A friend's dog has been missing for about a month. The dog somehow ran away from a fenced yard. My friend put ads everywhere, called around shelters, with no luck. Who knows where the poor dog is by now.

The part I'm confused and a bit frustrated about is that the dog even has a microchip pet ID but is still missing. Whoever found the dog could've at least taken the dog to a nearby shelter or a veterinarian so that the dog could be scanned for identification. Suppose the dog is still alive (unless she was hit by a car, which I don't want to think about), that means someone may have kept the dog and that this person may not know the dog is wearing a microchip ID.

Well, it is just my speculation... any scenario is possible. I shouldn't jump to conclusions.

If you find a stray dog not wearing a collar with a pet ID, please take the dog to a vet or a shelter (no kill shelter, please!) to be scanned. There is a possibility that the dog wears a microchip pet ID. This will increase the chance of the dog and owner's reunion.