By Find the puppies!” Michael Fradin instructed his pup, Plato, and with his tail wagging, the Shiba Inu mix lit off into the rugged Santa Cruz mountainside. Michael and his friend Jessie followed behind, scanning the thick forest for any sign of the missing dogs, Lily and Lola.
Michael had adopted Plato from an abusive home. He was skittish and overfed, but with lots of love and attention, Plato soon began to thrive.
Plato followed Michael everywhere, and his favorite game was hide-and-seek. No matter how far Michael or his girlfriend wandered up the maze of mountain trails, Plato always made a beeline straight to them, tail wagging and nose to the ground.
When Michael heard Jessie’s dogs were missing, he headed to meet him with Plato in tow. “They’re play buddies—Plato knows their scent,” Michael said, and an hour later, they were still searching.
Suddenly, Plato veered off the trail into the woods. He topped a steep rise and stopped. Michael and Jessie followed, and they spotted Lily and Lola standing in a creek at the bottom of a 20-foot mudslide that was too slick for the dogs to climb out of.
“You’re really good at this,” Michael scratched Plato behind the ears, and wondered, Could he do this for dogs he doesn’t already know?
Special reunions
Michael reached out to his friend Heidi, who walked her own dogs to various landmarks deep in the trails. “Find the puppy!” Michael gave Plato a whiff of one of her dogs’ beds or old collars, and he was soon running to keep up as the excited pup sniffed them out.
When someone on Felton, California’s Next Door page posted a picture of their Yorkie who had been missing for two days, Michael offered Plato’s assistance. Plato followed the Yorkie’s scent for an hour, until he reached a fast-running stream, where he stopped, sat and stared straight ahead.
“This isn’t good,” Michael muttered, and then they heard a yip.
“That’s him! He must have fallen in the river and climbed out here at the bend,” the dog’s owner cried out in tears. “Thank you so much for finding him!”
Full circle of kindness
As word of Plato’s talents spread, Michael began receiving help requests regularly. Plato’s success rate was nearly perfect, including one mastiff pup who’d wandered 6 miles up an old wildfire burn scar. But a more recent fire caused health issues for both Michael and Plato. Michael had to undergo breathing treatment and Plato racked up medical bills.
“He inhaled too much smoke—it weakened his heart,” the vet said, diagnosing him with congestive heart failure. And the bills for tests, scans and medications topped $5,000.
As news spread, neighbors began offering help. Michael’s church also pitched in, as did members of the area’s Lost and Found Pets Facebook group. “The bills are all paid,” the vet announced, and a few days later, a local dentist presented Plato with a furry new friend, a Queensland Heeler pup that Michael named Keno.
Plato loved the little guy, and whenever he went out on a search, Keno trotted behind, learning from the master. As an aging Plato began to slow down, it was Keno who picked up the scent and dashed up the trail or through a rushing stream to complete the rescue, while Plato stood watching on—as proud as ever.
Many grateful pet parents offered Michael rewards, but he always refused. “Just make a shelter donation,” he’d say.
Soon, old age caught up to Plato, and sadly, he crossed the rainbow bridge last summer, on the very day that he was presented with a rescue pet award, which was well earned after locating
66 lost dogs across 1,000 miles over 12 years.
Now, Keno, only 2 years old, is following in Plato’s paw prints. He’s already made 16 finds and plans to continue helping his community-—just like Plato did. “Pets like Plato bring us peace. He was always a very affectionate, loving boy, and Keno will be reuniting lost pets with their people for many years to come,” says Michael. “It’s the best way I know to honor Plato’slife and legacy.”
