When Crimson found a way through her electric fence and was gone for days, Andi Sims was beside herself.
"It's such a hopeless and helpless feeling. You want to do something, but you don't know what to do," she said.
Andi put up flyers around the neighborhood and stopped at the area vets to see if Crimson had turned up. Then she took her search to social media.
"Posted it on Facebook, I posted it on Craig's List, I put that we had lost our dog on Twitter," she said.
A friend who saw her post about the missing dog connected the dots to another post about a found dog.
"In 2010 we tracked 255 pet thefts, compare that to last year 2011 we tracked 432 pet thefts, so there was an increase of nearly 70 percent,” said Lisa Peterson, American Kennel Club.
Those are just the cases they tracked through media and online reports. Petfinder.com says there were actually more than 2 million pets that disappeared last year, with fewer than 10 percent making their way home.
Pet expert Charlotte Reed claims companies are hoping to change that statistic by bringing high tech options to animal owners, like the Tagg GPS system .
The device is attached to your pet's collar and it will let you track your pet in real time. said Reed.
You will get a text or email when your pet leaves the zone you set up and you can see exactly where they are, as long as the collar is still on.
There is also a collar that uses QR codes to tell others about your animal. You just register your pet online, then order and ID tag which can be read with a regular QR code app.
"So, if someone has the phone app, they can scan the tag and find out all about your pet. Also, there's Amber Alerts for pets where you can actually upload your data, pay a fee and they'll do all the legwork for you," said Reed.
With animal theft on the rise around the country, the American Kennel Club still prefers micro-chipping, which is embedded under the animal's skin.
Websites like missingpet.net are dedicated to missing pets and also help.
No matter what, don't give up hope.
"In the last year or so we've seen pets who have returned home after 8 year, 12 years" said Reed.
There are several options to get the QR code collar, you can go to GetPetsHome.com or DogIDs.com
In the Seattle area, Missing Pet Partnership offers information on how to find lost pets, and pet detective Kat Albrecht can help you search for your pet.
