"We got on there and reported [them] and were able to reunite three people's lost dogs," he said.
A recent scare involving his own pets made him curious about the inner workings of the page.
He was at work when a member of the online community posted a photo of two lost dogs that looked just like his own.
"I contacted the page, who contacted the original finder … [they] let me know where they'd been seen, sent a few more photos and it was enough for me to rush home," he said.
Dinny's dogs were safe but the interaction made an impression, and he fired off this question to Curious Canberra: "Who is behind the Canberra Lost Pet Database Facebook page?"
"This person's been at it for years … and every day. It's impressive stuff."
Keen to help Dinny find an answer, I messaged the Facebook page and had a reply within minutes.
The creator of the page, which now boasts more than 30,000 members, was happy to meet Dinny and I and answer our questions.
Meeting the person behind the page
When she's not manning the Facebook page, Anna Reimondos works as a research assistant.
When she's not manning the Facebook page, Anna Reimondos works as a research assistant.
ABC News: Sonya Gee
Anna Reimondos started the Canberra Lost Pet Database in 2013. She had just bought a house and was excited about getting a dog.
She saw a pattern as she searched Gumtree, the RSPCA, and the local pound's websites for options.
Anna started texting dog owners when she found a match and it gave her an idea — she was going to set up a central database to help Canberrans find their lost pets more easily.
Dinny McGettigan (centre) met the volunteers who use Facebook to help reunite Canberra's lost pets with their owners.
ABC News: Sonya Gee
Dinny had always imagined that a single person ran the page but he wasn't too surprised when he met four additional volunteers — Michelle St Clair, Michelle Fitzpatrick, Chele Woods and Roberta Kennett.
Still, he had some questions about how the page worked.
Anyone can post a message about a lost or found pet on the page but a lot happens behind the scenes — to maximise the possibility of a match being made, and to protect the privacy of pet owners and finders.
"Usually one of us is up at about 6:30am and starts responding to messages," Anna explained.
"It's about 30-40 [posts] a day … Maybe eight solid hours [of work] between us."
What's not visible on the page is the amount of time the volunteers spend calling, texting and emailing people for more information in their attempts to make a match. They're constantly in touch with each other too.
Chele, a data analyst and volunteer on the page, naturally knows the statistics best.
"It's got to be close to about 1,000 [pet reunions] in the duration of the page — and that's the ones we know of," she said
The group makes sure that any good news is shared, especially if a pet has been missing for some time.
"The community really likes to know that they have contributed and made a difference," Roberta Kennett said.
Roberta has been working on the page for two years.
"You can almost see the rejoicing on the page from complete strangers who are going, 'that's amazing, that's just made my day.'"
For some volunteers, the work isn't limited to social media.
Several have completed an online pet detective course, and have tested their skills offline.
It helps to have a barbeque chicken or bacon on hand if you're trying to lure an anxious dog.
The women have also used a night-camera to track an elusive dog that had been roaming north Canberra for weeks.
"It's an interesting element of the work [but] it's not something we get to do a whole lot of," Chele said.
"The great thing that works about the page is that it's a community with nearly 30,000 people all looking out for your pet — you can't really beat that."
Handling the not-so-good news
Michelle St Clair is one of the newest volunteers. She's late to our gathering because she stopped to shepherd two unaccompanied dogs off a busy road en route.
"It's difficult because we're all pet owners, and so when we're looking after people's pets on the database, it's like looking after our own."
Beyond the Facebook page, Michelle St Clair is a pet minder and volunteer at Queanbeyan pound.
Beyond the Facebook page, Michelle St Clair is a pet minder and volunteer at Queanbeyan pound.
ABC News: Sonya Gee
Michelle keeps an emergency kit in the back of her car, with towels, gloves, hand sanitiser and body bags of various sizes. She used to be a paramedic, which has prepared her for the practicalities of the work.
Thankfully, the work has lighter moments too.
Michelle recently searched the Gungahlin Drive Extension looking for the body of a dead dog.
A dead bird on William Hovell Drive turned out to be a ream of paper that had been fanned out on the road.
The group communicates constantly on social media and catch up in person whenever they can.
The group communicates constantly on social media and catch up in person whenever they can.
ABC News: Sonya Gee
Every now and then a lost pigeon is reported to the page, which makes our questioner laugh.
Anna assured Dinny that all reports are taken seriously.
"One of the things we like to do is identify key members of the community who are good at specific breeds," she said.
They have a pigeon expert on call.
"If a pigeon is found, she knows exactly what kind of pigeon it is, if it's a racer pigeon, a Serbian highflyer, and she can usually identify who the owner might be."
It tells the story of a radio reporter who singlehandedly covered the immediate aftermath of the Great Alaskan Earthquake in 1964 by broadcasting out of her van.
