No Place like Home, Part 1

Finding or Returning a Lost Dog

Unfortunately, clicking the heels of our shoes, whether or not they be ruby slippers, will not bring our lost dogs home. Dogs do get lost for various reasons. We, as responsible and caring people, can and do help them get home. I'm reposting many suggestions I made a couple years ago with some modifications. The original post is Lost Dogs.

Sandy Beagle, aka Junebug

Sandy, a Beagle, decided to wander and lost her collar. She has a Home Again microchip which was missed when scanned. I'm researching microchips and will address them (they are wonderful and necessary) in Part 2. Sandy is also a very sociable Beagle who enjoys treats and likes to meet new people, which took her to Emily, the woman who found her and followed many of the steps outlined below to get her home.

I'm addressing both pet finders and those who've lost pets below. Please add constructive ideas in the comments.

#1 - NEVER keep a lost dog for your own w/o doing due diligence in finding that dog's original home. It has been and could be a cruel act for the family missing and searching for their dog. It may also be illegal - I haven't checked the statutes.

#2 - Do NOT bash the family who lost their pet in any way, shape, or form in any type of media. No one is perfect and dogs do get out or are inadvertently let out. People do not mean to lose pets; it happens. DO offer constructive sightings of their pet, prayers and support, and tools if needed (neon poster paper, cross-posting on social media, etc.).

• Presume she is LOST. Use Missing Pet Partnership, whose registered motto is ŪThink Lost, Not Stray. Someone from miles away may be searching for her; dogs can travel; even if they have only been gone a short time, they may look worse for wear: DON'T ASSUME.
• File a found report with the Humane Society, local and in the region, give them a photo, and physically LOOK for your pet every other day at the shelter - many pets come through and the front staff may miss someone admitted when they were on break or had a day off ; call Silverwalk and Bollinger County to give us a heads up, too (if no answer, please leave a voicemail).
• Have multiple photos of your dog in all sorts of light so spots will show or not show...recent concern noted on MPP.
• Put a found ad in the newspaper - right here, folks. Hold back some identifying thing and tell anyone who calls they will need to offer proof of ownership with photos, etc. Sometimes, the reaction of the dog to his real owner is proof enough!
• DON'T KEEP THE DOG. You are preventing someone from finding their pet. If you want the dog, let the Humane Society know; let me at Silverwalk Hounds know, and any other shelter close by. Complete an adoption application.
• Notify the vets and pet products stores; most have bulletin boards for lost and found pets. A picture is truly worth a thousand words.
• Check for a microchip or tattoo; check the collar - call the vet or number on the tags. Any vet or HSSEMO will scan a dog for you gratis.
• If your dog is missing, contact your microchip company. Home Again, for sure, has tools so you can print out flyers and information on your pet to share.
• Use social media; I am not particularly social but boy, I use it for dogs - it's how Monk came home! Put him on your page; ask friends and rescues to share him. POST ON SEMO LOST PETS ON FACEBOOK and SEMO Lost and Found Pet Group & Tweet! Text! Email! Get her out there so people can see her, BUT...remember, not everyone has regular or sometimes any access to the Internet or knows how to look online for a missing pet. Make an abundant effort to find the owner OFFLINE, too, with bright, minimal info posters and flyers.
• Document what you do in trying to find the family of a found pet - make a folder. You never want anyone to accuse you of stealing a dog. I had a man not long ago stop abruptly in front of my house; a Beagle released to me from HSSEMO was his dog, he said. Said dog wagged his tail, too, when he heard the man speak. He had no proof for me and didn't want to take him - long story but.....keep your ducks in a row and practice due diligence.
• Contact a breed rescue: they may have been contacted about a found dog. After Emily contacted me at Silverwalk Hounds, a former Beagle rescue, about Sandy, whom I called Junebug, I posted her on Facebook not only to SEMO Lost and Found Pet Group, SEMO Lost Pets, but also to Beagles on the Web.

TAGS

I recently added two different collar tags to my dogs's repertoire: the Mimi Green Buckle Tag worn by Annie Beagle

and the Pet Hub QR Tag worn by Justus.

Shiloh had a Pet Hub QR Collar Tag, too - it was effectively used to return him...and then he lost it (the entire collar, of course). He IS microchipped!

I prefer collar tags to hanging tags because they don't get lost as easily. My favorite is Boomerang but I really like the PetHub, too. Of course, like Sandy above and Shiloh, collars, too, can come off which is why microchips and proper scanning for them is so very crucial to getting a dog home. Which do you prefer? How are you prepared to find your lost dog?

Next week: Microchips

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