Amazon Ring opens free AI search tool to help find lost dogs – even without a device

Amazon expanded Ring’s AI-powered dog Search Party feature, opening the tool to anyone for free – even without a Ring camera or subscription – in a move aimed at helping bring missing dogs home faster.

The digital doorbell company announced the expansion of its Search Party feature on Monday, which it first launched for outdoor Ring camera users in November 2025.

According to Amazon there are an estimated 60 million US households who own at least one dog, totaling roughly 90 million dogs nationwide.

With lost pets being the most common post in the Ring Neighbors app, Amazon says there were "more than 1 million reports of lost or found pets in the app” last year alone.

"Before Search Party, the best you could do was drive up and down the neighborhood, shouting your dog's name in hopes of finding them,” said Jamie Siminoff, Ring's chief inventor.

“Millions of dogs go missing in the US every year, and it’s a terrible ordeal for them and their families,” Siminoff said. “We knew Search Party could help, but the speed and impact of these early reunions have blown us away."

As part of Search Party’s new initiative, Ring said it is also committing $1,000,000 to help equip the nation's 4,000-plus animal shelters with Ring camera systems to reduce the time dogs spend in shelters, working with non-profit organizations such as Petco Love and Best Friends Animal Society, among others.

Ring opens Search Party to everyone

Now, anyone with a furry family member can create a free profile for their dog directly in the Ring or Neighbors app at no cost – even if you don't subscribe to the service or have a Ring device.

Since the initial rollout, Amazon says it has helped reunite hundreds of lost dogs with their distraught owners.

“Together we’ve helped reunite over a dog a day,” Amazon said. “Anyone can report a lost dog and initiate a Search Party on Ring,” it said.

Right now, the AI-powered Search Party only supports dogs, but Amazon says future updates will expand the feature to cats and other pets, wanting to focus on one animal at a time.

The AI technology is currently optimized to recognize dogs and analyze their movement patterns, with Amazon previously explaining that “Cats are actually slightly different to the AI in how they move around and stuff."

How the AI dog search works

Currently only available in the US, Search Party works with all outdoor Ring cameras, allowing users to choose which cameras participate in the feature in the app's Control Center.

Families can start a Search Party by creating a missing dog post in one of the apps.

When nearby Ring users see that a canine “Search Party” is active in their neighborhood, their participating outdoor Ring cameras automatically scan recorded video footage for potential matches using AI recognition.

Ring notes that only cameras with “saved video history” enabled under an active Ring subscription can participate in the search – meaning it is not a live search.

If a potential match is made, the Ring camera user will receive an alert, which will include:

• Notification on your phone: “Your camera may have spotted a missing dog!”
• A picture of the missing dog
• Video footage from your camera

The Ring user can then share that information, and the video clip if they choose, with the missing dog owner through the app.

“Search Party ends automatically after a few hours, unless you confirm you're still looking. When you find your dog, you can update your Lost Dog Post to let everyone know,” the website states.

“Now, pet owners can mobilize the whole community—and communities are empowered to help—to find lost pets more effectively than ever before. That’s why we believe it’s so important to make this feature available to anyone who shares a lost dog post in Neighbors.”

- Jamie Siminoff, Ring's chief inventor

For extra protection, Ring also offers pet owners its own Ring Pet Tag for free, although it is not a GPS tracker.

The customizable tag works like a digital ID badge: if someone finds your dog, they can scan the tag's QR code to view the pet’s name, photo, breed, weight, medical information, and owner contact details.

Privacy controls and opt-out options

As for privacy concerns, Amazon says Search Party does not use AI to identify pet owners or people, and the feature will only be initiated to search around a pet owner's home location.

The e-commerce giant says users can also mute or turn off Search Party at any time, select individual cameras to opt out, and choose whether to share videos, stressing that nothing is shared automatically.

Amazon is also encouraging Ring users to spread the word about Search Party.

“Download our digital flyers to post on social media, share with fellow dog lovers, or display at local pet shelters, rescues, vet offices, and pet stores,” the company said.

And, while the automatic AI detection for cats is not yet live, you can still use the Neighbors app to post, share, and alert neighbors about a lost cat or other pets.

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