LOST Or MISSING DOG? What to Do
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LOST or MISSING DOG? What to Do **See references and credits throughout this document and on the last page. ****ACT RAPIDLY****DO NOT WAIT TO SEE IF “ROVER” RETURNS ON HIS/HER OWN!!! Dogs become frightened and disoriented when lost and, depending upon the breed, may travel FAR and FAST. Vizslas for example can run more than 40 mph for great distances! Once away from their home turf, lost dogs can develop a form of stress disorder and many CANNOT find their way home. Also, dog thieves (known as "flippers") can grab a dog and have it in the next state — or across the country -- within hours. Read about flipping here http://business.time.com/2013/07/16/pet-flipping-is-now-a-thing/ FIRST: Is your dog microchipped? If he/she is then contact the chip company immediately to notify them that he/she is missing. Make sure your contact information is registered and up to date with the chip company. You do not want a bad guy to be able to change the chip information. There is a lot of work to do so you will need the help of family, friends, and neighbors. Assemble a TEAM of as many helpful friends, family members & neighbors as you possibly can. DELEGATE, DELEGATE, DELEGATE: Have these friends begin to call in others to do tasks such as help search, to make, pick up, post, and hand out flyers, etc. Think about enlisting help from Community Service Clubs such as Elks, Church/Synagogue, Rotary, Girl/Boy Scouts, Equestrian Clubs or Teams (often at local Universities or horse boarding facilities). DRONE clubs are the newest “thing”. Many of these hobbyists have drones with infrared detectors which can spot a dog in a wide-open search area that would otherwise be difficult to reach. Designate ONE person as the Co-Captain/Point of Contact, to help take pressure from you. That “Captain” should assign jobs to everyone, taken from the list below. Reserve YOUR MOBILE PHONE, AND THAT OF ONE “BACKUP” PERSON, for 24/7 calls, Personal Messages, and text messages for Dog Recovery ONLY. Someone should always answer a call/PM within minutes. At the place where your dog went missing, have someone leave a collection of some of “Rover’s” bedding, , water, shelter (wooden box or a dog crate), and smelly clothes Rev 12/5/2018 Orig 3/20/2016 belonging to owner(s). You should also include a washcloth or fabric saturated with the owner's urine—really (!). You might even mix the urine with a little water in a spray bottle and spray in the area. “Rover” knows the owner’s scent so this will act as a “scent beacon” and safe place to help possibly keep “Rover” in the area or lure “Rover” back in. (One family did this at rescue’s suggestion and found the dog. The family credited the urine with helping to keep the dog in the area where he was found.) You can also put out highly scented food (such as minced hot dog, deli meat, rotisserie chicken, flavorful roast, etc.) but that may also attract other animals that may eat the food or scare off the missing dog. Quickly review this link to get a general sense of what to do and what NOT to do: http://m.granitestatedogrecovery.com/Lost-Dog-Quick-Action-Plan.html Also, check out Maddie’s Fund and read “What You Don’t Know About Lost Pets Can Hurt Them”: http://www.maddiesfund.org/Maddies_Institute/Articles/What_You_Dont_Know_About_L ost_Pets_Can_Hurt_Them.html. According to Maddie’s Fund and Missing Pet Partnership, based on knowledge of the effects of "inattentional blindness" and the poor visibility of most lost pet signs, Missing Pet Partnership has discovered a creative and highly effective tool for recovering lost pets. When it comes to marketing a lost dog to people driving in cars who typically don't pay attention to signs, you have only five seconds using five words to get a message across to drivers who are traveling at 55 miles per hour. Most pet owners make the mistake of posting flyers (8 1/2" x 11" white pieces of paper) instead of posters. Flyers are too small and very few people passing by notice them. People notice neon posters. So, if possible make brightly colored posters. If you are unable to make poster then make brightly colored flyers and engage your volunteers to help distribute/post. On the FLYERS: BE SURE THAT BOTH 24/7 PHONE NUMBERS ARE PROMINENTLY DISPLAYED AT THE TOP; AS WELL AS THE DATE/TIME OF LOSS, THE CITY AND STATE AND NEAREST ADDRESS OR INTERSECTION (or nearest major feature, if in a rural area). If a reward is offered, this should be at the TOP OF THE PAGE. Include a GOOD, RECENT, CLEAR photo of your pet (download a similar one from the internet if you don't have one). State the Breed/type, gender, whether spayed/neutered, whether microchipped, and whether wearing collar or tags (describe) at the time of loss. ABSOLUTELY DO NOT DISCLOSE the microchip number, a description of the collar/harness/tags, or any identifying markings such as birthmarks, scars, special colorings or patterns on the coat. Retain this, along with other evidence of ownership (photos of you with your dog/family, microchip registration, veterinary records) and keep Rev 12/5/2018 Orig 3/20/2016 this with you. In the event your pet is found but ownership is contested, this is the proof that you will need that "Rover" is in fact yours. FLYERS SHOULD BE MADE UP OF WATERPROOF/WINDPROOF/TEAR-RESISTANT PAPER FOR POSTING (most commercial printers including Staples, Kinko's, etc. can do these). This special paper (rather than laminate) may be used to lower costs. Those to hand out should still be in color but need not be on the special paper. Plastic sheet protectors don’t work terribly well (as they allow moisture in and the ink on flyers to "bleed") but, if they are hung upside down, they can work in a pinch while better flyers are made. When making your flyer put MISSING or LOST. If you think your dog was stolen it may not be advisable to put STOLEN as this may make people not want to get involved. If someone finds the dog they may not want to be accused of stealing it so may not contact you. Unless otherwise advised by a professional, offering as large a REWARD as you can will motivate some people (who otherwise wouldn't care) to keep a lookout, and noting “no questions asked” may help to bring people forward. In the case of dog theft or "flipping" this may be your pet's only ticket home. If in an area where Spanish is spoken frequently, add the following phrase to your flyer/ads: "Perro perdido, grande recompensa, sin hacer preguntas" (LOST dog large reward, no questions asked"). Adjust for other common languages regionally spoken, as appropriate. Post flyers and hand them out to everyone including: • Shelters • FedEx • convenience • veterinary clinics • propane delivery stores • animal control drivers • schools • rescue groups in • Trash/Recycle • pet stores the area drivers • feed stores • Police • Food delivery • grocery stores • Sheriff drivers • doggie day cares • Highway Patrol • truck stops • pet groomers • Fire • tow truck services • and anywhere • Postal Service • gas stations else you can think • UPS of. You want “Rover’s” flyer to be everywhere so everyone can see it. Go to LostMyDoggie, FindingRover, FidoFinder, and FindingLost Pets and register there. Those websites can make flyers and will have options to send out alerts to veterinary clinics and/or shelters, depending upon what you sign up for. Rev 12/5/2018 Orig 3/20/2016 If your personal Team cannot do hand out flyers, hire or recruit neighborhood volunteers to HAND-CIRCULATE flyers to every address within five miles of your residence; perhaps farther on rural roads. Leaving in mailboxes is against Federal Law (USPS); volunteers must hand-deliver or leave on doorstep/handle. Many isolated communities are still reliant on "paper communication" rather than social media or any other form. Contact local media, including television, radio, and newspaper. If it is a slow news day they may want to use it as a “Special Interest” story. Also, if the dog went missing in a rural or wooded area,look for people who may have game cameras or tracking cameras. If you can, try to get to look at that footage to see if your dog passed by. The kind folks at Connecticut Animal Recovery Group will make a poster FOR you FOR FREE if you cannot do so yourself: https://www.facebook.com/groups/CTAnimalRecoveryLLC/ Local Law Enforcement: If the purchase price of your dog was in excess of $1000.00, theft is a FELONY—Police/Sheriffs may be willing to take a police report and help you in any case. CALL AND ASK!! SOCIAL MEDIA WORKS!! Spread the word quickly and efficiently in this way; others will share your post to all the right people and places. Consider creating a Facebook Page dedicated solely to "BRING ROVER HOME", rather than using your personal one. In any case: ***Facebook posts should look just like your flyers. Make them EASY TO READ Consider adding a trusted person or two to act as additional Page Administrators, so that messages can be read/responded to/ updates posted RAPIDLY.*** Make sure your post share setting is set to “Public” and share the post and/or page with all local friends, as well as to FB Pages for all types of agencies/groups as suggested in links here and on “Resources by State”.