George Brett asks Twitter followers to help look for missing dog

Worried sick about his family's missing dog, Hall of Fame slugger George Brett appealed to Twitter shortly after midnight Wednesday, Kansas City time, for help in finding him.

After a series of tweets, most of them frantic, Brett reported about eight hours later that Charlie the labradoodle had been found. Phew! But if you were following the story as it was happening, those were a tense eight hours.

Just look at that photo of Brett and his dog. Relationships with pets are special, and even if they're not human, they mean more than simple property. Brett, who won the AL MVP in 19980 and has been a Hall of Famer since 1999, is no different than the average person when it comes to this.

After saying he was "new to this Tweeter stuff" regarding a funny misspelling in a post about Derek Jeter, Brett returned with a call for help so stunning, it seemed like a joke or a hacked account or some combination therein:

What's the canine equivalent of an Amber Alert? Brett didn't stop there, giving information about where and when Charlie was last seen, offering a monetary reward, appealing to the Kansas City Star and other media outlets and even trying to get a #FindCharlie hashtag trending on Twitter. He might have been new to the medium a day before, but Brett was showing himself to be a quick study.

And then he sent this note that broke hearts and helped to inspire all at once:

Scared of the rain! Are you kidding me, George Brett? I'm gonna cry right now and I know the dog is safe. It's understandable why someone in the KC area especially might be worried about a missing dog. It's not a super-urban area; coyotes and other wildlife are common. It can be hard out there for a labradoodle.

It's also hard to tell from Brett's final tweet on the matter exactly what role Twitter played in finding the dog, or if Brett actually gave a reward, but it was fascinating to virtually watch folks mobilize for the cause. It helped, of course, that Brett is famous and a large number of people were willing to help — or at least give encouragement. But it seems to me that Twitter would be a useful tool for anyone looking for a missing pet. And for the owner, communicating with others can soothe jangled nerves and keep you focused during a rough moment. Good on Twitter. And good on the Bretts, getting Charlie back. Puppy!

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