea of Green campaign.
BT: It’s a program for the pet owners, by the pet owners. The gaps have been identified and the solution is for us to unite as pet owners to help protect and recover each others’ four legged family members. To show the industry what it is that we are wanting and needing. In turn, we will relieve the burden on all these other organizations that aren't able to cope and handle the extreme demand that is ravaging across this nation.
The ‘Sea of Green’ has two main components: A dedicated network of pet lovers and a single centralised pet registry (PetLynx) and one social media point. The goal is to integrate community and technology together enabling each and every household to monitor and locate their beloved pet with merely a few touches of a button.
IS: How will the campaign be launched and word spread?
BT: So far it’s been spreading by word of mouth and social media. It is going to be launched by finding those people that unfortunately ran into the same problems and roadblocks I did. By finding those community champions and pet lovers that care and are motivated.
It is launched with a community event, where all concerned pet owners can gather in the same room, feel supported, and discuss how to best implement a community plan. I tell my story and describe why and how the ‘Sea of Green’ concept works to combat pet theft and expedite pet recovery.
This first meeting also serves to identify the champions of the community who will be able to lead the initiative and bring back the face to face community interaction. Building relationships with others in your town, your neighbourhood, and connecting with someone you never met before is the key component of this program. It is about being united and speaking to the industry with a common voice. It’s about supporting your fellow pet owners.
Our tools are media, social media and mainstream media, that we will use to spread this. The success of this program is getting people excited and they are spreading the word enthusiastically. With every social event, with every dog lost, stolen or found, the word will spread more and more. We will get to that point where there will be complete coverage. The people will believe in it because they are part of it and have a hand in it’s success.
We’ve proven it to be a success and the results are reaching other communities, who are now asking us how we did it. Nobody else has been able to do this, it may not be the end all and be all, but it is a good place to start. It fills the gaps for now and it is a system that can continue to evolve and become more powerful with every community we touch.
Pet loss will always happen, pets wander off. The HomeSafe program and The Sea of Green program helps to recover them, even if it’s only to provide closure. Dog theft, for whatever reason they are being taken, is a very lucrative and low risk activity. Its easy money but our efforts are now pushing it into a high risk activity. It is not so easy for them when the Sea of Green is in your town. Through our efforts, it will eventually lead to changes in the legal system. Not any day soon, but eventually.
If someone gets caught stealing a dog here in Fort St John, I believe the thief will be hit with the full extent of the law, even though it is limited at best, the penalties and charges will be greater here because the RCMP are involved as well. The information that the Sea of Green members collect and pass onto the RCMP include notes on times, places, witnesses, vehicles, photos and video footage. We can prove with more certainty that, ‘yes, this dog was stolen, and yes, stolen by this individual'.
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