How Kansas City Chiefs defensive tackle Derrick Nnadi helps lost dogs get back home

What do the Fourth of July and the Super Bowl have in common?

They are both days when pets are more likely to go missing, according to Lost Dogs of America. Between cookouts, family gatherings and fireworks — meaning doors open, unfamiliar guests and loud noises — pets may get scared and run off from their homes.

That’s why Kansas City Chiefs defensive tackle Derrick Nnadi does what he can to help dogs be reunited with their owners as he’s also preparing for the big game.

Nnadi, a known dog lover, has partnered with organizations in the past like Kansas City Pet Project, to help get dogs homes by sponsoring adoptions. This season, he’s teaming up with an organization called FidoAlert to help lost dogs get back to their homes.

“Derrick really wants these dogs to have homes,” said Cianna Outlaw, a representative from the Derrick Nnadi Foundation. “FidoAlert makes sure that every dog can be found if they’re lost.”

In 2023, KC Pet Project’s Return-to-Home team reunited 2,000 pets with their owners, according to its year review, showing a significant amount of lost pets in the region.

FidoAlert is trying to decrease that number not just in Kansas City but throughout the nation.

“We’re trying to create tools that make that process easier, build on a new technology to be able to alleviate the stress that you know you encounter in that time,” Taylor Jenkins, the general manager for FidoAlert said.

Support from organizations like the Nnadi Foundation makes the technology free and accessible to more people.

How it works

When you sign up for FidoAlert you receive a dog tag that has your pet’s name on it, a unique QR code and an ID for your pet.

The tag doesn’t have your phone number listed for privacy purposes. If your pet is found and the person scans the QR code, it prompts them to put in the ID number. FidoAlert will then text the pet’s owner to notify them the pet has been found.

When you let FidoAlert know your pet is lost, the application will send a text message to users in a couple mile radius.

For example, if your dog went missing at Arrowhead Stadium and you initiated a lost pet alert, over 1,200 people would receive a text message that your dog was missing within seconds after your dog ran away, said Jenkins.

When a user signs up using the Nnadi and FidoAlert landing, the tag is free.

FidoAlert also donates to the Nnadi Foundation for every Nnadi tag ordered. The donations then go toward causes Nnadi and his foundation support, like the Virginia Beach Boys and Girls Club, according to Outlaw.

In Kansas City, more than 5,000 pet owners have signed up with more than 6,500 pets registered.

Since the partnership, Jenkins said Kansas City makes up 1% of new users.

Jenkins hopes the partnership with Nnadi encourages more people to register to make it easier for pet owners to locate their pets.

“We’re in this for a long-term relationship with Derrick and his foundation,” Jenkins said. “And so I’m not looking for quick wins, you know. I’m looking for, you know, like the slow drips that gradually snowball over time.”

This story was originally published February 7, 2025 at 6:00 AM.