Woman turns to AI after her partially-blind elderly dog goes missing – one prompt brings a reunion no one expected

The dog owner had searched every shelter and lane in her neighborhood but could not find her missing pet.

PUBLISHED AUG 19, 2025

(L) Woman using chatting AI chatbot virtual assistance app on a smartphone, (R) Man nailing a lost dog poster to a tree. (Representative Image Source: Getty Images | (L)d3sign, (R)Goads Agency)

In contrast to the bleak image of artificial intelligence against the backdrop of a fast-changing world, a heartwarming story has restored faith in its true potential. Juliet Gonzalez, a dog owner from San Antonio, had spent weeks worrying after her partially blind dog went missing during a heavy rainfall event in the region. She tried looking for her pet inside every shelter within her reach, but in vain. Then, Gonzalez desperately turned to AI, and good news arrived sooner than she had expected. It’s not just her; thousands of pet owners have been able to reunite with their lost pets with the help of a unique technology powered by AI at its core, per KSAT News.

Yellow lab standing on a trail. (Representative Image Source: Getty Images | Jordan Siemens)

“We were going to the shelters and driving all over the neighborhood looking for her, but we couldn’t find her. It was very scary,” Gonzalez recalled her disheartening experience. Her pet dog had been surviving with physical challenges like visual impairment and hearing loss. The mere thought of her pawed pal alone in the world made Gonzalez’s heart crumble. However, she was not one to give up easily. The dog owner was determined to find her and hoped that someone was caring for her in the meantime. She searched every shelter and lane in the West Side but decided the internet was a smarter resolution and stumbled upon Petco Love Lost.

Broken with grief female dog grieving owner holding the lovely pet collar and deep weeping about animal loss.(Representative Image Source: Getty Images | Solovyova)

A nonprofit animal welfare charity, Petco Love Lost, maintains a database of all lost and found pets using AI and can help owners look for their pets through matched results of photos and other information. Gonzalez did not waste a second to dump adorable photos of her pet dog with her fingers crossed. The AI database tries to match results with reported missing pets shared by thousands of partner shelters across the country and provides precise results. “I entered all her information. I put tons of pictures, and I would just check it daily. It would send me the notices that we found a dog that resembles yours, and it would give me hope,” Gonzalez shared.

Woman searching for her dog on the internet. (Representative Image Source: Getty Images | Justin Lewis)

Fortunately, Gonzalez was able to find her dog, who had been missing for more than a month, in a jiffy after the Petco Love Lost database showcased her dog’s pictures. She said, “I looked on the site, and her picture was the first one that popped up. And I was like, that’s her. That’s her!” She recognized her dog in pictures with her tongue out and could not contain her excitement. “I was, like, ‘that’s her.’ I felt like I won the lottery." Gonzalez is one of the lucky pet owners who have been reunited with 100,000 missing pets using the AI tool on Petco Love Lost.

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Rene Moerno, the chief of the charity, entrusts his faith in the system that has helped identify pets even after the animals had endured extreme situations like fires or floods. The AI tool is completely free to use and offers new hope to pet owners in reuniting with their beloved pets by utilizing detailed photos and accurate information about them.