Echo Day, Covington Leader
Friday, April 30, 2010 at 9:33am
COVINGTON – There's no doubt that consumption of social media and networking is growing by leaps and bounds – and the story of a lost dog gives a great example of why online interaction is growing.
On April 8, Megan Price sent her children off to school and went to her front porch to bring her Poodle-Bischon Frise mix, Jaxon, inside.
But Jaxon wasn't there.
"His lead was laid on our porch," she said. "He doesn't have thumbs and he couldn't have undone it himself, that's how I know he was taken."
Price, who lives near the intersection of Rosedale and Crestview streets, began searching for Jaxon around her neighborhood, but came up empty-handed.
"He just never came home," she said.
Calls to the animal shelters in Brighton and Covington turned up no results. Desperate to find her family's beloved pet, Price also posted an advertisement on the Internet classifieds site Craiglist, but she didn't receive a single phone call.
"My son was recently diagnosed with a brain condition and this really, really upset him," Price explained.
More than 10 days after his disappearance, Jaxon would return home, thanks to the power of social networking site Facebook.
With more than 400 million active users, Facebook is a social utility helping people communicate more efficiently with their friends, family and coworkers.
Through the creation of a Facebook fan page almost 14 months ago, The Leader joined the ranks of those businesses and individuals on the social networking bandwagon.
This medium adds another dimension to the paper's coverage and allows for increased interaction with readers.
In two months, the fanbase has grown exponentially, from 300 fans to more than 1,925.
And one of those fans facilitated the reunion between Jaxon and the Price family.
On April 18, Crestview Elementary School teacher Michelle Naifeh posted a message on The Leader's fan page, letting other users know she'd found a dog in Covington's Historic District.
"Jaxon was found in my husband's parent's fenced backyard on South Maple," said Naifeh. "(He) was such a friendly and well behaved dog, great with kids, cats, and other dogs, so I knew he had to belong to someone. I figured The Leader fan page on Facebook would be the quickest way to get the information out around town."
Price was catching up with Facebook updates when she saw Naifeh's post.
"I looked and there sat her post," Price said. "My heart stopped and I said, 'Please let it be him!'"
Price said she sent Naifeh a message through the site's messaging feature, giving Naifeh a full description of the dog.
At last, Jaxon had been found.
"She called to tell me, 'I think I have your baby,'" Price said.
"I was very excited when I read Megan's message and couldn't dial the phone fast enough," Naifeh said.
The following day, the Price family went to Naifeh's home to pick Jaxon up. Price said she didn't tell her children where they were headed.
"We didn't even tell him we were going to pick the dog up. (Naifeh) walked and they saw him, then they immediately started screaming, 'Jaxon!'"
Naifeh said taking the dog to a shelter wasn't an option for her family and hopes someone else would do the same if one of her fuzzy family members was lost.
"We would have fostered Jaxon until a home was found if no one claimed him," said Naifeh. "I smile every time I think about returning Jaxon to his family. My kids were just as happy as I was, they even cried happy tears."
Separated from Jaxon for 11 days, the Price family was glad to have him back.
"My little boy thanks her every single day," said Price.
Though Covington and the other cities and communities in Tipton County are close-knit, the power of social networking is that it can make a small town even smaller.
"This would have never happened in Memphis, we would have never seen Jaxon again," said Price. "I'm very thankful for the Facebook page."
Source: http://www.facebook.com/notes/the-leader/fan-page-helps-to-reunite-lost-dog-with-owners/279472079989
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