Losing a dog is like losing a member of the family.
Las Vegas has a unique community of volunteers that dedicate hours and hours of their time trying to help reunite missing dogs with their original owners.
The success rate is greater than ever thanks to social media; specially groups dedicated to lost and found dogs on Facebook and Nextdoor.
There's about 15 people who work tirelessly, going through all social media platforms, trying to match missing dogs with their owners.
Most of them have full time jobs and the hours they put in daily are all volunteer.
"I just can't even imagine," said Toni Mayfield. "I could cry just thinking about my dog being missing so I just, if there's a chance I can help a dog get home then I want to do that."
This team of volunteers wants to share some useful information that could make reuniting dogs and owners a little easier.
If you lose your dog, immediately call the microchip company and report your dog missing. Make sure your microchip information is up to date too.
Then, register your dog missing through The Animal Foundation. It's the main hub in town where people look for missing pets.
Thirdly, post fliers of your dog with recent pictures of him or her. Post them all over. Dogs will run.
And make sure to post about your missing pet all over the internet; on Facebook, on Nextdoor, and on Pawboost.
"Lost Dogs of Las Vegas" on Facebook has more than 15,000 members. "Lost and found dogs in Las Vegas" has almost 14,000. There are a few other good pages too.
These volunteers also want you to know what to do if you come across a missing dog.
Step one should be take the dog to a vet, Petsmart or Petco and have them do a free scan for a microchip. If the dog has a chip and the chip information is updated, a reunion between the dog and owner could happen instantaneously!
"It can be that simple to get the dog home," said Mayfield.
If the dog does not have a chip, take pictures of the dog and post them on the social media pages listed above including Nextdoor and Pawboost.
Also, make sure to register the dog as "found" through The Animal Foundation. If someone is looking for that dog, chances are they will browse through the animals at The Animal Foundation. If you cannot keep the dog in your home once you register it online, you can bring the dog down to The Animal Foundation to stay there until the owner comes forward.
Do not get too focused on the location the dog was lost. Dogs can make their way miles down the road. Be prepared to look all over.
"It takes a village, it really does," said John Brassner.
