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Losing a dog can make your stomach drop and your thoughts race. First, you check the yard. Then you walk the block. After that, you refresh local Facebook groups again and again, hoping for a sign.
Now, Ring wants to turn your entire neighborhood into extra eyes with help from AI. Its Search Party feature uses nearby cameras to spot lost dogs, and it is now available nationwide to anyone who needs help finding a missing pet. For the first time, you do not need to own a Ring camera to use it.
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10 SMART DEVICES THAT MAKE PET PARENTING EASIER
Ring says its Search Party tool has helped reunite more than one lost dog per day across the U.S. (Evelyn Hockstein/For The Washington Post via Getty Images)
What is Ring’s Search Party feature?
Search Party is a community-powered tool that helps reunite lost dogs with their families faster. When someone reports a missing dog in the Ring app, nearby outdoor Ring cameras scan recent footage using AI. The goal stays simple. Find dogs that look like the one reported missing. If a possible match shows up, the camera owner receives an alert with a photo of the lost dog and a video clip. From there, they can ignore the alert or step in to help. As a result, sharing always stays optional, and pressure stays off.
How Search Party actually works
Here is what happens once a lost dog post goes live.
- First, a pet owner posts a lost dog alert in the Ring app
- Next, nearby outdoor Ring cameras scan footage using AI
- Then, camera owners receive alerts if a match appears
- After that, neighbors can share video clips or snapshots
- Finally, messages and calls stay private with no phone numbers shared
Search Party now works without a Ring camera
This update changes everything. Previously, only people with Ring devices could use Search Party. Now, anyone in the U.S. can download the free Ring Neighbors app, register and post a lost dog alert. Because of that shift, dog owners can tap into an existing camera network without buying hardware or paying for a subscription. At the same time, neighbors without cameras can still help by spreading alerts and watching for sightings.
Lost pets already represent one of the most common post types in the Ring Neighbors app, with more than 1 million lost or found pet reports shared last year alone. With an estimated 60 million U.S. households owning at least one dog, the potential reach of Search Party is massive.
How to start a Search Party for your dog
Getting started is pretty straightforward. Download the Ring app for free in the App Store or Google Play if you don’t already have it. Anyone can create a Lost Dog Post in the Ring app.
If the post qualifies, the app walks you through activating Search Party step by step. You share photos and basic details about your dog. Once active, nearby cameras begin scanning automatically.
Search Party alerts are temporary. When you start a Search Party in the Ring app, it runs for a few hours at a time. If your dog has not been found and remains missing, you need to renew the Search Party or start a new one so nearby cameras continue scanning for matches.
When you find your dog, you can update the post to let the neighborhood know the search is over.
AI TECHNOLOGY HELPS REUNITE LOST DOGS WITH THEIR OWNERS
A missing dog alert in the Ring app triggers nearby outdoor cameras to scan footage for possible matches using AI. (Photo by EZEQUIEL BECERRA / AFP via Getty Images)
What happens when a Ring camera spots your lost dog
If your outdoor Ring camera spots a possible match, you stay in control the entire time. You receive an alert with a photo of the missing dog and a clip from your camera. From there, you decide what happens next. You can ignore the alert or help by sharing footage or contacting the owner through the app. Throughout the process, your phone number stays private.
Ring says Search Party has already delivered dramatic results. In one case, Kylee from Wichita, Kansas, was reunited with her mixed-breed dog, Nyx, in just 15 minutes after he slipped through a small hole under a backyard fence. A neighbor’s Ring camera captured video of Nyx and shared it through the app, giving Kylee her first and only lead. “I was blown away,” Kylee said, noting that even dogs with microchips often go unrecognized if they lack a collar. She credits that shared video for bringing Nyx home so quickly, adding that she does not think she would have found him without the Ring app.
Nyx is far from the only success story. Ring says Search Party has helped reunite more than one lost dog per day, including dogs like Xochitl in Houston, Truffle in Bakersfield, Lainey in Surprise, Zola in Ellenwood, Toby in Las Vegas, Blu in Erlanger, Zeus in Chicago and Coco in Stockton, with more reunions happening every day.
How to turn Ring’s Search Party on or off
Search Party remains optional and adjustable. You can enable or disable it at any time inside the Ring app.
- Start by opening the Ring app and heading to the main dashboard.
- Then tap the menu icon.
- Go to Control Center and select Search Party.
- From there, you can turn Search for Lost Pets on or off for each camera.
Ring commits $1M to help shelters reunite lost dogs
Alongside the expansion, Ring is committing $1 million to equip animal shelters with camera systems. The company aims to support up to 4,000 shelters across the U.S. By bringing shelters into the network, Ring hopes dogs picked up by shelters can reconnect with their owners faster. In addition, the company already works with groups like Petco Love and Best Friends Animal Society and says it remains open to new partnerships.
Ring is also encouraging animal shelters and organizations to reach out directly about collaboration opportunities.
Privacy concerns remain around Ring’s Search Party feature
Search Party launched last fall with some pushback. Critics raised concerns about privacy and Ring’s broader ties to law enforcement. Ring says participation stays voluntary and footage sharing remains optional. Still, the feature turns on by default for compatible outdoor cameras, which has drawn attention. Even so, the company appears confident and is promoting Search Party in a Super Bowl commercial.
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PEOPLE LET THEIR PETS DECIDE WHO THEY DATE, NEW SURVEY SUGGESTS
Ring’s new Search Party feature uses artificial intelligence and neighborhood cameras to help locate lost dogs, even for users without Ring devices. (Photo by Jay L. Clendenin/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
Kurt’s key takeaways
Search Party taps into something familiar. Neighbors helping neighbors during a stressful moment. By opening the feature to everyone, Ring removes a major barrier and increases the chances of fast reunions. Whether this tool becomes a staple or sparks deeper privacy debates will depend on how communities use it.
Would you want neighborhood cameras helping to find your lost dog, or does that feel like too much surveillance? Let us know by writing to us at Cyberguy.com.
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