Lost Pet Recovery

Lost Pet Recovery Veteran Owned & Operated • Boots on the Ground • Community Driven • Lost Pet Recovery Service in Southern Illinois
(1)

Moments before our mission for the Dane went 3 steps backwards again … We have been in the works to try and get a Missy ...
09/06/2026

Moments before our mission for the Dane went 3 steps backwards again …

We have been in the works to try and get a Missy Trap here, but then this happened … again. And with other interference, this is just prolonging her safe recovery every time.

This is the part that is so incredibly frustrating. The other dog is a sweet old dog, but is allowed to roam all hours of the day and night. This mission likely would have been safely ended by now without the added interference and lack of cooperation.

The likelihood of another 24 hours trap avoidance is highly likely. 😞

09/05/2026

Well, our girl showed up very very early this morning. Right at the same time Kasi was arriving to release the young opossum we had just caught.

We are hanging onto hope that it’s just the heat that is keeping her at bay. But we do believe we have found the other area she has found safety and shelter.

Unfortunately roaming pets are still a major interference for her safe recovery and we are navigating through that to come up with a new plan. I really wish families would realize the dangers of letting your pets roam all hours of the night. It’s not safe, and they can say it is all want until they call for help looking for their pet or worse, find them injured or deceased roadside, HBC.

Please, secure your pets!

It’s been over 24 hours since we’ve seen our girl on camera. After the absolute s**t show the other day, I’m concerned t...
09/04/2026

It’s been over 24 hours since we’ve seen our girl on camera. After the absolute s**t show the other day, I’m concerned that she may be afraid to go back to the trap area. I won’t get into too many details but conditioning a skittish dog like her is so important! Slow and steady wins the race, but ….

On another note, I want to express the utmost gratitude and praise to Kasi Mitchell. She has been working her butt off on feeding stations, collaborating with me all hours of the day and night, and putting in 110% effort all while dealing with her own health scares!

We want this girl safe! So, remember, a live trap is a tool. It’s SAFE! And there is 24/7 live surveillance on it alerting me every time the wind blows or a shadow casts! I know every movement there. But if you’re a pet owner and your pets roam, just know sometimes these stations are set up for lost dogs. And unfortunately can and will attract your roaming pets! BUT we are right there within minutes to release them! BUT it interferes significantly with our progress. So PLEASE secure your pets! Roadways are much more dangerous than our live traps!

🌟 UPDATE: HOME SAFE 🌟 ‼️ LOST DOG: CARTERVILLE, IL ‼️ MEDICAL - URGENTBo is missing from the intersection of N. Division...
09/04/2026

🌟 UPDATE: HOME SAFE 🌟

‼️ LOST DOG: CARTERVILLE, IL ‼️
MEDICAL - URGENT

Bo is missing from the intersection of N. Division and James St at around 11:30 am, 9/4. He was last seen headed north toward Sycamore around 11:45 am.

Please check your cameras, your garages, near your ponds etc! He has seizures and becomes disoriented! It is IMPERATIVE we get him back home as soon as possible!

Remember, dogs tend to travel the path of least resistance, so be driver aware!! He could be traveling the roads! He is wearing a camo collar.

Call 618-525-8304 or 618-697-9202 if you see him!! Do not chase after him! Call with location and direction of travel!

No New Cases Until Further Notice! PLEASE KEEP YOUR PETS SECURE!!! So many calls and lost pets and I’m unable to help ev...
09/04/2026

No New Cases Until Further Notice! PLEASE KEEP YOUR PETS SECURE!!! So many calls and lost pets and I’m unable to help everyone requesting help. 😭

I cannot stress visible SIGNAGE enough! I know it’s a lot of work, but they will save you HOURS of energy in the long run! Take the time and make the signs!

Use these tips to get started!

09/03/2026

Ready to throw in the towel!!! 🏳️

The hardest part about this “job” is not tracking the animal … It’s dealing with the unreasonable public.

09/02/2026

🐾 WHO REMEMBERS MARLEY!? 🐾

This isn’t a post I typically make on this platform, but sometimes helping an animal means stepping outside of what we normally do. Unfortunately, Marley is now in desperate need of a safe, stable and FOREVER home.

Marley is a Great Pyrenees mix and he will be 2 years old in December. He has been an inside dog, is up to date on his vaccines but is currently not neutered. He does get along with other dogs, although he does tend to want to be the dominant one, so the right introduction and fit with another dog will be important.

More than anything, Marley has been through a lot in his short life. He has witnessed and lived around circumstances no dog should have to try and understand, and through no fault of his own, his original owner is no longer able to safely keep him. What Marley needs now is stability. A home where he can decompress. A home where he can learn what consistency feels like. He doesn’t need another temporary stop in his story. He needs someone willing to give him the chance to finally settle in and know that he’s HOME.

If you remember Marley, you know he’s a special boy! Please help us share him. Somewhere out there may be exactly the person or family he needs. And if you think you could be the one to give Marley the safety, stability and life he deserves, please message me privately.

Let’s find this boy his forever. ❤️🐾

09/02/2026

This is why I recommend a big bucket of water at the feeding station next to the food.

We don’t want to give a lost pet any reason to leave to search for one of it’s needed and sought after resources. Food and water are essential.

There is a BIG difference between acting quickly and reacting frantically when your pet goes missing. And after looking ...
09/02/2026

There is a BIG difference between acting quickly and reacting frantically when your pet goes missing. And after looking back at an entire year of cases, I think this may be one of the most important things I can share.

When a pet disappears, panic is almost automatic. You want to get in the car. You want everyone searching. You want to yell their name, walk the woods, drive every road and follow every possible lead. I understand. But quick action doesn’t mean chaos. It means getting a plan in place while the information is still fresh. The sooner someone with lost pet knowledge becomes involved in a case, the more you potentially have to work with. We know the circumstances surrounding it. Sightings are current. People remember details. We can begin documenting direction of travel and looking for patterns instead of trying to recreate them days later. When I’m contacted several days and sometimes weeks after a pet has gone missing, the entire situation can be very very different. Because now we’re trying to reconstruct movements from old sightings. Someone remembers seeing a dog somewhere around Tuesday. Someone else thinks it was on a certain road but isn’t completely sure. Social media has generated possible sightings in five different directions. People may have already been driving around calling for the animal or trying to catch it. Meanwhile, that animal has continued moving. And sometimes, by the time we get involved, there simply isn’t enough reliable information left to tell us where that animal went or where to even start. That’s why early knowledgeable help matters.

But there’s another side of this that’s equally important to remember. Quick action does NOT guarantee recovery. A thermal drone doesn’t guarantee recovery. A trap doesn’t guarantee recovery. A camera or feeding station doesn’t guarantee recovery. They’re all tools and lost pet recovery has far too many variables for anyone to promise an outcome. Temperament matters. Terrain matters. Weather matters. Traffic matters. Injuries matter. Wildlife matters. Food and water sources matter. Whether an animal is being chased matters. Whether sightings are reported quickly matters. Access to private property matters. And sometimes circumstances completely outside anyone’s control change everything.

That’s why I will never promise someone, “I will bring your pet home.” I can’t make that promise. What I CAN promise is that 100% of my effort will go toward trying. Ask anyone I’ve helped bring their pet home or nearly died trying …

And after looking at the first official year, I think these numbers reinforce just how important having a recovery plan can be.

52 documented cases. 43 pets safely HOME.
83% safely recovered. More than 4 cases every month. That’s approximately one new case every week. And 100% effort given behind every single one. So if there’s one thing I want pet owners to take away from this first year, it’s this … Don’t wait until you’ve exhausted every other option to ask for help. You don’t need to panic. You don’t need 30 people in the woods. You don’t need to chase. You don’t need to have all the answers. You just need to start making the right moves as early as possible.

Sometimes the best thing we can do for a lost animal is move quickly enough to get ahead of the situation and then have enough patience to allow the recovery plan to work. Patience matters tremendously. But so does TIME. ❤️🐾

🎉 🐾 LOST PET RECOVERY IS OFFICIALLY ONE! 🐾 🎉 📝 52 documented cases.🏡 43 pets safely HOME. 💻 8 cases still open.🌈 1 heart...
09/01/2026

🎉 🐾 LOST PET RECOVERY IS OFFICIALLY ONE! 🐾 🎉

📝 52 documented cases.
🏡 43 pets safely HOME.
💻 8 cases still open.
🌈 1 heartbreaking confirmed loss.

❤️1 incredible year.

Today marks ONE YEAR since Lost Pet Recovery officially had a name and became a service dedicated to helping families in our local and surrounding communities bring their missing pets home. The work started long before September 1, 2025, but over this first official year as Lost Pet Recovery, we have documented 52 missing pet cases that I have been directly involved in.

And just to put those 52 cases into perspective … 43 of the 52 pets have been safely recovered and returned home. 8 of the 52 cases remain open. Of those eight, 6 are considered cold because there have been no new leads or confirmed sightings in more than 30 days. They aren’t forgotten, though. Their cases remain open should new information come in. The remaining 2 open cases are ACTIVE recoveries, with recent sightings and active recovery plans currently in place. Sadly, 1 of the 52 cases resulted in a confirmed fatality.

52 cases and honestly, even that number doesn’t tell the whole story. I didn’t keep track of all the random dogs and cats I happened to find and help get home while traveling to or from searches for somebody else’s missing pet. Those little unexpected reunions happened along the way too.

Behind those recoveries are countless miles, flyers, cameras, feeding stations, traps, drone flights, late nights, early mornings, sleepless nights and hours upon hours of patience. I put my heart and soul into this mission because of the passion I carry for animals. But no matter how much passion I have, I could not sustain Lost Pet Recovery without the support of this community.

Whether you’re a monthly subscriber, someone who makes an occasional or one time contribution, someone who shares our posts and missing pet flyers, or simply someone who tells another pet owner that we’re here … you are helping make this possible. This isn’t just something I’ve built. It’s something this community has helped sustain. And because of that support, so many animals have gotten another chance to make it HOME.

I’m incredibly grateful to have the ability to offer this service to our local and surrounding communities, and incredibly grateful for everyone who has believed in the mission along the way.

Again …

52 documented cases.
43 safely home.
8 still waiting for their ending.
1 we couldn’t bring home without sadness.

And countless reasons to keep going. ❤️

Happy 1st Birthday, Lost Pet Recovery! 🎂 🐾

Thank you for helping me BRING THEM HOME. ❤️🏡

Address

Carterville, IL
62918

Opening Hours

Monday 6pm - 10pm
Tuesday 6pm - 10pm
Wednesday 6pm - 10pm
Thursday 6pm - 10pm
Friday 6pm - 10pm
Saturday 12pm - 6pm
Sunday 12pm - 6pm

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Lost Pet Recovery posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Shortcuts

Share

Category