Lost dog? Don’t print flyers — just ask your doorbell.
Amazon’s Ring announced a new feature this week called Search Party, which uses artificial intelligence to scan footage from outdoor Ring devices — like doorbell cameras and floodlights — to help track down lost dogs.
When a pet is reported missing through the Ring app, the system will start a digital “search party” by analyzing video from other nearby enrolled cameras for any animals that match the description. If a possible sighting is flagged, Ring will alert the user, who can then choose to share the footage directly with the dog’s owner.
While Amazon hasn’t disclosed the specifics of the AI powering this feature, at its launch event Wednesday, the company said the technology is designed to recognize dogs based on owner-submitted details, such as photos and descriptions, and send alerts when a match appears.
Search Party comes as millions of pets continue to go missing each year. The American Humane Association estimates that more than 10 million dogs are lost annually in the U.S., and one in three pets will go missing in their lifetimes.
For many families in those moments, the search still looks the same as it did decades ago — owners relying on posters taped to poles, posts in neighborhood Facebook groups, or trips to local shelters. Amazon argues that Ring’s network of cameras could give that outdated process a high-tech assist.
The company says more than 1 million lost pets were reported on the Ring Neighborhood app last year alone.
Ring founder Jamie Siminoff said at Amazon’s event Wednesday that the feature is meant to “supercharge neighbors helping neighbors” and turn “individual concerns into community actions.”
“Simple, privacy-first features like Search Party make it easier to look out for each other and build the kind of neighborhood we all want to live in,” Siminoff said.
Search Party will be available for Ring users starting in November. While the feature will only be available for dogs initially, Amazon said it plans to roll out features for cats and other pets starting in December.
