Mason’s Dad posted his lost dog’s picture to our database and our Pet FBI Ohio Facebook page. Char, our Facebook Ohio Administrator suggested he check the shelter. He let us know he struck out there. Char then posted Mason to our main timeline. Within 20 minutes “Alma” left a comment that she had just seen the dog at a certain intersection. Char, who somehow manages to stay on top of numerous reports, immediately called Dad to alert him to the sighting. Phone went straight to voice mail. Fortunately Char pursued the matter, texted the sighting tip and got an immediate reply. Mason’s Dad and his wife drove separately to the area to search. About 15 minutes later he texted Char to let her know they had their guy!  Thanks to Alma for her tip and to Char for being persistent and conscientious.

OBJECT LESSON:
1. Sightings can be important! Please post!
2. If you have a report out on a missing pet try to keep your phone covered at all times. What if texting were not an option? Most people will phone first – it’s fastest and most convenient. In a sighting situation, minutes matter! A dog can travel far and fast in very little time.

A miracle reunion! Our good Sam, Thleese, found this sweet pooch and immediately posted to our Pet FBI Ohio Facebook page. She could not keep him so she called the dog warden who came, scanned for a microchip and ….FOUND ONE! Dad could not believe his eyes when he found the notice on his door. Sammy had been missing for five years!

Ironically, “Auntie Diane” shared his found post the same day, not realizing it was her brother’s very own long lost dog. Thanks to Auntie Diane for this great reunion photo.

Sammy and Dad

OBJECT LESSON: Microchips are not fail-safe! People have to be aware that there is such a thing and have a found pet scanned. Obviously someone found Sammy the first time he was lost and has been taking care of him probably not realizing all along that he could have been reunited.

This beautiful cocker spaniel, Jenquah, was reunited with this family after just a few days thanks to
1) Ryan, the Good Samaritan who rescued him and fostered him until he could be reunited with his family directly. He posted info about the dog to the Pet FBI Facebook page…

2. Teresa, a Pet FBI “Private Agent” who follows the Pet FBI Ohio Facebook page and cross-posts and cross-checks lost and found reports. It was she who contacted Ryan and urged him to give the complete information required so his post would go from the side bar to the more visible main timeline…

3. Char, our devoted Facebook administrator who spends hours daily vetting posts and seeing that all the posts on our timeline have complete, actionable information…

4. Another “Good Sam,” (whose name, appropriately, IS “Sam”!), the astute and dedicated Franklin County Animal Shelter worker who follows the Pet FBI Facebook page. So when Jenquah’s family came to the shelter to look for him he was able to tell them about the Facebook post. Result: happy ending!

Object Lesson:  –If you decide to foster a stray while seeking its owner in order to spare the pet the stress and risks attendant in giving the pet over to a shelter, at least leave full information about the pet with the shelters ASAP. Most shelters have a lost and found bulletin board and, after all, the shelter is the obvious place someone who has lost a pet would check.

— When you post to a Facebook page or Craigslist or any other free-form media, including posters, be sure to give complete, actionable information: full description of pet, when lost, where lost specifically and good accurate  information!

Chase went missing on July 15, This morning (July 24) someone  dropped off  him to be groomed. The alert groomer recognized him from his Pet FBI Ohio Facebook post and contacted authorities. Here is Chase reunited with this ecstatic little brother and sister,

Object Lesson: Spread the information about your lost pet everywhere you can! Facebook posts can be very effective.