Social Media Site Reunites Lost Dogs With Their Owners

Updated on Aug 26, 2015 at 12:00 PM

Nextdoor is so much more than a social media site for neighborhoods. It connects neighbors together to keep them informed about anything in the neighborhood, from break-ins to Summer block parties. One other hugely useful aspect of Nextdoor is the ability to let your neighbors know if your dog escapes or if you find a lost dog. Or you can simply use it to ask for help if you need someone to watch your dog while you leave town.

Nextdoor shared a few of their favorite touching and successful stories from their users. We've compiled them in this gallery in honor of National Dog Day today. Read through, and consider joining your own neighborhood's Nextdoor group!

The dog that escaped her backyard

After leaving his gate open one morning, Jason discovered three of his dogs had gotten out. Two of them returned, but the third, Emmy, did not.

As Jason's hearing dog, Emmy is extremely important to his daily well-being. After posting fliers around the neighborhood, Jason posted on Nextdoor to reach even more of his neighbors.

After four days of hearing nothing, one of Jason's neighbors found Emmy safe and sound in their neighborhood.

“It’s a really neat app,” Jason said of Nextdoor. “It keeps people informed.”

The dog that was neglected

Sammie the dog was left in a pen or chained up constantly in harsh weather in a St. Louis neighborhood. Fed up with seeing the dog suffer, Megan posted on Nextdoor, asking for help. Several people wrote back offering suggestions and advice.

Together, they were able to convince Sammie's owner to release her to a foster home where she is being taken care of now.

Sammie is now on the mend, Megan said. “Thanks to Nextdoor, we opened up a huge network of people who could help Sammie.”

The dog that was abandoned in the Winter

As cold weather hit Cleveland last year, one neighborhood grew concerned for a pit bull that had been running around, abandoned.

“It was freezing, and you’re thinking, this poor dog — it’s obviously abandoned,” explained Simone Nielsen, who posted to Nextdoor Shaker Heights with her concerns.

The neighborhood rallied together to raise money for vet visits, coordinate walks, and find the pup a forever home.

“This is a way to get to know the people on your street or the people around the corner,” Nielsen said of Nextdoor.

The dog that needed love from everyone

When Jenny started to grow older and her health started to decline, her owners bought her a wagon to wheel her around their Washington DC neighborhood, thus giving her the name Jenny Wagon.

Taking care of her took a lot of time and effort, and when her owners were struggling to give her all the attention she needed, neighbors stepped in to help. They helped walk her, watched over her, and provided emotional support to her owners.

The evening before Jenny died, her owners hosted a celebration of life to spoil Jenny and make her last evening special and, most importantly, yummy! Over 40 good neighbors came by to give Jenny one last scratch, a hug, and a small piece of bacon, Jenny’s favorite treat. The next morning, Jenny went to heaven with a heart full of love and belly full of bacon.

Her owners say they are still appreciative of their good neighbors, whose kind gestures helped them get through a very tough time in their lives.

The dog that was scared and lost

One night, an Austin, TX, couple stumbled across a scared dog on a bridge while they were driving home. The dog was shivering and blind and wasn't wearing a collar.

The couple posted the dog's picture and information on Nextdoor and within 30 minutes heard back from the dog's worried owners.

“Without Nextdoor, we wouldn’t have had any way to connect to [the dog's] family that night,” the couple said. “It would have been a much bigger ordeal. Thank you for bringing our neighborhood closer together.”