Petco Love Lost AI Tech Reunites Missing 16-Year-Old Blind Dog with California Family

On a Sunday night, in Fremont, California, Diane’s worst nightmare became reality when her beloved dog, Izzy, slipped out of her home and disappeared.

Living on a busy street just steps from a freeway on-ramp, Diane was overcome with fear. The stakes couldn’t have been higher, as Izzy is nearly 16 years old, blind, and hard of hearing.

Desperate for help, Diane visited her local shelter’s website, Tri-City Animal Shelter, where she discovered Petco Love Lost. Within moments, she uploaded Izzy’s photo and submitted a lost pet report.

“I ran a search — it was so easy to use the website. I was amazed when instantly Izzy’s photo popped up,” Diane said. “I would have been absolutely devastated if I couldn’t find her. We were so lucky that wonderful people rescued Izzy and housed her for the night. She is almost 16 years old, blind, and hard of hearing, and I was devastated that she wandered away. Thank you so much for saving my dog, Petco Love Lost.”

What Diane didn’t know was that, after Izzy wandered away, a compassionate couple spotted the senior dog dangerously close to the freeway. Realizing she was likely someone’s beloved pet, they brought her safely into their home for the night, uploaded her photo to Petco Love Lost, and filed a found pet report.

The AI photo-matching technology made the match instantly. Through Petco Love Lost’s built-in chat feature, the couple connected directly with Diane, and less than 24 hours after Izzy disappeared, the family was reunited. What could have ended in heartbreak became a story of hope — made possible by quick-thinking Good Samaritans and free technology.

Using AI and more than 500 visual markers, Petco Love Lost, a free nationwide database for lost and found pets, identifies pets based on unique physical characteristics that remain with them wherever they go.

National nonprofit Petco Love is encouraging pet parents to register their pets on Petco Love Lost now for free while they’re safe at home. That way, if they go missing, they can create a lost pet report in seconds, saving precious time when it matters the most. Petco Love Lost has reunited more than 250,000 lost pets – with a pet reunited every 4 minutes.