Lost Dog Found Thanks to Facebook, High-Tech Search

Bryan Mason was determined to find Sparky the dog after he ran off one day in San Francisco—and flyers alone weren't going to do the trick. Instead, Mason set up a Google Map, pinning spots where Sparky, originally his fiancee's dog, had been sighted. He also created a Facebook page, Find Sparky Now, which offered a $1,000 reward and got 32,000 views with help from an $80 sponsored post. Then, using a service called TaskRabbit, Mason gathered workers to distribute 2,500 flyers and 5,000 handbills. He paid them $20 an hour.

Perhaps most interestingly, he also collected 6½ gallons of urine, on the instructions of a professional pet tracker. The expert said to get the urine "from someone Sparky knows well, dilute it, and create a trail to a safe place." Fortunately, he never had to use it: A phone call 10 days after Sparky disappeared led to a backyard where a search party found the pooch. In all, Mason spent $1,000 on the search. Sounds like it was worth it to the family man: "As I plan to marry Holly, I want her to know what kind of commitment I have to her," he tells the San Francisco Chronicle. "As I try to help (son) Hank grow into a man, I want to lead by example." (More uplifting news stories.)