Me, My Dog and…Social Media

Are You Part of the Conversation?

Man’s best friend?

Absolutely, for me, my best friend’s name is Keno. She has been by my side through my divorce, raising three children on my own, my remarriage, the integration of my blended family and has rightfully earned a place in my heart and in our family.

Lost Dog

So when she ventured off into the unknown the other night, and could not be found, a slight panic ran through our household. The morning came and a search plan was developed. Each member of our family had their own idea of how to find our beloved dog.

Ideas included driving/biking around the neighborhood, knocking on doors, jingling treats, making fliers, employing my familiar whistle, and enlisting friends to aid in the search. As we each set out on our quest to find our dog, we soon realized, through different channels, that Keno was safe and sound.

It turns out; she was found a short distance from our house by a neighbor who lives in the adjacent neighborhood. After trying a few houses he brought Keno to his home, and having a wounded dog at home himself, he called a friend in yet another neighborhood to see if Keno could be kept overnight.

Social Media to the Rescue!

Then a posting went out to their neighborhood listserv; a listserv that I had not known existed.  So, by the time our family set out to find our missing dog it only took one exchange to find out that Keno was safe. Each member of our family was told the same thing…they had read a posting on their listserv that a black dog had been found last night.  The whole neighborhood was already on alert!

(FYI – a listserv is an electronic bulletin board where every member shares information via email.)

Now, had I known of the conversation and taken part, I could have expedited our search exponentially.

Thank You Yahoo Groups!

The power of social media has tremendous value. Had it not been for this neighborhood listserv (via Yahoo Groups), I might still be knocking on doors. They say it takes a village to raise a child, and I’d like to add it takes a village to keep our animals safe.

To the WBCA community  and the members of the BR/WOS and especially AL and KO… my family and I thank you for taking the time to care for, and safely return, a very important member of our family.

Randall V. Wong, M.D.
Ophthalmologist, Retina Specialist
Fairfax, Virginia

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