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The Internet comes in handy, especially if you have a lost dog.

That's how I found Caroline McKinney and her story about a lost Beagle.

Chip, 7 months old, went missing in the Royal Oaks area in Springboro on July 8. She posted information about him on DogDetective.com, and Craig's List. Ironically, another Beagle has been found and reported by someone with a Dayton-area cell phone number. The fliers were posted in the Settlers Walk area.

"We had the missing sign out front, and a Federal Express guy stopped by and said he saw a sign about a found Beagle somewhere but couldn't remember where. He brought me the flier the next day," said McKinney. "A neighbor gave me the same flier, and then someone sent me an e-mail about the found dog. But unfortunately, it's not a match."

The found Beagle has white markings on his snout in the shape of a rocket launch. I spoke to the women who put up the flier. That dog found an opening in a chain-link fence, and he's gone missing again.

Chip, approximately 11 pounds, has just a little patch of white on his nose and a white-tipped tail. The McKinneys purchased him from a breeder in Hamilton the first part of March. They also moved from Deerfield Road in Lebanon to Springboro this past May. "If he was to head in that direction, I would be stunned," said McKinney. "I don't believe he would make it before someone took him in. He's so friendly."

The family has had bad luck with dogs this year. Their 7-year-old black Lab, Chase, died this past Valentine's Day.

On the fateful day when Chip went missing, McKinney and a few friends were trying to move a large shed from the side yard into the backyard.

"We had been working about 20 minutes, and all of a sudden I looked around and noticed Chip was missing," said McKinney. "We found that he had slipped his collar. With the kids going in and out of the gate, it would have been easy for him to leave."

She thought it would be a simple matter of rounding him up from one of the neighborhood children, because he had run away before.

Some pet owners are using a technology called HomeAgain to find lost pets. For a small monthly fee, a microchip with identifying information is imbedded between the pet's shoulder blades and entered into a database.

If you've seen Chip, call (513) 240-4994. Or if you have lost the Beagle described above, call (937) 626-6162.

Chip is very friendly, especially toward children. He was used to McKinney's 5-year-old daughter, Amber. "He is a good pet, and I would play with him," said Amber. "I want him back."

Contact this reporter at (937) 748-3487 or PamDillon@woh.rr.com.