Created: 4/22/2004 12:52:36 PM 
By Angela Spears First Coast News
JACKSONVILLE, FL -- What would you do to find your dog if he or she got lost? Jamie Greer, some would say, went to the extreme. Her Boston Terrier, Beans, ran away last Saturday. Her dad, Josh Horenstein, was at the Jacksonville International Airport and had a bag in one hand. He opened the car door and out went Beans. He described it as a circus.
Greer and her family spent days looking for the dog. They took shifts and even pulled a couple of all-nighters. Greer says her dog is very special. He is like a member of her family. She says Beans is apart of her every day routine. Horenstein also believes he's a loyal dog.
The family was worn out and needed help in their search. They turned to a pro. Pet Detective Carl Washington got on the case. He drove down from Augusta, Georgia. He's been looking for pets, any kind, for 9 years. He says he is one of three pet detectives in the country who search on the ground for pets.
Washington starts early in the morning. He lays the bait, hoping the missing animal gets the food. When the sun rises, he brings out his two helpers, Rocky - a Jack Russell and Cocoa - a poodle.
Believe it or not, Cocoa is the lead dog on the hunt. Washington says poodles are right up there with bloodhounds. They are smart and have a good nose. He says the smaller dogs are best during a search because they can hop fences, search in small places. And on a personal note, they can stay in a hotel when he travels.
The Pet Detective stays busy. He had more than one hundred cases last year. He says finding the pets is sort of like a chess game. It is a challenge and finding Beans was definitely a challenge. You can say he got lucky.
Washington started his mission Thursday morning at 2am. By 11:30 that morning, he found Beans. Someone spotted the dog going through someone's trash in a backyard. That person called the Pet Detective. He, Rocky and Cocoa went to work.
This story has a happy ending. The dog is back safely with his owner.
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