Oregon woman searching for her lost dog in Marin County

SAN RAFAEL, Calif. - Signs about a lost dog were posted around a San Rafael neighborhood, asking residents to help reunite the pet with its family in Oregon.

Last seen in late March

What we know:

The dog's owner, Rebekah Whittaker, lives in Eugene, Oregon. She has been traveling to the Bay Area every weekend this month, trying to find her dog Teddy, who went missing in San Rafael on March 28.

Whittaker's family had been staying at a vacation rental home and left the dog at the house while they went out for dinner. She said there was a door they hadn't noticed, and when they returned, that door and a gate were open. Teddy was gone.

Whittaker said her dog Teddy helped her cope with the loss of her mother and brother to cancer.

"The passing of my mom and brother in such a short time, when Teddy was very young, he helped our entire family and has been by our side ever since," Whittaker said.

She posted a call for help on social media and neighborhood chat sites.

Neighbors pitching in to help

What they're saying:

Whittaker said the response from strangers a state away has touched her heart.

"Since Teddy went missing, the amount of people we met from all walks of life just going above and beyond to help us has been incredible," Whittaker said. "From a Boy Scout who is patrolling the neighborhood looking for Teddy, folks from the local police department, the fire department, letter carriers have had his flier."

Robert Stark of Larkspur is one of the volunteers helping Whittaker. He said he also has a similar labradoodle and was touched when he saw the sign online.

"As an owner, I can only imagine what I would be feeling if Teddy was mine. So to feel like I was all alone in that search, there was no way I was going to let someone else feel that way," Stark said.

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A drone operator is pitching in and helping to look in fields and areas hard to reach.

Amber Steuernol, a neighbor and dog owner, is also helping. Steuernol let Whittaker put Teddy's bed and toys in her yard with food and checks her security camera in case he comes back.

Steuernol says the search is drawing strangers together in unexpected ways.

"I've met neighbors from up the street that I've never met, people who live close by that kind of mind their own business, not because they don't want to chat but they're busy and now, it's kind of brought the community together," Steuernol said.

One piece of advice Steuernol offered is to make sure you microchip your pet. She said there was a call from one person who claimed to be with a local animal shelter and had located Teddy, but when asked about the microchip number to verify the match, the person turned out to be a fraud.

Whittaker said she realizes she is just one of many dog owners who have lost their pets.

She says the kindness and the community's support have given her hope in finding her pet and in the power of connecting with people in person.

"There are in-person support networks all around us in our neighborhoods that might be right under our nose that we don't realize, people that may or may not have similar life stories but are willing to pitch in and help, even strangers," Whittaker said.