Among the deeply cherished parts of many people’s lives are the animals they keep as companions. Dogs and other pets are often referred to as honorary members of the family.

That’s what makes it such a devastating worry when a beloved pet becomes lost after wandering away from home. The animal’s owners can launch a search, but it often takes the effort of multiple people in the community to locate an animal, return it home, and bring peace and relief to its worried family.

Hidden Hero Peggy Mayfield is one such community member, who stands out for how avidly she devotes her time to helping return lost pets to their home. Social media users who frequent any number of lost pet and community group pages may recognize Mayfield’s name; she’s active on any page she can get access to, helping spread the word about lost and found pets.

Mayfield also stands out for taking the extra steps to become a detective-like volunteer for lost dogs who don’t get claimed right away. With a portable microchip scanner, Mayfield collects ID information from lost dogs and then reaches out to various agencies and registries who might be able to connect that information to an owner.

Mayfield has been volunteering as “the scanner lady” for almost four years. Because of her consistent efforts to bring happiness to her community by getting lost animals safely home, The Record awarded Mayfield with her own Hidden Hero superhero cape.

Each month, The Record and our community partners are recognizing Hidden Heroes who make their communities a better place without expecting any applause or attention. Each of our heroes is nominated by other people in the community.

Here’s what Mayfield’s nominator had to say:

“She has been helping people find their pets that have been lost for years. (She’s) always helping and does it completely on her own time and dime. What an asset she has been. ... A lot of pet parents would definitely agree.”

Mayfield said she first became really active among the online groups that share information about lost pets when someone she knew needed help looking for her dog. From then on, she became engrossed in helping others find their pets, and has become one of the most active resources for sharing information between different groups.

She noted that she’s grateful to have the time to help people in need. Mayfield retired from working at the Coca-Cola plant in 2016.

“I do it because I love it,” she commented. “I’m retired, my grandchildren are grown and don’t need me. ... When you’re retired, you need something to do.”

Since getting a microchip scanner and becoming active in investigating the situation of lost pets, Mayfield said she has scanned 257 animals. Out of those, only nine have ever been unclaimed and turned over to shelters. One lost pet was surrendered after the owner was identified. All the rest were either returned to their original home or were re-adopted by the people who found them, Mayfield said.

“I’m proud of that number,”  she noted. “My satisfaction is seeing the dog or cat happy and going home.”

She added that all of these efforts rely on lots of people being involved and sharing information, not just one person. If she could add one more plea to the information being shared, Mayfield said she would tell every single pet owner to keep a collar with ID and contact information on their pet. Write the info on their fur with a marker if you have to; that would save a lot of headache and heartache, Mayfield said.

In the time when she isn’t tracking down the homes of lost animals, Mayfield has also become active in sharing a different kind of community resource. She has become one of the most frequent contributors to the Facebook group Warren County Fragile and Homeless, a community group that seeks to provide information and resources for people struggling with housing insecurity.

Mayfield can frequently be found in the group’s timeline sharing information about affordable housing opportunities or other things that families in need would find useful. She said she collects the information by volunteering as a moderator for a number of online “buy-sell-trade” groups, and funnels the useful info toward the people who need it.

“I think it makes you feel good when you come across something where you can help somebody out,” she commented.

Every month, the Warren County Record and supporting sponsors will unmask a Hidden Hero and present them with their very own superhero cape. Help us find these Hidden Heroes by nominating someone you know who is going above and beyond in our communities. Submit your nomination at warrencountyrecord.com/hiddenhero

The Hidden Heroes series is a sponsored initiative created in partnership with  The Missouri Bank, Sydenstricker Nobbe Partners, and Gateway Fiber. With their help, we're celebrating the people who make a positive impact in our communities.