I know I'm a biatch when it comes to pups/dogs. I've had 2 well taken care of stray pups come into my life. The schnauzer was 6 mos old. Like you, if it was my dog, I would have torn this town apart looking for him. I refused to put an ad in the paper although I did watch it. Nothing. I kept him.
Last September, my DH found a 5lb chihuahua behind a 6' chain link fence when he pulled into work. Claws were awful and she wasn't spayed (in fact, pregnant-lost the pup). She seemed to have been carried everywhere. The only step I took with this one was to see if she was chipped-nope. After 2 wks I quit looking at the paper. She's got a good life now.
Bottom line, if you love and loose your dog, you'd better put an ad in the paper if I find her!