Community Corner
Lost Dog Reunited With Owner Thanks To The Power Of Community
Watch this pocket beagle's heartwarming return home after going missing "for three long, cold, wet weeks."
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Like a lot of dogs, Charlie, the pocket beagle, is a beloved member of her family. So when this pooch went missing in an Atlanta-area neighborhood, owner Telease Allen was understandably heartbroken.
American Humane estimates that 10 million pets are lost in the United States each year. According to a survey by The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, 85 percent of those animals made their way back home, but that doesn't negate how stressful and upsetting having a lost pet can be.
"I was devastated," Allen recalled tearfully. "I was losing my best friend. I needed my dog."
It all started when Charlie, an emotional-support animal who provides support to children with autism, made a beeline for a wooded area after getting out of the car at Allen's mother's house. (Allen and her mother both live in the Atlanta area.)
"Immediately, the search began," Allen said. "We were calling [Charlie's] name, riding up and down the street, posting signs … [and] then I decided to post it on the Neighbors App, and tons of people replied."
Allen was encouraged by the responses from her and her mother's neighbors in the app. "I'll keep a lookout," wrote one community member. "I hope she returns home," added another. "I know it's heartbreaking."
Reading the posts "made me feel hopeful," Allen said. "It also made me feel like I'm not alone — that there are other eyes out there of people that I don't know looking for my dog."
Having those extra eyes looking for Charlie paid off, too. A neighbor named Charles saw Allen's post on the Neighbors App and recognized Charlie right away. "I said, 'Hey, I know where that dog is,'" he recalled. "So I went on and replied, 'The dog can be found over here on Hiawassee Drive.'"
As soon as Allen saw Charles' post about Charlie, she hopped in her car and drove to Hiawassee Drive. "I saw a neighbor, so I stopped to talk to her," Allen said. "[The neighbor] said, 'Yeah! [Charlie's] been living next door!'"
Allen said she "felt overjoyed" to find that "the next-door neighbor was taking care of Charlie, who had been missing for three long, cold, wet weeks."
"The reunion was priceless," Allen said. (Watch the video above to see an adorable reenactment.) Charlie's owner wasn't the only one thrilled for the dog to make her way back home, either.
"I remember neighbors in the [Neighbors] App, we were all celebrating," said Denise, another community member who'd been rooting for Charlie's safe return all along.
And Charles, the neighbor who posted about spotting Charlie on Hiawassee Drive, said with a smile, "I feel great that they were reunited, and I had a part in it."
Allen credited the power of community and the Neighbors App for bringing Charlie home. "[It] made me feel like we as neighbors are closer — that there are people out there that have your best interests and they're there to help you," she said.
"The Neighbors App brought a happy ending for Charlie and my family," Allen added, "and it's free! So everybody should use it."
