Your next slice of pizza could help find a missing pup — and other pets, too

Your next order of pizza could help find a lost pet in the Manatee-Sarasota area.

Local non-profit Lost Pet Services Inc. is teaming with area pizza shops to spread the word about missing dogs, cats and any other pets that happen to be on the run. (The organization even aids attempts to locate lost pigs, tortoises and iguanas.)

The idea is simple: Slap every take-out pizza box with a lost pet flier that includes the date that the pet went missing, its breed and size, owner contact info and a color photo. It also lists important details like the pet’s last seen location — and whether Fido is friendly.

LPS board member Debbie Capobianco got the idea from a Facebook post about a New Jersey pizzeria that was implementing the same strategy. Then she reached out to a Brooklyn-style pizzeria in her own hometown.

“I asked Brancato’s if they would be interested,” Capobianco said in a social media post. “There was no hesitation. They said yes right away! Great people and pizza!”

Brancato’s Brick Oven Pizza, located in Bradenton, started participating in the program in July, according to LPS president Patty Giarrusso.

“We are huge animal lovers and this is a great opportunity to actively participate in helping our community,” the owners said on Facebook.

The business also sponsored a Facebook fundraiser that raised $280 for the non-profit.

Now, Lost Pet Services, Inc. is looking for more pizza shops to join in the effort.

Interested pizza shop owners in Sarasota or Manatee counties can contact Giarrusso at patty@lostfoundpets941.com.

In addition to reconnecting lost pets with their families, the non-profit offers free micro-chipping and pet ID services.

The non-profit’s Facebook group, “Lost and Found Pets 941,” allows locals to work together to quickly find missing animals. It currently has over 23,000 members.