INTERVIEW: Larry Evans talks about HomeSafe™ and AnimalTRACS™

PetLynx Corporation has been growing by leaps and bounds, fueled largely by a ‘viral’ response from the pet owning public. Meanwhile, the industry still has confusion about what makes PetLynx offerings different from microchip databases and other registries. Recently we caught up with Larry Evans the Managing Director of PetLynx Corporation, at Thunder Ridge near Crossfield, Alberta, to ask a few clarifying questions.

InfoStream (IS): Can you help us understand the role of the HomeSafe™ system and the AnimalTRACS™ portal in the PetLynx Information Utility?

Larry R. Evans (LRE): Sure.

HomeSafe™ is the brand associated with Canada’s only automated national online registry and lifetime Return to Owner (RTO) subscription for pets. PetLynx pioneered customer owned and managed online animal records back in 2006 to ensure pet owners and communities would have lowest cost information services. Pet owners can use any online device to access and maintain current information about their pet without charge during a lifetime of human/animal experiences.

AnimalTRACS™ is a portal that allows ‘ethical’ service providers in each community to assist clients, to identify pets and to support automated recovery services.

IS: What makes HomeSafe™ different from other registries and return to owner services?

LRE: There are a number of unique elements built into the HomeSafe™ system that differentiate this system from competitive offerings:

• HomeSafe™ has the reputation of being the ‘best/only fully automated 24/7 Return to Owner community service in the world’.
• PetLynx pioneered customer owned and managed online animal records which produces the lowest cost and greatest efficacy for pet owners and community service providers ($29/lifetime for pet owners, $120/yr for non-sheltering organizations, $1,000/yr for sheltering organizations).
• Unlike most registries, the HomeSafe™ Return to Owner (RTO) system does not require pre-registration to be effective and provides free access for seven days to ensure pets get home before the legislated ‘hold’ period ends and they become the property of a pound or agency.
• HomeSafe™ is more effective than other services because it engages all pet owners and pet lovers in a community using one central online technology to provide a direct and timely reunion.
• In one western community where more than 82,000 registered HomeSafe™ users live, anecdotal evidence has shown cats being returned to their owners in as little as 4.5 hours from the time a lost report was published.
• HomeSafe™ recovers pets using any form of pet identification, collar tag or physical description using the proprietary DataSketch™ and Automatch™ technologies developed by PetLynx.
• HomeSafe™ automatically searches found reports and admissions to all registered service providers in a community so pet owners are notified when their pet turns up at a neighbour's or a registered hospital, clinic, shelter or pound.
• In addition to the RTO service, HomeSafe™ animal records provide a secure way for pet owners to store and access their animal information, health records, pictures and service providers.
• PetLynx was an early adopter of ’cloud’ technology (2006) that untethered PetLynx applications from the desktop environment so animal information could be accessed from any smart device.
• Once they have a lifetime HomeSafe ™ subscription, owners can change their locations as they travel on holidays and update their animal information without additional cost.

IS: How many pets, pet owners, and communities use this system in Canada?

LRE: Pet owners across Canada have made PetLynx the largest automated online registry of pets in Canada. The system activity is published in InfoStream at the end of each month but here are a few metrics to give your readers some perspective:

• There are 475 communities in Canada with a population base greater than 7,500. PetLynx provides automated Return to Owner services in 340 Canadian communities.
• At May 31, 2015, PetLynx supported 1,011,439 active animal records and just over 906,316 pet owners across Canada. Recently PetLynx announced a collaboration with AVC (Associate Veterinary Clinics), Canada’s largest veterinary health group to add 300,000 of their clients to the registry.
• The average PetLynx pet owner is very active and with a relationship that extends 5.6 years (2010 metric). In the 12 months ended May 31, 2015, more than 40% (428,726) of the registered pet owners logged in to update or access their PetLynx animal record.
• A unique feature of the PetLynx registry is that it allows unregistered pet owners and the general public to use the Return to Owner system without charge for seven days. In the 12 months ended 31 May, 2015, 14,122,776 public visits were supported by the PetLynx system.
• Since the system went into commercial use in May of 2006, it has supported 320,092 recovery episodes.

IS: Who may subscribe to the AnimalTRACS™ portal and access the HomeSafe™ registry in each community?

LRE: In the early days of PetLynx, an Authorized Service Center only included service providers like veterinarians or Humane and Rescue agencies. Over time pet owners showed a preference for other service providers they already trusted in an existing relationship. Today the idea of an ‘ethical’ service provider often includes kennels, day care services, walkers, pooper scoopers and other service providers who subscribe to professional standards or are members of a recognized association. The name has also changed from Authorized Service Center to HomeSafe Guardian™.

Thank you for reading the first part of InfoStream's interview with Larry Evans. On July 2nd InfoStream will reconnect with Larry Evans and tease out the business aspects of AnimalTRACS™ and HomeSafe™.