Pet Search Alliance is a nonprofit organization. We do not charge families a fee for search support. Our work is funded through donations and sponsor partnerships, and families who wish to give back are welcome to contribute, but a donation is never required to receive help. The one exception is drone thermal imaging, which is performed by independent operators whose fees may be separate; see “When can the drone fly?” below for details.

If anyone contacts you claiming to represent us and asks for payment to find your pet, do not pay them, and report it to us immediately.

Our primary service area is Washington County, Ohio, and Wood County, West Virginia. We will travel to adjoining counties upon request on a case-by-case basis. For cases outside that range, we can often still help through remote case support, including search strategy, controlled social media messaging, and sighting coordination. Contact us with your location and we will tell you honestly what level of support we can provide.

Every case begins with a structured intake. A case coordinator reviews your submission, contacts you to confirm details, and builds a recovery plan based on your pet’s behavior, the circumstances of the disappearance, and the terrain. Depending on the case, that plan may include feed stations, cellular trail cameras, humane traps, drone thermal imaging, and controlled public messaging. You will have one point of contact throughout, and all sightings are routed through our hotline so nothing gets lost in scattered messages.

In most cases, no. Much of our work happens through remote monitoring, and a lost pet in survival mode is often more likely to avoid areas with human activity, including activity from people they know. Every drone flight is also screen-recorded, so the footage can be reviewed carefully afterward and nothing depends on who was standing there when it flew. There are specific moments when your presence genuinely helps, such as placing familiar scent items or being nearby during a calm approach, and your coordinator will tell you exactly when and where that is. The most valuable thing you can do is stay reachable and follow the plan.

Drone thermal imaging works by detecting temperature differences, so it is most effective when the air and ground are cool. Its effectiveness is also very seasonal. Winter is thermal’s strong suit, which matters because cold temperatures make a fast recovery more critical, and with the leaves off the trees we are much more likely to spot even the smallest animal. In summer, thermal cannot see through heavy, thick foliage, so we prefer early morning flights. Even then, summer flights are still valuable because we can rule out large fields, tall grass, cornfields, roadside ditches, and similar terrain, which allows the search focus to move to other areas. Flights also depend on weather, since rain and high winds ground the drone, and on airspace rules and property permissions, which our operators follow on every flight.

We work with several thermal drone operators, all of whom are legal and insured. Flights are prioritized by direction and location, as well as operator availability. Please note that drone operator fees may be separate from PSA’s free search support. An average drone flight runs between $250 and $450 depending on response time, time of day or weekend, and distance. Your coordinator will discuss costs with you before any flight is scheduled, so there are never surprises.

We answer this one directly because families deserve honesty. Yes, it can. An animal that has passed still holds a thermal footprint for several days, and the larger the animal, the longer its heat signature lasts. After that, the natural decomposition process itself generates heat that thermal imaging can detect, in some cases for two weeks or more. If a search reaches that point, we handle it with care and communicate with you privately before anything else, so your family can have answers.

Our team leaders do, and they are not watching alone. Several team members receive camera notifications at the same time on their cell phones, laptops, and smartwatches, so coverage has no gaps. We use cellular trail cameras from our trusted partner Vosker, which also allows us to send you an invite so you can receive the same photos we do, in real time. When a camera confirms your pet’s presence in an area, the team adjusts the recovery plan, such as repositioning feed stations or preparing a trap. Camera locations are never shared publicly, which protects both your pet and the property owners who allow us access.

Our humane traps are monitored remotely with cellular cameras, so the team knows quickly when a trap is triggered. Before any trap is set, prearrangements are made for either the owner or someone close by to respond and release a non-target animal, such as a raccoon, opossum, or neighborhood cat. Someone must be able to respond within thirty minutes, or we do not set the trap. We never leave traps unmonitored, and we follow humane trapping standards on every case.

Social media is one of our greatest strengths. Several team members monitor our pages twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, and actively engage with other community pages to find leads and tips, so no lead falls through the gap. Our well-followed, organized social media presence keeps the community engaged and keeps you up to date on your case. We create and manage all public messaging, including flyers and coordinated posts, using controlled information, and we never publish your name, phone number, or exact address.

We prefer a single point of source. Sharing the post directly from the Pet Search Alliance page, rather than copying the flyer, allows us to track its reach, keep every version current, and make sure all sightings flow to our hotline or website where the case team can verify them, instead of sitting unseen in scattered comment threads. This structure also protects families from the scammers who target lost pet posts.

No. Our support is not limited to social media. We host a dedicated landing page for your pet’s case on our website, so anyone with an internet connection can view the case information and report tips anonymously, no Facebook account required. The QR codes on our flyers and road signs link directly to that case page, which means a passing driver or neighbor can report a sighting in seconds. This gives every case a single, reliable public source that reaches people on and off social media.

Families searching for a lost pet are frequent targets for scams, including fake ransom calls and false sighting reports. By routing all contact through the Pet Search Alliance hotline, we shield you from that risk and make sure every report is documented and verified. Publishing an exact address can also draw well-meaning crowds into the area, which can push a frightened animal out of it. Privacy protection is a core part of our recovery model, not an afterthought.

To learn how to recognize the scammers who target lost pet posts, read our client education article: From Hope to Heartbreak: The Dark Side of Posting Lost Pets Online.

A lost dog often enters what behavioral science calls an acute survival response. In this state, the dog is operating on instinct, and even a beloved owner calling their name can register as pressure to flee. Chasing, calling repeatedly, or flooding an area with searchers usually pushes a dog farther away and can drive it toward roads. Our methods, including feed stations, cameras, and calm, controlled approaches, are designed to work with that instinct instead of against it. This is one of the most important things we teach, and it is often the difference between a recovery and a long-distance displacement.

Pet Search Alliance began as a regional team and is building a standardized recovery model designed to scale. Today we serve Washington County, Ohio, and Wood County, West Virginia, along with adjoining counties on a case-by-case basis. Our long-term vision is a network of chapters operating under the same professional standards, training, and equipment requirements, so that a family working with any PSA chapter receives the same structured response.

Yes, and donations are what keep our services free for families. Contributions fund equipment such as cellular trail cameras, humane traps, and drone operations, along with training and case supplies. You can donate through our website.

Yes. We welcome volunteers in both field and support roles, including camera monitoring, feed station maintenance, intake and case administration, community education, and fundraising. You do not need prior search experience, since we train volunteers in our methods and standards. Apply through our website and a coordinator will follow up about current openings.

Chapter expansion is part of our long-term plan. New chapters operate under our standardized model, which includes structured intake, field documentation standards, equipment requirements, and privacy protocols, so that every chapter delivers the same quality of response. If you are interested in bringing PSA to your region, contact us through the website and we will share where we are in the expansion process and what leading a chapter involves.