WAUKESHA, Wis. (CBS 58) -- Tuesday, Jan. 20, marks 10 days since a Waukesha family's beloved dog went missing.

The freezing temperatures are not making it an easy search, causing major concerns for the dog's safety.

"It becomes very discouraging," said Melinda Basterash. "We just want her home, it's cold."

Basterash says she's spent the past 10 days worried sick about her 5-year-old lab, Shelby.

"No sleep, not eating, trying to really just get her home," said Basterash. "You know, it was driving around, crawling through woods, trying to get any sightings."

Basterash says she was at her mother-in-law's funeral when her dog was let out into the backyard with no leash and ran off.

"We are telling everybody, check Ring cameras, check Nest cams," said Basterash. "She's trying to get warm, check under bushes."

Lost Dogs of Wisconsin

The last place the pup was believed to be seen was near Good Times Summer Day Camp in Waukesha.

"Frustrating, discouraging," said Basterash. "We get small glimmers of hope when we maybe have a sighting."

From drone searches to posters and search parties, the dangerous cold has weighed heavily on those providing a helping hand.

"It is getting too cold, too cold for Shelby, and we need to get her home," said Jennifer Formolo, who has been helping in the search. "We walked woods on Saturday for miles, probably four miles worth of woods. We were army crawling, we were getting smacked in the face with branches, it was brutally cold."

With even colder temperatures in the forecast, the clock is ticking as the worries for Shelby's health and safety rise.

"It was brutally cold and today is even more cold," said Formolo. "We have to find her before the weekend, because as we all know, we are going into extreme weather conditions on Friday."

In the meantime, Basterash is holding onto hope that she and her other dog, Sam, will be reunited with their forever furry friend.

If you have seen Shelby or have any information about her whereabouts, you can call 414-477-0313.