SHAWANO, COUNTY (Wis.) – Get Toby Home, a volunteer-powered lost dog search and rescue group based in northeastern Wisconsin, has announced it will cease coverage in Shawano County due to insufficient volunteer support.
From a Facebook post, the group says they play a “boots on the ground” role, setting live traps, maintaining trail cameras, distributing signs, and organizing searches in collaboration with dog owners. Their services are free; they ask only that recipients “pay it forward” to help future cases.
Get Toby Home currently serves several counties including Brown, Calumet, Manitowoc, Outagamie, Waupaca, Winnebago, and until now, Shawano.
The group was credited with helping reunite hundreds of lost dogs with their owners, aided by a network of volunteers who print and post signs and respond to missing-dog reports.
The group’s mission began after Toby, a dog from Suamico, went missing in December 2017. His loss inspired a Facebook page and eventually a volunteer network now called “Team Toby.”
Get Toby Home also publishes resources such as a lost dog checklist (search your yard, alert neighbors, utilize social media, contact shelters) and provides a “Lost Dog Assistance Request” form for families seeking help.
The group says its capacity to operate in a given county depends heavily on local volunteer support. With too few volunteers in Shawano County, they say they can no longer guarantee timely or effective responses there.
They expressed gratitude to supporters and reaffirmed their commitment to helping dogs where they can.
