Nothing brings the Magic City together like a lost dog.

Or at least, that’s what Lauren Johnson thinks.

“People have been so gracious,” she said. “There’s been so many tender moments… people are going out of their way to make sure everyone knows about Meadow.”

Johnson, of Atlanta, has been searching for a week for her Labrador mix named Meadow. Johnson and Meadow were in Birmingham to visit Johnson’s older sister, who lives in Homewood, for Christmas. Johnson was set to leave town and head back to Atlanta on Dec. 27.

But that plan changed when Meadow went missing on the afternoon of Dec. 26.

The Johnson sisters left the house to do errands when Meadow somehow got outside and followed Johnson’s car. “She’s like Velcro,” Johnson said of eight-year-old Meadow. “She never runs away. It never crossed my mind she would run (to follow me).”

Later, Johnson learned Meadow followed the scent of her car about half a mile. Then, she was spotted “running frantically” through Homewood and later at Vulcan.

Johnson and her family looked for the pup until about 8 p.m. Thursday, and then Johnson turned to Facebook. She posted pictures and information about Meadow—40 pounds, reddish-brown hair, and wearing a coat—and begged the public to share. And, they did. Johnson’s original post has been shared over 2,000 times; countless other posts about the missing dog have been shared another several thousand.

“It has blown my mind,” Johnson said of the support. “The community has so enveloped ‘Find Meadow.’ I won’t be able to thank them all.”

Johnson adopted Meadow through a rescue in Atlanta, first agreeing to foster the eight-week-old puppy before officially adopting her eight years ago. Johnson doesn’t have children, she said, and Meadow is her baby. “The running joke in my family is you should have named her Velcro,” Johnson said. “She follows me everywhere.”

The newly-formed “army of volunteers” and Johnson started their search Friday through Mountain Brook and Homewood, looking across the suburbs and putting up flyers. Later, after rain destroyed cardboard signs, Johnson made laminated ones and posted them across Birmingham, Mountain Brook, and Homewood. She made smaller picture-flyers to hand out on the Mountain Brook walking trails. After initial sightings, Johnson focused on scouring Mountain Brook.

But after a week, she’s not so sure if that’s where she should be focusing: She doesn’t know if her dog is in downtown Birmingham or in Mountain Brook. Now, Johnson’s searching both and urging others to do the same.

“I’ve just been looking for her there (in Mountain Brook) ever since,” she said. “But, I was doing her a disservice by not saying she could be downtown.”

Sightings have poured in throughout the seven-day search: Friday at Railroad Park; Saturday at Mountain Brook Junior High School; Tuesday on 2nd Avenue North near Bamboo and El Barrio; Wednesday at Mountain Brook Country Club. Johnson’s kept her original post updated on Facebook with each new sighting.

Through the week of searching for Meadow, Johnson has used several methods to try to catch her beloved dog and lure her home. First, Johnson cut up a pair of worn pajamas and tied small pieces to stop signs from Vulcan to her sister’s house in Homewood.

Next, she used an online service called lostmydoggie.com to send Meadow’s information to veterinarians and animal control agencies across the city, and then to send out a robocall to landline phones in the area.

Then, at the suggestion of an animal behaviorist she met while looking for Meadow, Johnson set up “scent lures” across Mountain Brook. The lures consist of a plastic box covering a piece of the cut pajamas and meat. There are 10 lures set up in an “L” shape, designed to lure Meadow to a populated area. Johnson’s been monitoring wind patterns to make sure the scents from each setup lure Meadow to the next in line.

On her hours-long hunts, Johnson has been wearing her newly dubbed search jacket, its pockets stuffed with flyers, salami, and Meadow’s leash. She also carries Meadow’s “baby”- a stuffed leopard toy that Meadow takes everywhere.

While the week has been heart-breaking, Johnson said she’s astounded at how the city has come together to help. She’s seen firefighters and police officers carrying flyers; volunteers have spent hours searching; and countless people have reached out with their suggestions. One person she met even made her own set of posters for Meadow, and an office store worker gave her a steep discount on the flyers she printed, which would have cost several hundred dollars.

“Almost everyone (in town) knows her name now,” Johnson said. She knows some people may be hunting in hopes of getting the $2,000 reward, but Johnson doesn’t care. “I really do not care either way. Just get me my dog.”

After the multiple sightings in two separate areas, Johnson said, she made the decision to hire a tracker. The tracking team, Lost Pet Professionals LLC, consists of a handler and several tracking dogs who are headed to Birmingham from Arkansas. They’re set to arrive and start their search on Friday.

“I really need confirmation on what area she’s in,” Johnson said. She, her sister, and the tracking team will go in reverse order of the sightings and use Meadow’s toy and bed as a scent-starting point.

“This has been a very expensive dog loss for me… but, I can’t imagine leaving Birmingham and going back to Atlanta without her,” Johnson said. When asked if she would do anything to have Meadow back, she tearfully nodded.

“I just want her back.”

If you spot Meadow, call Lauren Johnson at 404-358-7550