WESTBROOK – A three-week search for a missing dog has sparked a social media frenzy, one that has turned up multiple sightings, some unconfirmed, and given hope to the dog’s owner.

When Jamie Gaudreau’s 5-year-old golden retriever mix, Ruger, went missing July 13, the dog had only spent six days at her home on King Street in Westbrook.

Since that time, Gaudreau, a secretary at Westbrook Middle School, has undertaken a large-scale search for the dog, one that has spanned Greater Portland with late-night quests and features a heavy Facebook presence.

With the last confirmed sighting taking place early Sunday morning, Aug. 3, Gaudreau is not giving up hope that Ruger will be found, but she says the 24-day search has been exhausting.

As of Monday morning, “there had been 2,200 shares of this,” she said, regarding the use of Facebook as a communication tool. “Reconnecting with people and having them share it is huge, I opened up my Facebook to make my page public so everyone can see it. I’m truly amazed with the people who have come out that I don’t know, or haven’t seen for years, who are saying their eyes and ears are open.”

Many public Facebook pages for area law enforcement have also posted notices about Ruger, including Westbrook and South Portland.

Gaudreau said that on Sunday at about 1:15 a.m., Ruger was spotted near the Scarborough spur by Sebago Brewing Co.; then, from a different source, was seen by the Pape auto dealership in South Portland at about 2:30 a.m., this time with a frustratingly close encounter.

“He was able to get right within 15 feet from him, but Ruger started to travel onto the off-ramp, and he didn’t want to push him any further,” she said, referring to a friend who saw the dog.

Gaudreau advises people not to chase after the dog, as he will run. Instead, she said, anyone who spots him should leave food out if possible and call her.

Much of the information Gaudreau has received has come from social media, with daily posts updating sightings, and each one receiving multiple shares and comments. Unfortunately, Gaudreau said, some of the sightings aren’t immediately reported with a phone call, and posts are sometimes not seen for a few hours after they’re made.

A sighting was reported Tuesday by Pratt Abbott in the Cumberland Mills neighborhood of Westbrook, but is unconfirmed.

Gaudreau said she recently adopted Ruger as company for her other golden retriever, who is 10. She said Ruger had not been well-socialized with people.

“Within 45 minutes in my back yard, he came right up to my hand,” she said. “We were becoming very connected.”

She said she had been warned from a previous owner in Standish that he was a “runner.”

“Never did I think I’d be on a mission like this,” she said.

The Maine Lost Dog Recovery, a small nonprofit group that advises pet owners on the most effective ways of finding a lost dog, provided a template for a flyer, which can be seen around Westbrook. Gaudreau said Full Court Press on Main Street printed 150 color copies of the flyer free of charge.

The Maine Lost Dog Recovery website urges dog owners to call animal control officers, local shelters, veterinarians and hang flyers, which the organization calls “critical to bringing dogs home.”

She said a Brunswick shelter has let her borrow a large trap, and that the goal is to keep Ruger in one area.

Marcie Flores of Gorham, a longtime friend of Gaudreau who has been assisting in the search, said Tuesday that she’s “heartbroken” that Ruger is still missing, especially since he is timid.

Flores has been assisting in posting flyers and going door to door in neighborhoods he’s been seen in.

“We have to get his picture out there and stress that he’s been out there for 24 days without food or shelter,” she said, adding that weather is also a factor in searching for him.

“On hot days like this, I think he hunkers down to try to stay cool,” she said.

Flores said most dogs end up forming a circular path, but with scattered sightings in Westbrook, Gorham, Scarborough and South Portland, some of which may not be him, it has been difficult.

“Some people don’t call, but you have to,” she said, referring to sightings. “We will get right out there.”

Gaudreau said she encourages people to call any time of the day.

“How can I put my head on the pillow at night? It’s in my mind 24/7,” she said. “I need to take advantage of any sightings I get.”

Gaudreau’s flyer lists Ruger as a male golden retriever mix with a light cream color. He is 70 pounds and has a turquoise collar.

As of Wednesday, Flores said “an expert” had been hired to help with the search, and an updated flyer asks any sightings to be reported directly to 207-595-5644.

The hunt for Ruger is being aided by Facebook.