If Your Dog Is Missing

Sometimes, even the most closely watched dogs can escape from the safest of homes. If this happens to your precious pet, the following suggestions should, hopefully, help reunite you.

But first, if your dog is microchipped, ensure that the information is current. And if his ID tag was worn-out, order a new one – the best is steel and slides onto the collar itself. Inscribe it with two telephone numbers plus area code and your street address including city or county and state.

Grab your dog’s leash, a wrinkled bag, like a plastic shopping bag or potato chip bag, and some enticing treats such as pieces of a hot dog. Take a long, slow walk through your neighborhood. Perhaps your dog wandered into a neighbor’s yard to check out an exciting smell or to follow the scent of another dog several blocks away.

If you see your dog, remain calm. Do NOT call him. It may seem counterintuitive, but calling a dog can cause him to run from you, and if he does, do NOT chase him. This can either add to his fear or turn into a game, potentially causing him to travel farther than he had before. Try, instead, to lure him to you with the sound of the crinkly bag and the scent of those enticing treats. If this tactic fails and he runs off, alert your neighbors, tell them to be on the lookout for him, and leave them your contact information.

According to pet detectives, how far a lost dog travels depends on the dog: some are found within the neighborhood where they went missing, while others can roam for hundreds of miles. Dogs who are scared or who have a fearful temperament are often inclined to run and travel greater distances.

Leave (discard and re-fill daily) a bowl of your dog’s favorite food and a bowl of fresh water outside your home in case he finds his way back to you on his own. You might even consider placing the bowls in a humane trap that will hold him until you recover him.

Print out flyers (the brighter the paper the better) with a large, clear photo of your dog and ensure the words “LOST DOG” or “MISSING DOG” and the REWARD you’re offering can be read easily from several feet away or from a passing car. (Should you receive a call from someone claiming to have your dog, be extremely cautious. Have the caller read all of the information on the ID tag or — if the tag is “gone” – describe down to the smallest detail the dog he or she has found).

Ask your family, friends and all willing neighbors to join you at the point your dog was last seen and fan out in a two to five mile radius, handing out flyers to everyone you see. Search local parks and areas near a food or water source. In the ensuing days, visit the shelters, humane societies and rescue organizations, police departments, vet clinics and emergency animal hospitals within that radius, and if your dog isn’t there, leave them your flyers. Wherever possible, include gas stations, restaurants and coffee shops, small businesses, schools, libraries and pet stores. This will ensure that everyone knows what your dog looks like and to be on the lookout for him.

Post that same flyer on your personal Facebook page and ensure your privacy setting is “public” so it can be shared.  Ask everyone to RESHARE that post, then send emails or text blasts to people you know in your area and ask them to forward it to everyone they know. Post it as well on Twitter, Pinterest, Google+, Instagram and on the Nextdoor app.

List your dog on such sites as https://petcolove.org/lost/lost-and-found-pets/florida/, www.pawboost.com, Missing Pet Network, Petfinder, FindFido.com, Center for Lost Pets and Facebook Lost and Found for your county to reach even more people. Post a “Lost Dog” ad on Craigslist under PETS and LOST AND FOUND, and keep checking under FOUND dogs as well. Renew your ad frequently to keep it at the top of the page. Do ongoing online searches for dogs fitting the description of yours. Someone may have him and may be attempting to sell him.

Now YOU must make every effort to maintain as much of your normal routine as possible. The wear and tear – both mental and physical — of this ordeal is substantial and shouldn’t be underestimated. And try to remember that dogs missing for weeks or months have, more often than not, been returned to their owners.