Lost K9

We believe dogs aren’t just someone’s pet. We believe dogs are family. 

We understand the emotions and terror that take place when you look around and realize your dog is nowhere in sight. We also understand what it is like to drive by a lonely dog alongside the road and in your heart, you know that dog needs help.

At Lost K9 we use advanced mapping and tracking technology, drones, state of the art traps with network trail cameras for live monitoring, fliers and street signs, along with huge amounts of help from our dedicated volunteers, and local communities. We work hard to educate dog owners on the best practices to keep their fur babies safe at home. Our tools and methods help take away much of the stress and worry from pet owners. Lost K9 has helped hundreds of dogs either return home or find a new one.

Our Story: 

 Our organization was created due to saving a little black dog’s life in November of 2018. With freezing cold temperatures outside, eight strangers from Cottage Grove, Minnesota met over a community Facebook group. A post began to circulate with a picture of a cute little black dog, captioned “Who owns me?” When no one came forward to claim her, eight strangers knew if she were not captured, she would freeze and starve to death. With many sightings being reported our tiny group came together. We found that each of us were dog lovers, with a few cat people too. We also learned that many of us volunteered at different dog rescue organizations. Together with our combined knowledge and experience, we set out to save the dog we named “Black.”

Due to how we met, we also learned the power of social media. Through Facebook and Messenger, we were able to communicate with each other and our community. Soon Black became the talk of the town. People even joined that Facebook group just to read about what was happening with Black and what area of town she was in. We also used social media to try to educate our community on dog capturing 101. We wanted to make sure, even with the best intentions, no one was chasing Black. If she felt chased, she’d continue to run.

For several days we had great sightings of Black. We did all the right things, we stayed low, tossed treats, tracked locations, and looked for patterns. We were the crazy people seen laying in the snow, freezing, while talking in a baby voice to a tree. We could get within 10 feet of her but never close enough to catch her. Then her sightings stopped. Nothing but silence. Every day we felt worse and worse. It was so cold outside and forecasted to snow with blowing winds and even colder temperatures. Could she survive? Did someone have her? Was she already dead? Where was this dog? Eight strangers, who now became friends, were worried sick for a dog that none of us owned. Over the next four days without any sightings of Black, many tears were shed.

On the fifth day we received a message from a woman saying, “I think I found your dog.” When asked for Black's location this woman said, Black was in Stillwater, MN about 45 miles away from where we first saw her. We thought this couldn't be possible, she sent us a picture and sure enough, it was Black. She was alive! 

Black crossed over two major highways and traveled over forty five miles away or she took an Uber. It took another four days to finally trap her in a neighbor’s backyard. Black broke all typical rules known for catching a stray dog and taught us new procedures needed to be developed. Plus she deeply impacted each of us with such a profound feeling of love, humanity and compassion that we couldn't imagine not having her in our lives anymore. We decided one of us nine teammates would adopt her after her stray hold was over. 

Black’s adventure continued for 22-days. She became so important to us we agreed to incorporate her silhouette into our non-profit logo. Our team has expanded to now serve more communities and surrounding areas, free of charge. We utilize our own money, time, and resources. In Black’s situation, for just one person alone they accumulated over one thousand miles on their vehicle. Since dog ownership has increased at a rapid pace, so has the need for our skills and equipment. Your donation is greatly appreciated because we want to expand and continual to add volunteers, tools and supplies to meet the increasing demands for lost dogs that we work incredibly hard to get home. Every dollar counts.