Incredible dogs help reunite families with their lost pets

Over a 12-year career, Plato, a Shiba Inu mix, found 66 lost dogs throughout the treacherous Santa Cruz Mountains. Even after a heart problem slowed him down, he remained on the job, sniffing out lost pups and training the next generation of four-legged heroes!

- Bill Holton

After being rescued from an abusive home, Plato searched more than 1,000 miles of terrain to successfully locate 66 lost dogs

Find the puppies!” Michael Fradin instructed his pup, Plato, and with his tail wagging, the Shiba Inu mix lit off into the rugged Santa Cruz mountain-side. Michael and his friend Jessie followed behind, scanning the thick forest for any sign of the missing dogs, Lily and Lola.

Michael had adopted Plato from an abusive home. He was skittish and overfed, but with lots of love and attention, Plato soon began to thrive.

Plato followed Michael everywhere, and his favorite game was hide-and-seek. No matter how far Michael or his girlfriend wandered up the maze of mountain trails, Plato always made a beeline straight to them, tail wagging and nose to the ground.

When Michael heard Jessie’s dogs were missing, he headed to meet him with Plato in tow. “They’re play buddies—Plato knows their scent,” Michael said, and an hour later, they were still searching.

Suddenly, Plato veered off the trail into the woods. He topped a steep rise, then stopped. Michael and Jessie followed, and spotted Lily and Lola standing in a creek at the bottom of a 20-foot mudslide too slick for the dogs to climb out of.

“You’re really good at this,” Michael scratched Plato behind the ears, and wondered, Could he do this for dogs he doesn’t already know?

Special reunions

Michael reached out to his friend Heidi, who walked her own dogs to various landmarks deep in the trails. “Find the puppy!” Michael gave Plato a whiff of one of her dogs’ beds or old collars, and he was soon running to keep up as the excited pup sniffed them out.