Walking to the Metro, you notice “Lost Dog” fliers plastered to the community board by the dozens. Moments later, your cell phone chirps with an incoming picture message of that same lost dog. You arrive at work, and there’s an email with the same information, pleading to be forwarded to anyone who can help. Welcome to the modern day search of reuniting lost pets with their families.

According to the American Humane Association, an estimated five million pets will be lost each year, and one in every three pets will be lost at some point in its lifetime. While standard methods of posting fliers and making phone calls are certainly still an effective tool, modern technology allows animal lovers and volunteers to increase the reach of the search to reunite a lost pet with their family. This phenomenon has not only affected those in the animal community, but has crossed over into standard advertising, as many have seen in the recent AT&T commercials. Here locally, this practice has helped dozens of animals, but still hopes to reunite hundreds of other pets with the families who cherish them.

On Monday, November 9th, Zoe the Australian Cattle Dog mix was missing. The shy female, a recent adoption from a local rescue organization, had escaped her new home and her family was worried sick that her shy nature would make her nearly impossible to recapture. While the traditional fliers were hung and friends and family pounded the pavement, the new wave of pet tracking kicked in from local volunteers, bringing the harrowing search to a happy ending this afternoon as Zoe was returned to her owners.

Almost instantly a blog was created, where folks could contact the owners and list possible sightings of Zoe in the neighborhood. Facebook and Google groups were created to coordinate search efforts, and a fundraising page launched to raise funds for more grassroots efforts and advertising. As the day went on and Zoe sightings continued, volunteers multiplied and the viral efforts grew immensely. Local shelters and rescue groups were alerted, neighborhood list servs were blasted, Craigslist and lost pet websites were blanketed, and vets were contacted all over DC, MD, and VA. Feeding stations were established and monitored twice daily so that Zoe could continue to eat as volunteers waited for the moment to calmly bring her back. Even a professional pet tracker was recruited, but the poor weather made her skill set all but impossible to utilize.

Viral marketing continue for the 48 hours Zoe was missing, and complete strangers were pouring in to help.  Daphne Levitas, a key member of the volunteer search team, explains  "a foster of mine escaped from doggie daycare a few years ago. . . there was no hope of getting her back if we didn't act immediately. We found her after five days--we were lucky. But the learning curve was so steep, and I felt that I'd learned so much in that time that I wanted to help those who were in the position I was in."

The search finally ceased this morning, when Zoe was found in the top soil at a local garden center. She suffered a few minor injuries and was taken immediately to the vet, and by early afternoon was sound asleep in her dog bed. Lucky for Zoe, the local volunteer team of pet searchers had worked so quickly; the staff at the garden center recognized Zoe from seeing her picture so frequently.

“This reminds us that there are good, caring people in the world who will go out of their way to help a total stranger,” states Zoe’s owners. While Zoe’s story ends happily, there are hundreds of animals that will never be found, despite the heroic efforts of volunteers. Even now, the same team of animal searchers is working on Berdina, a young pit bull terrier mix missing since April 2009. Her blog remains updated with sightings, giving her foster parents hope that a reunion like Zoe’s is still possible. As Levitas states, "Berdina is still out there and she can be found, but we need the help of the entire rescue community, and the assistance of the local community, to do it."