Lost & Found Paws of the U.P. began in 2011 when founder Vicki Bastian recognized a need for a centralized way to reunite missing animals with their owners across Michigan's Upper Peninsula. Now a dedicated team of twelve volunteers (including Emily Bianchi Roberts), the group acts as a vital digital bridge between residents, law enforcement, and animal shelters. By monitoring local social media pages and law enforcement reports several times a day, the team ensures that sightings and lost pet reports are broadcast as quickly as possible to a wide network of followers.
Success in these reunions often hinges on the quality of information provided by the public. While a clear, recent photograph is the most effective tool for identification, other details such as breed, weight, and personality traits are essential. Roberts emphasizes that understanding animal behavior during a crisis is just as important as the physical description, because lost pets are often in a state of fight-or-flight. The organization advises the public to avoid chasing or even calling out a pet's name, as the extra stress can cause the animal to flee further away.
The page's daily operations are managed through flexible virtual shifts, allowing volunteers to monitor the community from almost anywhere. This digital-first approach has allowed the organization to grow its reach beyond the U.P., even attracting volunteers from other states who were moved by the group's assistance while they were vacationing in the area. Looking ahead, the organization is exploring the transition to a formal non-profit status and the launch of a dedicated website to ensure its resources are available to those who do not use social media.
Kurt Hauswirth spoke with Bianchi Roberts about the page's mission:
For Roberts, the work is deeply personal, rooted in the comfort she felt from the group when her own elderly cat went missing during a winter storm. That experience of community support inspired her to join the effort, and she now encourages the public to contribute by following the page and sharing posts from their specific neighborhoods. By maintaining updated photos and identification tags for their own pets, owners can ensure they are prepared to act quickly if a pet ever wanders off.
For more information or to volunteer, visit the Lost & Found Paws of the U.P. link here.
