HOW TO FIND A LOST DOG...

[JACQUE]

How To Find A Lost Dog

First, search your property thoroughly. Small dogs can get into some mighty strange places.

The point is, look in EVERY nook and cranny.

Look behind, under, and inside washing machines, clothes dryers, stoves, refrigerators, and dish washers. Look behind water heaters, in boxes, under furniture, under beds, in closets, in cabinets, in shelves and bookcases, in drain pipes, in sewer drains, in culvert pipes, under vehicles, in crawl spaces under the house, inside sheds and barns, etc. In the case of cats, also look in attic crawl spaces, on the roof, in roof gutters, and up in the trees.

Walk the neighborhood, talk to everybody, and leave your phone number.

Go to each house in the area where your pet was lost and talk to the residents. Write down a description of your lost pet and your phone number and leave it with them. Leave it attached to their door if they are not home.

Talk to everybody you run across. This includes the postman, paperboy, children, parents waiting at the school bus stop, school crossing guards, neighborhood crime watch groups, garbage pick-up crews, etc. Give them a written description of your pet and your phone number as well.

Try to get all the neighborhood children involved. Kids are great at finding lost pets!

Ask everybody if they saw or heard anything unusual in the neighborhood and carefully write down everything they tell you. This could include strange vehicles, work crews, people, or activities. Get detailed descriptions of everything.

Don't travel alone. Take a friend or family member with you.

Don't write down your name or address. Because of scam artists and other criminals in our society, it is never a good idea to publicize this information.

Offer a reward, but don't state the amount.

Make some noise while you walk around the neighborhood! Animals can hear you from great distances.

Have all your family members call the pet's name.

If your pet has a favorite "squeaky toy" bring it along and use it to help you make familiar noises.

Use an "Acme Dog Whistle" to get your pet's attention. The high-pitched sound from these whistles can carry up to a mile or more. Cats are attracted to this sound as well as dogs. (Note: this whistle is the "silent" ultrasonic type, but has a simple adjustment that lowers the tone into the human audible range. Use this audible tone when searching for your pet because the sound will carry farther)

Carry a box of your pet's favorite biscuits, chews, or other treats and rattle it loudly while calling your pet's name.

Make any other noise that your pet is familiar with.

It's also important to stop regularly, be quiet, and listen for your pet to make a noise in reply.

The neighbors will think you're crazy, but hey, this is your pet's life we're talking about here!

Bring a powerful flashlight (even during daylight hours) for checking in dark spaces.

A frightened or injured cat will hide in dark spaces and will not come to you. An injured dog will also hide in dark places.

Use your flashlight for checking under houses and other dark spots. Also check storage sheds, garages, dumpsters, trash cans, and under cars.

Place strong-scented articles outside your home to attract your pet. Animals find their way by scent as well as sound.

Place some of your dirty clothes outdoors. Sweaty gym socks and jogging suits are great for this!

Place a dogs bedding and favorite toys outside.

Put out some smelly food such as tuna, sardines, or warm, freshly cooked chicken, liver, or other savory meat. Be sure to protect the food if you can, so that other animals don't eat it!

Call local veterinarian offices during the day. After 5 PM, call veterinarian emergency clinics.

Find out if your pet was injured and taken to any of these offices or clinics for treatment.

If an office has taken in or treated any animal that even remotely resembles your pet, VISIT THE OFFICE IN PERSON. Your description of your pet and their description of the same pet rarely match. YOU MUST GO SEE FOR YOURSELF!

Also ask them for the phone numbers of local rescue organizations. They generally keep a list and may even work with them.

Call each of the rescue organizations and ask for their help and find out if they have your pet. These groups generally network with each other and will pass the word about your case.

VISIT your local Animal Control, humane societies, and animal shelters, including the ones in surrounding areas.

You must actually visit the animal control and humane shelters every day or two. It works well if several family members can take turns visiting the shelters.

Your description of your pet and their description rarely match. YOU MUST GO LOOK! Be sure to check all areas of the shelter, including the infirmary. Also be aware that dogs may be housed in the cat section and vice-versa.

Leave a picture of your pet and your phone number at each shelter. Befriend them.

Find out the holding period of each animal control and humane shelter. Be aware of how much time you have to claim your pet before it is euthanized!

Government Animal Control agencies usually keep an animal for only 3 days and then they either adopt it out or kill it. You only get one chance at this. Be there!

Ask Animal Control, humane societies, and shelters about pet rescue organizations in your area.

Usually there are smaller pet rescue groups that work with the local humane shelter. They often take pets from the shelter to save them from euthanasia and adopt them out to new homes.

Call the rescue groups regularly to see if they have your pet.

Find out if your pet has been killed on the road.

This is a very sad but necessary task. Otherwise, you may never know what happened to your pet and it could haunt you for years.

The road crews for your local and state department of transportation (DOT) usually pick up dead animals from the roadside and city streets. In some cases Animal Control does this as well. You have to call around and find out which agencies do this service in your area. Be sure to find them all!

Dogs are usually picked up within 24 hours, but cats often are not.

Call the city, county, and state road crews, DOT, and Animal Control EVERY DAY to see if they have found your pet's body.

Make arrangements to visit their offices so you can speak with them face to face. Befriend them and leave a photo of your pet so the road crews can be on the lookout for it.

If any of them do not cooperate with your efforts, contact City Hall as a last resort and complain. This usually gets a response. But remember, you will get better results with courteous personal visits.

If your pet is wearing an ID tag, the DOT and/or Animal Control agencies should contact you if they find your pet dead along the road. But don't count on it. You must put forth the effort to find out for yourself!

Sadly, this section has a higher "find" rate than anything else except posted flyers.

It is extremely important to post MANY flyers about your lost pet within a 1-mile radius of where it was lost.

Overall, flyers or posters produce more "finds" than anything else. But don't neglect the rest of the tips!

Your budget will determine how many flyers you can afford to post, but the more the better.

DO NOT PUT YOUR NAME OR ADDRESS ON YOUR FLYER!

If possible, it is best to place a color photo of your pet on each flyer.

Use 8-1/2" X 11" fluorescent paper for high visibility.

List the date and place your pet was lost, breed of dog or cat, sex, age, weight, color, markings, and your telephone number. Offer a reward, but don't state the amount.

It is very important to always withhold several identifying marks and characteristics of your lost pet. You may need to use these later to verify that a person has actually found your pet and is not trying to scam you. More on this later.

Post the flyers at waist level on telephone poles and at eye level in such places as veterinary offices, pet shops, barber & beauty shops, grocery stores, community bulletin boards, churches, pizza parlors, laundromats, convenience stores, near schools, and on school bulletin boards.

Examine your posted flyers frequently and replace the ones that are missing or damaged.

Place an Ad in your local newspaper. Some will do this for free.

Be sure to advertise in the Sunday edition as well as during the week.

Also place an ad in any "Penny Saver" type of publications you might have in your area.

Check the newspaper "found" ads every day.

Most newspapers provide free ads to people who have found lost pets.

Also check regularly in any other local publications.

Don't ever give up! Pets have been known to find their way back home after being lost for several months. Good luck!

Don't wander around looking for your pet alone, either during the day or at night. Always bring a friend or relative. This is especially important in unfamiliar neighborhoods.
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[Wanda P]

I had a "friend" loose my dog when i was in the hospital and i recommend walkie talkies and get the neighboorhood kids involved. Mine was in the middle of winter, thank god it was chinooking and it was warm weather. I looked 4 days straight and found him, from a stranger at a christmas tree lot saw him.

Be aware that some places its illegal to offer a reward, especially in calgary, alberta canada. I literally found the dog catcher and said i will give you 100.00 cash if you get my dog, he kind of looked at me strange. But that was after i saw yoda and he ran away from me, when he was 2 feet away from me, he was so scared. MICROCHIP YOUR ANIMALS, key if someone keeps you dog. We found yoda, with the catchers help, the people that saw me gasping for air, caught him, and the strangest thing was he was headed in the direction of "home" always check the pound daily too

[Lea's boys]

Very impressive detail, Jacque!