It's the veterinary technician in her, she said.
"I've seen way too many dogs and animals who have been hit by a car and then I've had to either put them to sleep or help put to sleep," said Carlton, who works at the Duluth Veterinary Hospital.
More than two years ago, Carlson's passion for helping lost pets led her to co-found a Facebook page dedicated to reconnecting people with their pets. The page, "Missing Pets in the Northland," began two years ago, and managing it is basically a second full-time job, except for the fact it doesn't pay a dime.
The "Missing Pets" page evolved out of a page called "Retrieving Lilly," which was launched to help bring a Cloquet beagle home. After Lilly was found, Carlson took over the page, which had grown a large following. She rebranded it to help all lost pets in the area — something she believed the region was missing.
Jennifer Cadigan of Proctor and Jessica Parvi, who recently moved from the area to Lakeville, Minn., have also been with the page since the beginning.
Amy Addy of Twig only recently joined the team. She became an administrator on the "Missing Pets" page in April, but has followed the page closely since its start.
"I would keep sending them lost dog posts from all the other pages," Addy said, "and they were like, 'Why don't you just join because you keep sending us stuff?'"
Addy's loved animals her entire life and she likes a good mission. She recently left a holiday party early to help search for a lost dog and has stopped traffic for a duck. This is just one of the reasons why her husband likes her to keep a reflective safety vest in her vehicle.
"He said, 'If you're going to be out running around in the middle of traffic with signs and dead animals, the least you can do is wear a vest,'" Addy said. "So I promised I will wear it."
Between the two of them, Addy and Carlson said their vehicles are usually equipped with kennels, blankets, slip leashes, treats, sign material, cat food and bags for deceased animals. They never know when someone might need their help.
