INDEPENDENT NEWS

Tech Startup That Will Find Homes For Unloved Pets

Published: Wed 28 Oct 2020 11:27 AM
Meet MyHooman: The world-first, Kiwi-designed tech startup that will transform animal shelters and find homes for unloved pets
Rescue pets are set to find forever homes faster, thanks to a world-first, Kiwi-designed animal shelter and adoption platform by Mars Petcare which launched today in New Zealand.
MyHooman streamlines the adoption process and reduces paperwork, ultimately freeing shelter teams up to focus on their animals. There’s also benefit for those looking to rescue a furry friend. Once animals are uploaded to the free platform, artificial intelligence and smart matching algorithms, the likes of which are typically seen in dating apps, accurately match animals with the most suitable adopters.
MyHooman has been designed alongside shelters and is the world’s first truly end-to-end shelter management and adoption platform supporting everyone involved in the process – from the day an animal arrives at a shelter right through to joining its new family.
Mars New Zealand General Manager Pete Simmons says as a data-driven hub to connect people with the right pet, MyHooman will prevent adoptions from failing.
“Typically people jump online to search for the pet they want – but that isn’t always the breed or animal that’s right for them. Globally, around a fifth of dogs adopted from a shelter end up back there each year, which is heart-breaking for animals and shelters.
“By using insights from shelters and Mars’ Waltham Petcare Science Institute, MyHooman looks at the needs of every animal, and matches them to owners with the right lifestyle. This means pets are more likely to get a better human-match first time and avoid returning to the shelter system.
“Everything we do at Mars Petcare is centered on our purpose: A Better World For Pets, and a big part of this is our work to end pet homelessness. For the past decade we’ve encouraged Kiwis to adopt a rescue dog though our PEDIGREE campaigns, but MyHooman is a completely new approach and we’re confident it will help the thousands of dogs in New Zealand shelters each year.”
MyHooman has been co-designed with Kiwi shelters and follows 18 months of intensive work on shelter wellbeing at the Mars Innovation Hub at Colenso BBDO Auckland.
Louise Burgess from Last Lamppost Dog & Animal Rescue says the new platform gives her team more time to focus on animal care.
“MyHooman is a game changer for shelters that will streamline the adoption process and truly put animals first. Shelters typically have limited resources and the adoption process can be time consuming so this tool, that has so many amazing features, will make that process much easier and free shelter managers like me up to save more animals.”
Executive Director for Mars Business and Innovation at Colenso BBDO Ahmad Salim says MyHooman has the potential to transform pet adoption.
“By using time-saving tech to simplify how shelters register, care for and share animals’ profiles, MyHooman eases many of the pressures shelters face. Once animals are in the system, it can proactively target adopters with their best pet matches, meaning it can prevent great animals from waiting around in shelters.
“It’s been one of the most rewarding parts of this journey - working with New Zealand’s dedicated rescue community to develop a platform that can make a difference for animals around the world.”
MyHooman is now available free of charge in New Zealand and will initially focus on dog adoptions. Shelters can sign up now and those looking to adopt a pet via the platform will be able to do so from December.
Shelters can find out more and sign up for MyHooman via https://shelter.myhooman.com/
Click here or the image below to download broadcast-quality video of Pete Simmons, Ahmad Salim and Louise Burgess discussing the new platform, and high-res imagery.

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