Dog Missing for 5 Months Reunited with His Family 365 Miles Away Thanks to Love Lost--as National Lost Pet Prevention Month Kicks Off

One Photo Helped Bring Ziggy Home— One Photo Can Make all the Difference for Lost Pets This Summer.

SAN ANTONIO, Texas, June 26, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- When Surely from Long Beach, California, lost her beloved dog Ziggy while visiting family in Watsonville, she feared the worst. After days of searching and months of heartache, hope arrived in the form of a photo-match alert from Love Lost, a free national database powered by AI photo-matching technology that has reunited more than 100,000 lost pets with their families. Five months later and 365 miles apart, Ziggy is now reunited with his pet parents—all thanks to one photo.

Now, as National Lost Pet Prevention Month begins in July, national nonprofit organization Petco Love is sharing Ziggy's story to highlight the urgent need for pet parents to prepare—before pets go missing. More pets go missing in the summer than any other season, as fireworks, road trips, and open doors become more common. Independence Day sees the highest number of lost pet reports each year. Petco Love urges pet parents to "Register Now, Relax All Summer" knowing you've taken a proactive step if the unthinkable happens.

To be prepared, pet parents can simply upload a photo of their dog or cat to create a digital profile on Love Lost. Then if their pet goes missing, they can easily and quickly report the pet as "lost" on Love Lost and its AI technology will compare their pet's photo to photos of all the pets posted in the database and pets posted in nearly every major animal shelter in the United States, and on Nextdoor and Neighbors by Ring.

"No matter how loved, well-trained, or secure they seem, 1 in 3 pets will go missing in their lifetime," said Susanne Kogut, President of Petco Love. "When a pet goes missing, time is critical—and so is simplicity. Instead of searching through countless websites, shelters, and social media posts, Love Lost provides one centralized database. With just one photo, pet parents can instantly access a nationwide network using image recognition technology to help bring their pet home faster. It's the power of community and innovation, all in one place."

While visiting family in Watsonville, California, a door was accidentally left open, and Ziggy bolted. Surely and her family searched for him for days. "I felt devastated and heartbroken, the worst feeling a dog parent could ever feel," said Surely. "Ziggy means the absolute world to me, not having him was the hardest thing I think I've ever dealt with." After Ziggy went missing, Surely uploaded his photo to Love Lost and checked the free platform daily, hoping for a miracle.

Months later, a photo-match notification popped up. "I was so impressed with the photo-matching that Love Lost was sending me because a lot of the dogs that were matched with me really did look like Ziggy and it made me more confident that if he appeared in a shelter, I would find him, and sure enough, I did," said Surely. A dog who looked just like Ziggy had been taken to Petco Love partner Santa Cruz County Animal Shelter. Despite being hundreds of miles away, Surely contacted the shelter, confirmed it was Ziggy, and after five long months—Ziggy is finally home. "When I reunited with Ziggy, it was the most unimaginable feeling that I could have ever felt. It just felt like my home was complete all over again. Love Lost brought Ziggy home."

Petco Love wants every pet parent to enjoy their summer without the stress of a missing pet. With the right preparation, heartbreak can be avoided. Actress Christina Applegate and Actor Mark Consuelos lent their voices to an animated PSA video "Fireworks Fiasco" illustrating how the Love Lost technology works. The PSA video will be seen before summer blockbusters in 1,400 movies theaters in the coming weeks.

Upload a picture of your pet today to Love Lost —so you're one click away from help if they go missing tomorrow. If you a find a lost pet in your community, you can upload their picture to help get them home safely. Love Lost is a powerful, easy-to-use platform that helps reunite lost pets with their families all over the country. It's free, fast, and could make all the difference—just like it did for Ziggy. Register now, Relax All Summer.

Media Contact:
Crystal Bugary, Petco Love, [email protected]

About Petco Love
Petco Love is a life-changing nonprofit organization that makes communities and pet families closer, stronger, and healthier. Since our founding in 1999, we've empowered animal welfare organizations by investing nearly $421 million in adoption and other lifesaving efforts. We've helped find loving homes for more than 7 million pets in partnership with Petco and organizations nationwide. Our love for pets drives us to lead with innovation, creating tools animal lovers need to reunite lost pets, and lead with passion, inspiring and mobilizing communities and our more than 4,000 animal welfare partners to drive lifesaving change alongside us. Is love calling you? Join us. Visit PetcoLove.org or follow us on Facebook, Instagram, X, Threads, and LinkedIn to be part of the lifesaving work we lead every day.

SOURCE Petco Love