We don't usually do missing pet posts, but this one hits different.

Stella, a 16-year-old senior dog with — and we quote — an "impressive underbite," went missing from Huntington Park on the morning of Thursday, April 9th. Her family is asking anyone in the downtown SF, Tenderloin, and SOMA areas to keep their eyes peeled.

Sixteen years old. That's a dog who's been with her people through multiple mayoral administrations, a pandemic, and probably more rent increases than any of us want to think about. She deserves to be home.

Here's what we know: Stella was last seen Thursday morning near Huntington Park in Nob Hill. She's a senior pup, so she's likely not covering huge distances on her own — which means someone in the area has almost certainly seen her, or she may have been picked up by a well-meaning passerby who doesn't realize she's got a family desperately searching for her.

Her family is emphasizing no questions asked — they just want their dog back. That's it. No drama, no blame. Just bring Stella home.

Look, we spend a lot of time on this site talking about the ways San Francisco's institutions fail its residents. But one thing this city consistently gets right is showing up for each other in moments like this. The neighborhood networks, the community threads, the people who actually pay attention on their daily walks — that's the real infrastructure that works in SF.

So if you're walking through downtown, the Tenderloin, or SOMA, keep an eye out for an elderly dog with a distinctive underbite who looks like she should be on someone's couch right now. Because she should be.

Anyone with information can reach out to local shelters or contact SF Animal Care & Control at (415) 554-6364. Let's get Stella home.