Facebook found my lost dog twice! Well, almost...

A few months ago, when my dear husband was away on a hunting trip, I forgot to latch the gate and our dog roamed away from home while I was gone to work.  When I returned after work and a meeting at church, the dog had been gone for about 14 hours. Immediately, I started calling anyone I thought might know anything about his whereabouts.  Before I started roaming the neighborhood with a couple of my husband's co-workers, I posted a photo and frantic BOLO message on Facebook.  Since I am FB friends with many of my neighbors, people who work in the area and my mail lady, I thought someone may have seen him as they were out and about during the day.

The response was overwhelming, everyone nearby was willing to keep an eye out and some friends even offered to come help with the search.  It was after 10 pm, we drove around everywhere calling out "Jack, Jaaaack, Jaaaaack". No luck. We called off the search, hoping someone would spot him the next morning.  As my husband's partner was headed home, he stopped to ask some folks out in their yard if they had seen our "big yellow dog".  Indeed they had and he was able to find Jack nearby.

So no, Facebook did not find my dog this time, but listen to what happened the next morning.

My dear husband, sitting in a tree stand 400 miles way, doing what all hunters do in the stand, checking Facebook from his DROID, sees this picture of our dog! Not my picture, but a picture from the sweet young lady who picked up our dog in the parking lot of a facility near where we live, (the same facility where my dear husband works). 

Now, if you can believe it, our beloved Jack went on yet another adventure yesterday afternoon.  Annually, when we go away on vacation, my aunt, and renowned dog-sitter, who lives about 30 miles from us in my hometown, takes great care of our baby boy. We were due to pick him up yesterday afternoon.  Around 2:30 pm, he darted out of the yard while he was out on a bathroom break. A search ensued and we arrived on the scene around 6:00 pm.  We searched everywhere and of course, I put out another BOLO on Facebook, asking everyone in my hometown to re-post his picture and my contact information.

Around 8:00 pm, I received a call from yet another sweet young lady who had found Jack in her yard. She got my number from a store clerk I had stopped to inform of my missing  pet.

Again, Facebook did not find my dog, but listen to what happened later:

When we arrived on the scene where Jack had been located, the lady said she had go down to the store and just happened to ask the clerk if she knew anyone missing a dog.  The clerk gave her my information.  She was elated to have found Jack's owners.  She said in the process of searching for us, she had posted his description on Facebook! I did not know this young lady and we are not connected as friends on Facebook (yet), so chances are I would have never seen her post.  However, my other aunt, also a member of our search party, had re-posted my BOLO.  A friend of this aunt's is the daughter of the lady who found Jack!!

So, yes, Facebook almost found my missing dog twice and I believe given a few more hours, I could remove the "almost"!  Currently, I am researching GPS tracking devices for him!