Owners offer $5000 to find missing dog in Scottsdale, gets help from George Clooney's girlfriend

SCOTTSDALE, AZ - A $5,000 reward is a lot of money for a lost dog, but his owner says it's worth it. 

JoJo is a rescue dog who has a history of extreme abuse. In fact, he just had surgery to fix a hole in his diaphragm, which vets say was likely caused by human abuse or another traumatic event. 

Marisa Basinger rescued JoJo six weeks ago and was in the process of rehabilitating him when he slipped out the front door near Jomax and Hayden Roads in Scottsdale.

Basinger left him at her parent’s house while she went out of town and JoJo isn’t accustomed to the area.

For days, Marisa and her twin sister Darcy walked the desert, handed out fliers and knocked on doors. 

They even used the service, www.lostmydoggie.com , which does targeted phone messages to get out the word. They also hired a pet detective who used canines to track JoJo’s scent. But, still, no luck.

Eventually, the sisters turned to social media for help. They reached out to George Clooney's girlfriend, Stacy Keibler, a known animal lover. 

The former Dancing with the Stars contestant shared JoJo’s picture with her 157,000 Facebook followers, with the message, “I hope you find him." The girls couldn't believe Keibler was kind enough to help spread the word.

Turns out, JoJo was rescued from Camp Cocker in Los Angeles, a shelter that rescues dogs from high-kill shelters- the same place where Clooney rescued his dog, Einstein.

“Coyotes and the heat… the first couple of days it was upwards of 112 and he doesn’t know how to tolerate that. I love him so much and I hope we can get him back and he can have another chance,” Marisa told ABC15.

JoJo is microchipped and was wearing a collar when he went missing, but he may be hard to find because of his timid temperament.

He is said to run away from people and traffic and due to his recent surgery, he is not in the best of health.

Even though JoJo is still missing, this story already has a silver lining. Monday, someone called thinking they had found JoJo. Turns out, it wasn't him. 

But, the sisters spent the day networking with vets and other rescue groups and were able to reunite that dog with its owner.

If you see JoJo, Basinger suggests kneeling down to see if he will be comfortable enough to come to you and to call her immediately at 626-755-6875.