Editor’s note: this post is a first-hand account by one of our King County communications staff.

On what is usually a short walk at a neighborhood park on my lunch break recently, I came across an unleashed dog without a human. It was a beautiful dog, perhaps a Golden Retriever/Irish setter mix.

“Where’s your person?” I asked the dog, while looking around the trail. We were near an off-leash dog park, but in an area that requires a leash.

No answer, of course. I didn’t see anyone near the dog on the trail.

The dog seemed friendly, wagged its tail and followed me when I called it. I put my hand out and the dog sniffed it. The dog allowed me to pet it. The dog and I went to a more popular path nearby.

I asked several passersby if they were missing a dog. No takers.

I saw that the dog had a tag. I took a picture of the phone number. I was thinking of a way to keep track of the dog and try to call the number when another walker, a tall, older gentleman, came by.

I asked if the dog was his. No.

But after I explained the situation, the man quickly took off his belt and used it as a makeshift leash for the dog. (I learned later that this wasn’t the first time he’s helped rescue a dog at that park!) He also noticed that there was another phone number and the name “Boomer” on the back of the tag. Neither of us had brought our reading glasses so we both struggled to read the numbers on the tag.

Mike and I introduced ourselves to each other and talked about options. I made two calls. No one answered immediately. I left a voice mail. Meanwhile, Mike took Boomer on a short walk, offered some water, and returned to me.

I knew we could call the city’s animal control officers, but I was hoping the owner was in the park. If that didn’t work, I asked Mike if he had a fenced yard. He didn’t, but he was willing to walk Boomer to my fenced yard, if need be, and keep his nice leather belt.

In the short run, we decided to walk to the off-leash area to see if the owner was there. Again, no luck. But we got some additional help from a dog owner who didn’t need reading glasses. We verified the numbers and the woman said that there was a third phone number on the tag.

I called it and left a voice mail. I re-dialed one of the other numbers, hoping for better luck.

While I was calling, I received a voicemail. The owner, out of the country, said his son was watching the dog at their home near the park. Within several minutes, Boomer was reunited with his out-of-breath teenage human. The young man had been in Scouts with my son years ago. Small world!

It takes a village and a pet identification tag to reunite a dog with its family. Boomer’s tag was the critical link that made it happen! Find out all the benefits of licensing your pet and where you can get a license.