LOST DOG RECOVERY

 Here is my article on Lost Dog Recovery. 

The first 24 hours are critical, and offer you the best chance of getting your dog back safely.  Do whatever you have to to dedicate this time entirely to finding your dog. 

Domesticated dogs when lost can quickly go into Survival Mode where they revert back to their primal instincts. When a dog is stressed, serotonin is suddenly depleted resulting in short term memory loss- pushing the dog into survival mode. This can happen almost immediately, or take a couple of weeks to occur.  If your dog normally comes to you and now runs away, he has likely gone into survival mode. They search only for food/water, shelter, and safety. They are fearful of humans, and will not even recognize their owner by sight alone. They have to get the scent of their human to remember. 

A live trap may be necessary to catch the dog at this point.

Check the trap every few hours, be patient, it may not work right away. If after a week the dog has not entered the trap I would move it to a new location.

If you can get close to the dog, offer high odor foods like cooked bacon, or hamburgers.

Toss the food to him if he won’t take it from your hand.  Getting him close enough to pick up the owners scent may be enough for him to remember and recognize the owner. Lying down on the ground, NOT making eye contact often lures the fearful dog closer. Cooking bacon in the area where the dog has been seen can be helpful, the strong scent travels.

If the dog is staying in one area bring a large bowl of water, and things with his scent on them like his blanket or bed, and a piece of the owner’s used clothing, place them in a sheltered area with brush or trees, instead of out in the open.  A hungry dog is more likely to get caught, so I don’t leave food unless it’s in a trap.  Food on the open ground will attract other animals, which may drive your dog away.  

Survival mode is only temporary, and once the dog is captured they will quickly return to normal.

Be PROACTIVE  before your dog gets lost:

-Have a clear current color photo of your dog available.

-Microchip your dog, license them, and put ID on your dogs collar.   A flat buckle or a snug martingale collar, embroidered with dog’s name and your  phone number are the best. Second best would be an engraved tag riveted to a collar, third  best would be a dog tag hanging from a collar.  Dogs who are licensed can be traced if they are wearing a tag when they are found.

-Have the local animal organizations phone numbers ready in your address book and cell phone. 

- Wearing a GPS collar will send the dog’s location to your cell phone.  Be sure to keep the battery charged.

-Train your dog so they have a solid recall, and to wait for a release word at thresholds. 

-Many dogs are lost when the bolt out a vehicle or house door.   I have detailed articles on training Recall, as well as Barrier and Threshold Training.

Here are some SUGGESTIONS:

- Sometimes the sound of kibble being dropped into a dogs food bowl, or his favorite squeaky toy may entice the dog to come back.

-Dogs that are microchipped have a much higher chance of being reunited with their owners. Call the microchip company immediately and tell them you know the dog is lost, as they often have poster templates and other suggestions that may help.

-Keep collar ID tags updated with two contact phone numbers, home city, and state.

-Rescues/shelters usually don’t keep microchip records once the pet is adopted, so the new owner must have updated that information- or else it is useless.

-Licensed dogs can be traced back to their owners by the license number. Be sure your contact information is current.

- Automated services like LostMy Doggie and FindToto for a fee will immediately send out Amber Alerts, and phone or email thousands of people that may have seen your dog.

- Leave an article of your dirty clothing, the dogs bed or blanket, and a large bowl of water in the area last seen. Often dogs will stay by that. Dogs are most active at dawn and dusk.

- Search the area, enlist neighborhood kids to help by offering them a reward.

-Talk to delivery and postal people.

- Post with a photo on social media, ask people to please SHARE your post.

- Contact local Animal Control, local Shelters, Veterinarians,Kennels, Pet Store, Sheriff’s office dispatch clerk, and rescues by phone. Some organizations will not tell you over the phone if they have the dog, so it’s best to also go in person, and ask if you can leave a poster and contact information with them.

- Keep visiting local dog parks and shelters to check, continue to hand out flyers. 

- File a lost pet report with all organizations within a 60 mile radius of the area the dog was lost in. 

-Search online in 3-5 adjoining counties. 

-A Craigslist lost dog ad may produce results. Check newspaper classified “found” ads as well.

-Put an ad in the local newspaper.

-Get local radio and TV to run an ad. 

-Put large signs up at your home, people driving and walking by may recognize the dog.

-Make up 8”x 10” posters which are colorful and eye catching, have a current clear photo of dog, note distinguishing markings, reward if offered, ( leave out one thing about your pets description, so you can use that to verify that the person does actually have your dog, as there are people who will try and have you wire them money to get the dog,and they don’t actually have them).  Add information like medications needed, DO NOT CHASE, wearing collar ( what color), dragging leash, last seen at what location. Add two contact numbers, and an email address to the poster. Putting small tear off strips at the bottom of the poster, each containing LOST DOG and your contact numbers makes it more convenient for a person to contact you.

- Post signs in well lit areas at eye level in convenience stores, supermarkets, community post  boards, entrances and exits to Parks, Bus stops,  phone poles, local coffee shop, anywhere it is legal to post them.

- Make up smaller business card sized posters you can hand out.

- In bilingual communities put up signs in both languages.

-www.animal-care.com sells large live traps. Dog wardens may also have live traps.

- Sometimes it takes weeks, even months or years to find a missing dog, don’t give up!

Use CAUTION:

-Never agree to pay a reward until you have the dog safely in hand.

- Be wary of Pet Recovery / Pet Detectives, anyone can put a “search dog” vest on an untrained dog and charge you a fee, so be sure to get references from them.

- If someone claims to have your dog, but won’t return him, call the police department.

- Never go to pickup your found dog alone, tell someone exactly where you are going, take a cell phone with you, and at least one other adult.

More articles like Runaway Syndrome,  Noise Phobias and Dogs, Pup Basic Manners Training, and Senior Dog Care are at my sites below, which are open to the public and free of charge.

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https://allbasics-dogtraining.blogspot.com/

https://www.facebook.com/AllBasicsDogTrainingKimChappell/