When Carole Lowry of Gap recently captured a little dog named Fancy, who had run off from her Elverson home during the January blizzard, it was not the first time she helped reunite a dog with its owner. In fact, Lowry volunteers her tracking services for lost pets she learns about through a network of friends or on social media.

"If I see a (notice about a lost) dog on Facebook and it doesn't seem like anybody is giving (the owners) any help, I will reach out and help them," she stated.

She recalls the story of a German shepherd that ran away in Phoenixville and made its way to Morgantown. In this case, she was able to help the dog's owners over the phone. "The dog started out in Phoenixville off Route 29, and people were calling it and chasing it. It was (later) spotted in Morgantown running on I-76," said Lowry. "We got a report that she was on the turnpike headed west. I kept warning (the owners) to remember if you see her, do not call out to her. Sit and be calm with good-smelling food."

The owners were able to corral the dog in one area and eventually caught her. "The owner said, 'I never thought my dog would run from me,' but you have to let them process. She was in flight mode," said Lowry.

Lowry helped locate another dog in Sadsburyville. "(The dog's owner) paid a drone person to come out and could not find the dog. I set up a trail cam and food station, and the dog came out a few hours later," she said. "The owner got there with her other dogs. I told her to walk and talk like she normally would, and (eventually) he heard her voice and ran and jumped on her."

In addition to locating lost dogs and reuniting them with their owners, Lowry captures dogs that have been abandoned and seeks to find them loving homes.

In fact, Lowry's own dog Ermina, a German shepherd, was a dog that she rescued. "My first dog I ever trapped was in September of 2024, so I haven't been doing it that long," she noted. "I trapped a dog - a shepherd - that started out on Welsh Mountain outside Narvon. Someone got her and put her in their garage. I saw the Facebook picture, and there was something about her eyes."

Unfortunately, the dog escaped from the garage, and she disappeared for a month. Lowry continued to follow Facebook posts and saw that the dog had been spotted in West Caln Township. "My brother was a West Caln police officer, and he knew I was following the dog, and it was right outside Parkesburg. I borrowed a trap from the SPCA, and I kept it very quiet. I got her within an hour and a half. She lives happily with me now," said Lowry.

She noted the lady who originally found the dog and kept it in her garage has been by to visit Ermina on several occasions.

Lowry said finding Ermina has been an inspiration to help other dogs. "She was obviously dumped and no one was helping her and it broke my heart," she shared. "(For) almost three months she just lived wandering around."

Lowry also helped find an abandoned dog from Lionville that would eventually show up in Valley Township, Coatesville. "It was a pit bull mix. I spent about 10 days figuring out the dog's patterns. I set a trap and got her," she said. "I kept her here in my garage, and my cousin came and adopted her on Christmas day."

She said that she is particularly interested in finding dogs when others may have given up. "There are certain ones that catch my eye. There is a little dog in Landenberg that I am working on (finding) right now," she said, noting that chasing a lost dog is not the way to catch it. "It's got to be on their terms. I also always pray to God to keep dog safe as well as myself when working on a case."

When a dog is finally captured, Lowry said that as a lover of animals, it fills her heart. "When I hear the trap go off and get that leash on them, I get very emotional," she added. "It is a very good feeling knowing that I was able to help."