'The Retrievers' help track down lost pets in Twin Cities
(KMSP) - When a pet disappears, time is of the essence and covering a lot of ground is not something you can do alone. In the Twin Cities, there is a group of volunteers who – out of the kindness of their hearts – gets to work when a pet is missing.
Just three weeks ago, Gracie was lost – out in the cold and unable to find her way home. She bolted down the driveway, took a right hand hurt and flew at a breakneck pace.
“As the sun started setting and I had a couple of friends already out looking, then the panic started setting in because 'oh my gosh she will never survive the night,'” Gracie’s owner, Mary Kuhn, said.
Kuhn isn’t sure what spooked her dog that day, but the help that showed up on her doorstep the next day was certainly the key to finding her.
Carrie Champeau had seen a post about Gracie on the Lost Dogs Minnesota Facebook page and called to help. Carrie contacted Kuhn and said they needed to get some intersection signs up.
Carrie has a huge supply of signs at her house and she went to work. She also reached out to her friends at The Retrievers for any advice.
It was one of Carrie’s signs at an intersection about a mile away that garnered a call within an hour.
“It was a gentleman who said he just saw the sign and ‘by golly I think I spotted your dog’,” Kuhn said. “I couldn't believe it…couldn't believe it.”
They found Gracie hiding under a car at a nearby home – missing two days – and that was that.
“She was eating out of my hand within a couple seconds and jumping in my lap and arms,” Kuhn said.
But, what Kuhn really discovered was that there is an army out there ready to help when pets are missing.
In addition to the Lost Dog MN Facebook page, "The Retrievers" help with hundreds of lost pets every year with people and supplies.
Niki Taylor is one of the many volunteers with The Retrievers that will help find and catch lost pets.
“It’s all volunteers. We are an all-volunteer lost dog search and rescue team,” Taylor said. “And our cameras send photos to our email in real-time.”
The Retrievers were involved in more than 200 cases last year in which the animal was found. So, whether it’s people like Carrie Campeau working on her own – or a bigger network – this happens because people care.
So whether it's Carrie working on her own -- or a bigger network -- this happens because people care.
In Gracie's case, she slipped out when Kuhn's son came home. It truly happened in a flash. But with social media, there are a lot of tools to get the word out, and it's nice to know there are people out there to help.
More information on The Retrievers can be found here.
Like the Lost Dogs Minnesota Facebook page here.