JASMINE THE DOG is shown here with owners Thilo and Aileen Kluth. Concerned Battle Ground residents helped the Kluths reunite with Jasmine after she disappeared when the family's fence was destroyed by a tornado.
BATTLE GROUND – Helpful volunteers from all over Battle Ground came out in droves to assist neighbors and friends after a tornado rampaged through the city earlier this month, but one family in particular captured the hearts and hopes of hundreds of people around the area.
When Aileen Kluth first heard about the tornado that hit her neighborhood, she didn't believe it. Only after returning home and seeing her fence demolished did the frightening truth begin to set in. Suddenly, a range of far-fetched possibilities became reality. Was everyone OK? Is the house badly damaged? What – what about her black lab, Jasmine?
As the thoughts ricocheted around her mind, neighbors appeared. Some offered help with the fence, others wanted to help find Jasmine, and some just hugged her because she looked so overwhelmed, she said.
One neighbor helped her search the property for Jasmine, going so far as to pick up the downed fencing to see if she had become trapped beneath the material. After a while, it became apparent that, with the fencing out of the way, she had taken the opportunity to explore the area.
When her husband, Thilo, arrived, Aileen took the search to social media while Thilo hit the streets. Neither had any luck, but as friendly neighbors were turned away from physical labor due to the congestion of the area, social media became a new gathering and those eager to help began to organize a search party.
At first, Aileen submitted a Facebook post with Jasmine's photograph and information. The response was intense. With over 2,500 shares on the first post, Jasmine's story was nearly instantly seen by thousands of people. Aileen began receiving messages and notifications immediately.
Over the next few days, hundreds of people watched local social media pages as Jasmine's coal-black snout became one of the most famous faces in Battle Ground. Friends, neighbors, friends of friends, and neighbors of friends all took to the streets to help reunite Aileen's family with their beloved pet.
One of the earliest responders, Debbie Mattson, had never met the Kluths before but became involved with the search after the first social media post.
“I feel its a very close-knit community,” Mattson said. “I was planning on coming to help, too but people were being turned away. And then this happened and I'm an avid dog lover. I thought, 'Oh my gosh, if that was me I would hope somebody would help me.' And that's why I reached out to (Aileen).”
Thilo and Aileen took turns following up on leads in between their own searching. At least 50 different people sent Aileen personal direct messages to report sightings of black dogs all over town. Posts about black dogs, their locations, and their possible motives flooded the community Facebook page as more and more people tuned in to the search. Local TV stations began showing Jasmine's story during news casts.
“Has anyone thought to check the dead-end street down by the swimming pool?” one user asked in a Facebook post the following Saturday morning.”
“Saw a black lab just south of 239th Ave on the curvy hill,” another post said Sunday afternoon.”
Scores of posts appeared: people asked what Jasmine's favorite food was, they wanted to know what areas she was familiar with, they reported possible sightings, and even offered each other encouragement and bonding.
“I was glued to my phone,” Aileen said.
But by the end of the weekend, the family's hopes started to flag. By Monday night, the reality began to set in that they may never see their beloved pet again. The response had overwhelmed their expectations, but no amount of searching had turned up even one confirmed sighting.
“I thought, 'Here's another sighting,” Aileen explained “Here we go again.”
“We had done everything we possibly could,” Thilo continued. “And I thought, 'we need to let it play out and get back to some normalcy.’”
But after a very quiet start to the next morning, a Facebook user made a post at about 11 a.m. reporting a black lab she had seen near Eaton Boulevard -- and kicked off an explosion of activity. At work, Aileen began to cry as she read the post. Thilo, with an injured foot, jumped into his car to follow up on the lead.
He parked near Battle Ground village and began searching for Jasmine when he was approached by another vehicle.
“People are coming out of their cars as I'm limping around calling for Jasmine,” he said. “They asked me, 'Are you the dog owner? We're here looking for her too.”
Several more people had seen the post and responded to the area. Thilo counted six vehicles with folks who showed up to join the search. At work, Mattson began using the Facebook post to coordinate the searchers.
“That's a huge area where she ran into so you've gotta cover all the area,” Mattson said. “But it was amazing to see how many people were involved in this whole ordeal.”
People who couldn't help watched the social media pages intently. Friends later told Aileen they were unable to concentrate because they couldn't put their phones down and look away. All over town, people were heavily emotionally invested in Jasmine's story.
And they were rewarded. With all the help, Thilo was able to locate Jasmine in an area of forest and fields where the family would take her on walks. After a bit of coaxing, she was on her way back home to the family that missed her and the town that cared enough to keep her in the front of everyone's mind.
When the news broke, Battle Ground social media pages went nuts. Some users posted greeting card-style messages of hope and happiness. Others joined the thousands of people who expressed their joy with a button-click. Mattson screamed.
“I screamed through the office,” she said. “Everybody heard me.”
Thilo, a social media neophyte, never expected Facebook to help find his dog. Now, he views it as a natural extension of the Battle Ground community he has grown to love.
“Everybody wanted to help,” Thilo reflected. “And not just us, but all of the other neighbors as well, with raking yards and picking up all the debris. It's just what you do. That's how you're supposed to respond, I think. I'd just like to thank everybody for their support."
