11 September 2009

Mistaken Identity

Does PetLynx use physical descriptions to match lost and found pets?
One of the most frustrating aspects of trying to match "found" animals with "lost" animals is discrepancies in how different people may describe the same animal. It's difficult enough for a lay person to try to identify purebred dogs... but now we have dozens of "designer dogs," too! So, instead of playing "guess the breed", PetLynx's unique DataSketch application helps the user "draw" a picture of the dog (or cat) by simply identifying colours and identifying marks. It does not take other physical characteristics into consideration. DataSketch narrows down the description choice to seven main colours and acknowledges different situations, such as a brown dog is similar to a tan dog. Once the information has been input to DataSketch, the PetLynx AutoMatch system works its magic. Rather than scanning for similar breed listings -- which may be incorrect -- it compares coat colour. It then creates a list of the most likely matches, with a 100% rating, followed by less relevant matches. While this system works great, it is imperative that people registering lost animals understand that it is their responsibility to follow up on AutoMatch™ notifications to determine if a match is their pet or not.