FAQs

FAQ – Frequently Asked Questions

Click on each question to expand the answer.

What is ROAM?
ROAM is a 100% volunteer run non-profit organization, dedicated to reuniting lost and found pets with their owners.
Who are we?
ROAM was formed when a team of 5 administrators and senior searchers decided to form our own strong, cohesive, community-friendly team.  We have collectively put in thousands of hours of volunteer work and have successfully reunited countless pets with their owners.  We wish to continue to provide this service, but felt it would be best for us to form our own group based on our own ideals and visions for our organization and our ability and desire to work with all groups.
What do we do?
From the moment we are alerted with a lost or found pet, our admins begin to work behind the scenes to get the details necessary to post a pet to our website.  We have two numbers dedicated to ROAM and there is always someone to answer calls from worried pet owners. 

We give advice and support to owners of lost pets to get a search started, or in the case of a found pet, to locate the owners.  We alert volunteers in the areas where a pet goes missing and in many cases, we send our dedicated and proven search team out to try and locate the animal. 

If an animal seems to be settling in one area, we may set up a feeding station and infrared/motion ‘trail cameras’, followed by a humane, live-trap.  Setting a live trap involves 100% supervision (day and night) which we take part in and organize with pet owners.

Why do we need another animal search organization?
We feel that the ‘need’ necessitates organizations like ROAM.  We are a group of extremely passionate people who work extremely well together and share the same ideals when it comes to finding pets.  For the welfare and best interests of the animals, it is our endeavour to work alongside other local animal agencies and groups.  Our goal is to always put pets first.

Have more questions that are not answered here?

ROAM was our rock during the 98-day stretch our dog Olive was out on her own. The amount of effort the volunteers put in to her homecoming was absolutely amazing! They helped canvas neighborhoods, drove around at all hours, postered endlessly, organized a search party, set up feed stations equipped with cameras and delicious meats, watched live traps that had been customized with her fear of metal in mind, and constantly offered us their support and encouragement. Terry even flew to Arizona to pick up the remote-operated drop net used to capture her! At that time, Olive was regularly going to a feed station situated along a busy roadway. We were all concerned that her luck might run out with so much nearby traffic and the potential time lost with shipping was what prompted Terry’s flight. It really is impossible to put in to words everything ROAM did for us. Olive did not make capture an easy task! She moved neighborhoods frequently (View Royal, Colwood, Sidney, & Brentwood Bay), ran from any approach, and refused to go in to any trap as she had been trapped in the past. No matter how hopeless things felt at times, giving up was not an option considered by us or ROAM. We are so thankful that such a dedicated and positive group of people exists and were able to resolve this difficult case. It is an absolute pleasure to have our wild “little monkey” home again. Thank you Terry, Barb, Lesli, Rachel, Cyndi, Linda, Barry, Darlene…and all of the rest of the ROAM volunteers! You guys are the best.
Julianna, James and Olive