Upon arriving home, she scoured every inch of her house to locate her lost dog Semper. As time passed, even when she went to California, she never stopped searching for him and stayed connected with Florida shelters. For one long year, Mares put up posters on pet websites, contacted 15 veterinary offices in the area where she used to live, reached out to humane organizations and shelters, shared details about Semper on Facebook, lost dog forums, and various pages and organizations. Despite registering his microchip from the age of three months, she received no news about him. Her worry and longing for her dear pet led her to seek assistance from a private investigator named Ana Campos.