AI For Good: Petco Love Lost Reunites 250,000 Pets - Like Senior Dog Missing for Two Months

Free Nationwide Lost and Found Pet Database Marks Reunion Milestone

SAN ANTONIO, Texas, April 14, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- After months of heartbreak, Sweetie, a 13-year-old dog, is back home with her family who never stopped searching. Found 33 miles away, she is one of 250,000 lost pets reunited thanks to Petco Love Lost.

National nonprofit Petco Love is celebrating this milestone with its free national lost-and-found pet database—the largest in the U.S. and the only platform using AI-powered photo-matching to reunite pets at this scale. One in three pets become lost in their lifetime, nearly 10 million missing each year, making reunions critical.

Sweetie slipped out of her Los Angeles–area home during maintenance work. Her pet parent, Ivelis, searched nonstop and uploaded her photo to Petco Love Lost. "I checked the site five times a day," she said. After two agonizing months, a photo match appeared from Petco Love Lost—uploaded by East Valley Animal Shelter, 33 miles away. "That's my dog," Ivelis said, shaking. "It's a miracle. I found my joy again."

Upload one photo to Petco Love Lost and its AI technology searches its nationwide database of shelter and community reports for matches. Using hundreds of visual markers—like fur color, size, and ear spacing—the platform reunites pets the same day they go missing or even months later.

"Each of our 250,000 reunions represent hope, love, and the bond between people and their pets," said Chelsea Staley, Petco Love President. "Reuniting pets isn't just in our mission, it's in our heart. Every reunion keeps a pet out of shelters and families together. This milestone highlights the growing role of technology in solving one of the most common and heartbreaking challenges pet families face."

A Petco Love Lost photo match reunited Lucy, a kitten in Ohio, with her family before the holidays. After she went missing, Ame uploaded her photo and received a match. 24 hours later, Lucy was home in time for Ame's seven-year-old daughter, Evi, to give her a Christmas gift, a toy mouse. "I'm so happy Lucy's home," said Evi.

Petco Love encourages pet parents to upload a photo while their pet is safe at home—so they're one click away from help if the unexpected happens. One upload can make all the difference – like it did for Sweetie and Lucy.

About Petco Love
Petco Love is a life-changing nonprofit organization that makes communities and pet families closer, stronger, and healthier. Since 1999, we've empowered more than 4,000 animal welfare partners to drive lifesaving change alongside us – investing nearly $433 million in adoption and other lifesaving efforts. We've helped find loving homes for more than 7.1 million pets in partnership with Petco and organizations nationwide. Our love for pets drives us to lead with innovation, creating Petco Love Lost to reunite lost pets. Visit Petco Love and follow us on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and TikTok. 

Contact: Crystal Bugary, [email protected]

SOURCE Petco Love