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When Crimson the dog found a way through her electric fence recently, and stayed gone for days, owner Andi Sims was beside herself.

"It's such a hopeless and helpless feeling. You want to do something, but you don't know what to do," Andi explains.

What she did was distribute flyers offering a reward, and visit nearby vet's offices. Then she took her search to social media.

"Posted it on Facebook. I posted it on craigslist. I put that we had lost our dog on Twitter," Andi says.

A friend who saw her post about the missing dog saw another post about one that was found, and connected the dots, or the dog, so to speak. This is just one of many ways pets are being reunited with owners after going missing, an increasingly common trend, according to the Lisa Peterson with the American Kennel Club. "In 2010 we tracked 255 pet thefts, compare that to last year 2011 we tracked 432 pet thefts, so there was an increase of nearly 70%."

Those are just the cases they tracked through media and online reports. According to petfinder.com, more than 2 million pets disappeared last year. Less than 10% made their way back home. Pet expert Charlotte Reed claims companies are hoping to change that by bringing high tech options to animal owners. Take the Tagg GPS System for example.

"It's attached to your pet's collar and it will you track your pet in real time," Reed says.

You'll get a text or email when your dog or cat leaves the zone you set up, and you'll see exactly where your pet is, as long as the collar is still on. There's also a collar that uses QR Codes to tell others about your animal. You just register your pet online, then order an I.D. tag which can be read with a regular QR Code app.

"So, if someone has the phone app they can scan the tag and find out all about your pet. Also, there's Amber Alerts for pets where you can actually upload your data, pay a fee and they'll do all of the legwork for you," Reed explains.

With animal theft becoming an issue around the country, the American Kennel Club still prefers micro-chipping, which is embeded under the animal's skin. If your dog is taken notify the police. Tell them the dog has a microchip, and put flyers up around the neighborhood.

Websites dedicated to missing pets also help. No matter what, don't give up hope.

"In the last year or so we've seen pets who have returned home after 8 years, 12 years," Reed says.

Andi has an appointment to get a microchip for Crimson now. "It was one experience that we never want to repeat."

It's important to note the Tagg System has an ongoing monthly fee to keep the GPS system active.