Today is National Lost Dog Awareness Day — a reminder that losing a dog is more common than most people realize.
According to the American Humane Society, ten million pets go missing in the U.S. every year — and many never come home.
Fi was built on the belief that dogs deserve the same quality of health and safety technology as the best human wearables, and Lost Dog Mode is one of the most powerful expressions of that. The moment you activate it, Fi shifts into high-frequency GPS tracking — pinging more often, updating faster, and conserving battery so the search can go on as long as it needs to.
But finding a lost dog isn't just a technology problem. It's a people problem. The more eyes on the ground, the better the odds.
That's why we built Search Party+. When a Fi member marks their dog as lost and turns on "Notify nearby Fi members," every Fi user in the area gets a push notification — their dog's photo, name, and live GPS location, delivered instantly to phones nearby. One toggle, and your neighborhood becomes a search party.
The first 48 hours after a dog goes missing are the most critical. Search Party+ was built for exactly that window.
This year alone, Fi has helped bring home over 67,889 lost dogs. These are some of their stories.
The Foster Dog Found Freezing in the Bronx: Ben, a rescue from Paws Crossed Animal Rescue Inc went missing in New York City in the dead of winter. His owner activated Lost Dog Mode on his Fi collar and began tracking him through the city — block by block, hour by hour. When the signal finally stopped moving, it led rescuers to Ben, huddled in the cold, barely moving. He was hypothermic. But he was found, and he survived.
The Dog Who Escaped After Surgery: Hutch, a rescue from Dog Squad Rescue, had just come home from surgery when he slipped away. Still recovering, still disoriented — and gone. His family used Fi to track his movements in real time, following the signal until they reached him. The collar didn't just help them find Hutch. It may have saved his life.
Two Dogs. 243 Acres. And a Winter Snowstorm: Shy rescue from the Brown Dog Coalition and his brother Bow disappeared into a 243-acre wildlife conservatory in the middle of winter. Dense woods, dropping temperatures, and no trail. Their owner had one advantage: Fi. The GPS signal cut through the trees and the cold, leading the search directly to where Shy and Bow were hunkered down together. Both dogs came home.
10 Feet Down: Butler fell into a well. Ten feet down, with no way out on his own. His family used Fi's location tracking to pinpoint exactly where he was — not just the street, not just the yard, but the precise spot. Rescuers pulled him out safely.
What You Can Do:
- Make sure your dog's Fi collar is charged, and their profile is up to date
- Check that your contact information is current in the Fi app
- Double-check your SafeZones are set up so you’re alerted the minute your dog escapes
- Share this post with a fellow dog owner — the more people who know about Lost Dog Mode, the more dogs come home
And if you've experienced a reunion of your own, we'd love to hear it. Share your story on #SavedByFi.