⚠️
DO NOT CHASE
If you see River, do not approach, call out to her, or follow her. Note your exact location, the time, and her direction of travel, then report it immediately using the number below or at petsearchalliance.org.
Case Details
Date Missing
August 18, 2026
Time Missing
Approximately 5:00 PM
Last Known Location
200 block of 5th Street, Beverly, OH 45715
Area Type
Small village, rural surroundings, river corridor
Breed
German Shepherd mix (owner-described)
Color
Tan with black markings on face
Gender / Age
Female, 6 Years Old
Current Condition
Reported with a limp; injury status unknown
Identifying Marks
Tan coat with distinct black markings across the face. Shepherd-type build. No collar and no tags of any kind. Recent sightings describe her moving with a noticeable limp.
Behavior & Temperament
River is not from Beverly. Her owner had to travel and left her with family in the village for a few days. On August 18, while being walked, River slipped out of her harness and was gone within seconds. That single detail has shaped this entire case.
Because River is not from this area, she has no home to return to, no familiar yard, and no voice she recognizes. Every person who has tried to help her has been a stranger. She has anxiety and is very skittish around strangers, so each attempt to approach her has pushed her farther away rather than closer to safety.
Please do not call her name, whistle, or move toward her. A frightened dog in survival mode reads even the kindest approach as pursuit. If River comes to you on her own, stay still, avoid sudden movement, and call the sighting line right away. Otherwise, the single most helpful thing anyone can do is stop where they are, note exactly where and when they saw her and which way she was headed, and report it immediately.
Search Efforts
Pet Search Alliance Mid-Ohio Valley has run a full recovery operation on this case. Three thermal drone flights have been flown at no cost to the family. Two humane traps remain in the field: a satellite-enabled Missy trap under live team monitoring around the clock, and a large box trap with cellular camera coverage. Feed stations, yard signs, and coordinated public messaging have all been deployed.
For six days River stayed inside the village. She was seen near the dam and lock, behind the high school, on 3rd Street, in the trailer park, and walking up Main Street while drivers swerved to avoid her. Our second drone flight captured her on video on Main Street. Beverly is a busy place, and the daily activity of a working village steadily pushed her from one edge of town to the next.
Both traps have been cold for days. River has never approached either one. Sightings have stopped. She may be lying up injured somewhere close and hidden, or she may have crossed the bridge and moved out toward Waterford and the surrounding countryside. At this point the case needs one thing above all others: a single credible sighting to put us back on her trail.
Our traps and cameras stay in the field. Our team stays on watch. We are not closing this case.
Photos of River
River — tan German Shepherd mix with black markings on her face. Missing from Beverly, OH since August 18, 2026. Tap any photo to view it full size.
Case Updates
5
August 26, 2026 · Morning
River did not come to either trap overnight. Both the satellite-monitored Missy trap and the cellular-camera box trap remain cold. No new sightings have come in since August 24. Leads have gone cold and the search is now dependent on public reports. Residents of Beverly, Waterford, and all surrounding communities are asked to check outbuildings, sheds, barns, crawl spaces, brush lines, treelines, and roadside ditches, and to review doorbell, security, and game camera footage. All equipment stays in the field and the case remains active.
4
August 25, 2026 · Evening
Third thermal drone flight completed, donated by Pet Search Alliance at no cost to the family. The flight covered the ground the team believed River was most likely holding. She was not located. River has now been reported moving with a limp, and it is not known whether she is injured, footsore after a week on the move, or was struck by a vehicle. Search area expanded to include Waterford and the corridor across the bridge.
3
August 24, 2026 · Morning
A new sighting was reported from Sunday afternoon, approximately 1:00 to 2:00 PM, placing River in the trailer park crossing the road toward the river and the walking path. This became the working last known location. The river walking path, running from the bridge past the elementary school toward the water works, was identified as the priority corridor. Overnight trap activity produced non-target animals only.
2
August 23, 2026 · Multiple Sightings
Three separate sightings placed River inside the village on the same day: near the lock early in the morning, on 3rd Street at approximately 10:00 AM, and in the trailer park in the early afternoon. A satellite-enabled Missy trap was deployed with live monitoring and a box trap was repositioned with cellular camera coverage. The Beverly Police Department assisted by keeping watch on equipment and on the lookout for River, and the lock tender at Muskingum River Parkway State Park Lock 4 provided one of the sightings. Additional yard signs went out.
1
August 18, 2026 · Case Opened
Case opened. River slipped out of her harness while being walked near the 200 block of 5th Street in Beverly, Ohio at approximately 5:00 PM. She was staying with family while her owner was traveling and is not familiar with the area. Facebook post published, flyers in production, and PSA Mid-Ohio Valley began active monitoring of all sightings.
Anonymous Tip Line
