I have been a volunteer for the Fountain Hills Pet Search Team for a couple of years. My teammates and I have spent countless hours and dollars searching for lost pets in this community; your pet may have been one of them!

Recently, we have had an issue in relation to the town’s sign ordinance and we are no longer allowed to hang lost pet signs. Signs have been proven to work for us and have contributed greatly to finding many of the pets we have searched for around Fountain Hills.

If a pet is lost, we immediately jump into action and hit the streets to look. I design all of the signs. Signs are printed courtesy of Copy Express and The UPS Store. Lost signs are posted all over Facebook and our volunteers start to hang signs where the pet was lost. Not everyone is on Facebook, so signs are of the utmost importance. Signs are all consistent in design, hung carefully and removed as soon as a pet is found. If we are unsuccessful in our search, we remove signs, usually within one week. Every sign we hang is removed. This key component in finding a pet has now been prohibited.

The issue of lost dog signs will be brought before the town council on Tuesday, Sept. 4. The council meeting begins at 5:30 p.m. in the Council Chambers in Town Hall. If you support our all-volunteer effort to reunite lost and found pets with their owners, please come to the council meeting to show your support. You may also get up and speak on our behalf. We are hoping to carve out a small place in the ordinance that will show that Fountain Hills is truly a pet friendly town. Thank you!