The family of a senior blind dog was able to find their missing dog 33 days after she ran away in a thunderstorm with the help of AI. According to PEOPLE, 12-year-old Sandy went missing from her San Antonio, Texas, home in June.
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Missing Blind Dog Reunited With Family With Help Of AI-Powered Program
A thunderstorm had spooked the dog, causing her to run away, worrying her entire family. “I was very worried and so scared for her, especially because she is blind and a senior,” said her owner, Juliette Gonzalez. “I was scared to death.”
Her elderly dog had been missing for a total of 33 days, and it seemed like there was no hope. That was, until Gonzalez resorted to Love Lost, a nationwide database that aims to help owners find their lost pets using AI.
After scouring neighborhoods and local animal shelters were unsuccessful, this was the next best option. The way this program works is that it allows owners to submit photos of their missing pets, comparing them to photos of lost animals that have arrived at animal shelters.
Gonzalez quickly made a profile for Sandy on Love Lost with the hope of reuniting with her beloved dog. It took till July 4 before Gonzalez received a notification from Love Lost. They found a match for a dog that looked like Sandy, and it was correct.
“I was so excited, and my heart was racing,” said Gonzalez.
The Footbridge Foundation has submitted a photo of Sandy. Although she looked thinner than before, she was smiling like her usual self. After reaching out to the director of the shelter, she managed to reunite with Sandy.
“She was so very happy. Her tail was wagging so much,” said Gonzalez. “Sandy is very happy to be back home with our family and playing in her yard with her brother.”
Love Lost’s Mission
Love Lost is connected to Petco Love, a national nonprofit organization. Abbie Moore, COO of Petco Love, told PEOPLE how difficult connecting owners with lost pets can be.
“One major obstacle to reuniting lost pets with their families is the sheer number of places where people can choose to post lost and found pets online,” said Moore. “Having pets posting on different platforms is not at all helpful; if I lose my pet and post somewhere, and you find my pet and post somewhere else, we are not going to connect. That’s a missed opportunity.”
Their program utilizes AI technology to match photos of pets not just from shelters, but it inspects missing pet posts on platforms like Ring and Nextdoor. Since its debut, Love Lost has connected over 140,000 missing pets with their families.
“No matter where a lost or found pet is originally posted, that pet will come into the Love Lost database, where they can be matched with posts made on any other platform,” Moore added. “It’s pretty revolutionary!”