Missing Foster Pet Found In Two Days

It’s every pet parent's worst nightmare... you turn around, and suddenly your beloved pet is gone. You might think this couldn’t happen to you, but it happens to the best of us. In fact, 1 in 3 pets will go missing in their lifetime and many will never be found.

Pets in a new environment are especially at risk of wandering away, and that is exactly what happened to Amanda in Atlanta. Amanda and her family were fostering sweet pup Bella when the unthinkable happened.   

Fortunately, Petco Love Lost helped reunite them after just two days. 

Foster Dog Bella Goes Missing

“Bella is sweet, cuddly, intelligent, and completely over the top friendly with everybody she meets, especially children,” said Amanda, who fostered Bella for three months and even taught her basic tricks to prepare her for a loving home.  

One day, when Amanda was driving back into town from her job as a life coach, her partner informed her that Bella had gotten out. “I started thinking about all the what ifs” said Amanda. “I got back and looked for her everywhere – rode around the neighborhood, wondering where she could have been.”  

Missing Pets Search on Petco Love Lost

When other avenues didn’t work, Amanda turned to Petco Love Lost to try to locate Bella and narrow down her search. “Because you can’t check every single shelter, Petco Love Lost is a centralized place for you to see where they are. It was so much simpler than calling around and trying to describe your dog and their coloring or posting pictures everywhere.” 

She uploaded Bella’s picture and was relieved to find a match at Lifeline Animal Project, a partner organization of Petco Love Lost. Someone who had found Bella had taken her in to Lifeline’s DeKalb County Animal Services location. “Bella had made her way to Chamblee, I would have never thought to call all the way there, but that’s the location the people who found her took her to,” said Amanda. “It was awesome.”  

Bella Is Reunited with Owners

Amanda connected with Lifeline and arranged to pick up Bella the next day. Not only was Amanda happy to reunite with her foster dog, but her whole family was delighted. “I was going to go get her by myself, but when I told my mom, nephew and son, everyone was totally excited to go get Bella back.”  

Not long after Amanda and Bella’s happy reunion, one of Amanda’s clients visited her home and fell in love with Bella. It was another match – a loving family with young boys, and even a dog brother named Sarge. “It’s adorable. Now she’s with a family with small kids and another dog to play with and they absolutely love her. She’s been a fantastic addition to their family,” said Amanda. 

Amanda is happy she helped Bella find a loving home, and she encourages others to foster and use Petco Love Lost as a resource for lost and found pets. “It’s always nice to have a pet in the house to brighten your day. If you’re an animal lover, do it, foster. It’s rewarding to put the effort and match an animal with a forever family that will absolutely love and adore them the way any pet should be loved,” said Amanda. “And if you ever lose a pet, check out Petco Love Lost. It made it really easy to find Bella and was really simple to use.” 

Interested in becoming a foster? Fostering a cat or dog allows your local shelter or rescue to help even more animals. It also gives the pet an opportunity to get used to home life and takes them away from the stress of a shelter. Plus, it can be a fun and educational experience for you and your family. Learn more about fostering a pet and find a shelter or rescue near you on Petco Love.