T’was the night before Christmas and in a Facebook group called “;” a photo was posted of a dog, whom the message said was tied-up outside a shelter in Stockton, CA. The post added that animal had belonged to a homeless man who died the previous day.

If there was ever a dog that needed a home for Christmas, it was this one.

But could the dog be saved? Was the dog friendly? The photo didn’t clearly show the black-and-white dog. Was it a small dog or a large one? Could it be safely handled?

A most touching Christmas story

Type-talking in near real-time, a group of about a dozen people, most of whom had never met and hadn’t even known each other previously, hatched a plan. Each new message appeared as a new comment below the initial post and fuzzy picture. It was a clunky way to communicate, but it worked.

Initially, it wasn’t clear what “shelter” was involved. The animal shelter or someplace else? A group member volunteered that she and her husband would drive to the shelter and tell the rest what they found. (Love those smartphones!)

They went, naturally enough, to the animal shelter and finding nothing turned toward home. That’s when we learned it was the homeless shelter, not the dog pound, where the animal was located.

Upon calling to the shelter to verify the dog was still there, we learned the dog was “nippy” and would be released to roam when the shelter had a shift change at midnight. It was after 9:30 and time was not on our side. The couple headed to the homeless shelter, located in the sort of dicey neighborhood you might expect.

Once found, the 15-pound, 8-month-old terrier mix turned out to be friendly with some people and not friendly with others. Fortunately, the would-be rescuer was one of the “some” and not the “other.” However, unable to keep the dog themselves and new to the ways of rescue, the couple were about to leave the dog behind.

That’s when the online group really sprang into action and, over the course of an hour, found a safe place where to dog could be taken following a quick pass by the always essential emergency vet. The animal shelter is not available at night.

That safe place turned out to be the home of a member of the group, who happened to be away from the computer celebrating Christmas Eve, if you can imagine that.

She was rousted by a call from the vet’s office and immediately agreed to house the dog while a permanent home is sought.

The incident, which started with a dead man’s imperiled dog, ended three hours later with the dog starting a new life, safe and loved among its new dog friends.

Lost and Found Pets 209 was created last July to serve a small area in San Joaquin and Sacramento counties. Living up to its name, however, the organizers were shocked when people took the 209 — a reference to the local area code — seriously and joined from across the region. Note to marketers: Select product names with care.

Living up to its name, however, the organizers were shocked when people took the 209 — a reference to the local area code — seriously and joined from across the region. Note to marketers: Select product names with care.

The power of social telecommunications

I don’t have permission to use peoples’ names in this column, though if you visit the group you will see the members and also help swell the membership past the 3,596 where it sits right now. That mass of members has proven essential to the group’s success but can also make it unwieldy.

In another column, I will complain about Facebook groups and pages and the lack of needed features. I’ll describe how Facebook could make them more useful for all members, but this is my holiday story about a dead homeless man’s dog and people using social media to save her.

Every day, at least one dog and often several are reunited with an owner, sent to a foster home or adopted outright through the group.

Lost and Found Pets 209 and its sister group, Central Paws Adoption Site, save the lives of dozens of dogs each month, plus the occasional cat. Every return-to-owner, adoption and rescue is celebrated with member-created graphics.

My role in all this was sitting on my couch next to my own rescue dog next to me and a rescue cat on my shoulder, making phone calls and moving things along online during the anxious and confused moments.

This was the first time anyone was aware of a real-time rescue taking place in this Facebook group.

But it wasn’t the last — another dog, camped out in front of a closed retail shop was rescued on the cold and windy Christmas night that followed. Thanks to a microchip, he has since been reunited with his owner.

So, the next time you get really angry at Facebook, I hope you will think about these two dogs and a very Merry Christmas in the Facebook group Lost and Found Dogs 209.

Image via Facebook Group “Lost and Found Pets 209”