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By Liz O'Connell
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Losing a pet is one of the worst heartbreaks someone can go through, and no matter how much you search, it is easy to give up hope as the days go by. But a family's story that brought a community together has given pet owners hope.
Finn, a nearly 2-year-old Eurasier, was in Michigan with his family for a funeral about 300 miles from home. Thinking it would be only a day trip from the Chicago area, the family decided to bring Finn along.
The mother, Beril Altiner, made arrangements for Finn to stay in a safe space. She would come back and forth to check in on him during the funeral activities. But as the family was about to leave, someone accidentally opened the door and Finn ran out.
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"The combination of a strange place and person just scared him," Altiner told Newsweek.
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The family thought they had taken the proper precautions before the trip. Finn is microchipped, he had an AirTag on, and the collar had their information. But given that they were in the countryside, no one was in a range close enough to Finn for the AirTag to work. Plus, the Eurasier breed tends to be reserved with strangers.
Altiner immediately called her daughter Bella Alt, who was away at college. Bella has the closest relationship to Finn. They flew her out the next day because they thought if Finn saw Bella, he would recognize her.
The search mission brought together the entire community. People the family barely knew were driving around, playing songs to attract Finn. Others even lent the family drones to try to spot the dog among the cornfields and farms. Animal control staffers allowed them to use a live trap.
Finn was spotted here and there throughout the long, grueling five days, but because he was in fight or flight mode, he immediately ran away. The task consisted of trying to figure out how to outsmart a dog on the run.
"It became a chase," said Altiner. "He was changing tactics—roaming around at night and hiding out during the day."
Even the traps would not go off, as Finn figured out a way to eat the food without stepping on the lever. That is until 2 a.m. on October 31, when a trap they borrowed from a woman who lived 90 minutes away finally worked.
When Bella went up to Finn, he recognized her immediately.
"His tail started wagging, he was smashing his head on the cage because he was so excited," Bella said. "He was upset I didn't open it right away."
They waited to let him out until they had him in a secure location. Since then, he has not left their side. He also has been more affectionate. Plus, he has been catching up on some much-needed sleep.
Finn lost 7 pounds during the five days. He was also covered in burs. It took Bella about three hours to finally get them all off.
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The story of this search mission was shared to the TikTok account @realbalt and has been viewed over 2 million times.
"Until this happens to you, you don't realize how unprepared you are," Altiner said. "You think you are taking all the precautions and doing your absolute best."
The family immediately invested in a GPS collar when they returned home with Finn.
Lost Pets by the Numbers
Even a pet that never leaves its owner's side might run off at the most unexpected time. This unfortunately happens to a third of all pet owners, according to Peeva, a technology company focused on ending the missing pet epidemic.
The company conducted a survey that found that nearly 80 percent of missing pets are not found. However, a microchipped animal is more likely to be reunited with its owner. The sooner an owner acts in finding a lost pet, the higher the chances are of recovering it.
Contacting local shelters, putting up posters and posting to social media, all of which this family did, will also help increase the odds of finding a lost pet.
Do you have funny and adorable videos or pictures of your pet you want to share? Send them to life@newsweek.com with some details about your best friend and they could appear in our Pet of the Week lineup.
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