Missing pet goat inspires creation of new organization and lost pet app
A Westmoreland County couple found a new purpose after their pet goat tragically went missing, and the outcome of their search efforts wasn't what they hoped for.
The tragedy is now inspiring them to create an organization and an interactive app to help people when their pet disappears and every second counts.
Penny Layne and Shawn Murtha got their pet goat, named Patrick when he was 3 months old, and for the last 16 years, he's been part of their family.
"He was quite the talker. If we went outside he'd hear us getting into the car or he just wanted to say hi. You would hear him talking all the time and that's why I knew that something was probably wrong on the day he was missing," Layne said.
"I looked in the barn and he wasn't in the barn, and I looked out in his pen, and he wasn't there," she added.
The couple frantically searched for Patrick in the snowy woods behind their Manor Borough home in the middle of January.
"We separated at one point, and we separated at one point I continued to go further. Just thinking that maybe I just need to go a little bit further," said Layne.
Layne ended up getting lost in the woods for hours. First responders started two search teams, and an officer eventually found her trying to get warm in a hunting blind.
But their beloved goat was still missing. The next day, a drone team came out but didn't have any luck. Then they called a hunter with a tracking dog to come help search for Patrick.
"Tucker the dog got the scent, then he ended up finding Patrick in the woods. His head was covered in snow but most of his body was covered," Layne said.
By the time their family pet was found, he had already passed away.
"It's that experience that we wanted to make sure that other people don't have to go through the same thing so that's why we're starting Patrick's Friends," said Layne.
The couple is creating Patrick's Friends, which will be a nonprofit to help people with lost pets, so they know what to do, and who to call for help.
"If you look at a lot of the Facebook pages that are around Pittsburgh. A lot of the people have the same problem that we had," Murtha said.
As part of the organization, they're aiming to create a one-stop mobile app or web app to educate people on the dos and don'ts of pet search missions, and provide a list of trained resources, volunteer or paid, that people can contact right away.
"The idea is to have an interactive map so the owners can input where they are, where the problem is, and then the other people that are wanting to help you know they know what the issue is and where they are," Murtha said.
"Also, people who find an animal could post the animal. So, then we might have a match on the interactive map," Layne said.
Murtha said they reached out to CMU and Pitt to see if they can help build the app. To start, they want it to cover Allegheny and Westmoreland counties.
Layne and Murtha want to spread hope so four-legged friends of all sizes can get back home, in memory of Patrick, who they say was the greatest of all time.
"Patrick wasn't just a farm goat. Patrick was a pet goat for 16 years. When they're your pets they're family They are family. We really want to be able to help these families get reunited," Layne said.
"It can be a daunting task to go after something so ambitious but we're after it," Murtha said.
"And as we say, we GOAT this," Layne added.
A Patrick's Friends kick-off party is happening Sunday, February 23rd at the United Methodist Community Church in Irwin from 4 to 9 pm. Community members from the region are invited. The event will begin with a meeting where people can share ideas.
They are looking for all kinds of volunteers as they get started.
They have craft groups that will sell handmade crafts to raise money for the nonprofit. You can follow Patrick's Friends journey on Facebook and you can check out their website at this link.
