Fireworks And Storm And Holiday Season. Do You Kno..
Tweet |
Fireworks and storm and holiday season .. do you know what to do if your pet goes missing? Or you find a missing pet? Read up!
WHAT TO DO IF YOUR DOG GOES MISSING
(plus what to do if you spot or find a loose dog)
.
When we suddenly find our dog has gone missing, we may panic some, and not think straight, or remember everything we should be doing.
.
During the holidays are common times for pets to go missing with all the distractions, visitors, and extra activities, so we thought we’d post our Lost & Found Pet Tips for you as we head into the new year.
.
PHOTOS: Have photos of your dog on your phone and some printed too. Make sure to include a side and front view, and full face too. And, if your dog’s grooming style affects the dog’s appearance markedly, have photos that cover off your dog’s different looks. It is handy to take photos of your dog’s license, tattoo, or microchip number just to have easy access to them on your phone in the emergency. It can also be good to take photos that include both you and your dog, few vet bills, and your dog’s license paperwork for proof of ownership if you need to claim your dog from the pound, humane society, or shelter.
.
SEARCH THE AREA IMMEDIATELY – (duh ) Show the photos on your phone to all the people in the area, provide your contact number, and let everyone know you are looking for your dog and will be in the area. Recruit others to help you search. Organize a search plan like a grid so all searchers know where to be looking and what areas have just been searched.
.
CONTACT: Local Animal Control, Human Society, Police, Shelters, Vet Clinics, and any local online sources for posting lost pets. Make sure you understand the local laws as to how long a found pet is held before it is released for adoption if the dog is a suitable candidate for that; you may not have as much time as you’d think, and will need to keep checking back regularly, if not daily. For example in my city, a lost dog who comes in without a license is only held for 3 days, a dog with a license is held for 10 days. Make sure where an official report is required, that you file one with the agency. (You may want to look these phone numbers up ahead of time and program them into your cell phone.)
.
SCENT THE AREA: If you’ve no luck finding your dog quickly, put out food, water, your dogs bed, and clothes worn by the dog’s family to scent the area where the dog went missing, potentially luring the dog back to it to be found by searchers.
.
FLYERS: use the photos you collected before your dog went missing to print up flyers that include contact information, details of where the dog went missing, if a reward is offered, and special instructions (such as: do not chase, drop low, avoid eye contact, gently toss treats or food to lure, please report all sightings). Always hold a detail back that will enable you to identify if any callers actually have your dog or not. Take precautions for your own safety should someone call and say they have your dog. Share electronic copies of your flyer on your social media. Go door to door, leaving flyers; do this in both the area the dog went missing and your home neighbourhood too if they differ, should your dog be making his way towards home. Post flyers up publicly where you are permitted by law to do so. Ask people to take a look around their yards, under decks, garages, sheds, and other hidey-holes.
.
AT HOME – put out food and water in case your dog comes home on his own and consider a humane trap to catch and keep your pet safe until you get home. Put up a large sign in your front yard so everyone in the neighbourhood knows you are looking for your lost dog.
.
TAKE ADS OUT – in your major newspaper, but also think smaller such as community papers or online classifieds that have lost/found pets columns and the like.
.
DON’T GIVE UP TOO SOON – with persistence many dogs make their way home that might otherwise not have done so, even after extended periods of time.
.
WHAT IF YOU SPOT A LOOSE DOG?
.
Take note of the date, time, location (address, cross streets), the direction the dog is traveling in, and the estimated speed of travel. Take a photo or video if possible. Note size, breed, approximate age if guessable, as well as if the dog is or is not wearing a collar or dragging a leash. If you are close enough take note of any distinguishing marks, injuries, and the dog’s general demeanor. Report the sighting to authorities and check your local social media for lost dogs reports or volunteer run organizations that help with lost pets.
.
Do not chase, whistle, or yell out. You can try to lure the dog with food, water, treats, but do so cautiously, slowly, calmly, patiently. Keep low to the ground and face sideways to the dog (that is make yourself seem smaller and less threatening). Avoid eye contact, sudden movements, excited or confrontational energy. Speak quietly in lower tones in a calm soothing voice, not a higher pitched playful, excited, happy one. You want your energy to be low key. If using treats to lure, begin at a distance, then slowly close the distance as trust is gained. Patience will be key. Keeping a spare leash in your car can come in handy. Never put yourself at risk trying to capture a dog that is acting aggressive; just get all the details you can to be helpful and report it to the authorities.
.
FOUND A LOOSE DOG?
.
It is often recommend that you do not immediately feed the dog if you will only be together for the very short term; the dog could have food allergies, or you could cause GI distress. Provide the dog with water though. If you capture the dog, but do not know who it belongs to or if anyone is looking for the dog, and there is no collar with contact info, check social media services for lost dogs in your area, take the dog to a local vet who can scan for a chip or check for a tattoo. If that does not help to identify the owner, contact the local humane society or Animal Control to turn the dog over to them, or to file a Found Dog report with them. If you decide to board the dog while you look for the owner, use caution with other pets and children in the home, following proper health, safety and introduction procedures. Put a sign in your yard to let people know you have found a dog and walk the dog frequently through the area. You can put up posters where you are legally permitted to do so. If someone contacts you to claim the dog, make sure they send you proof of ownership first (such as photos of them posing with the dog, vet bills, licensing documentation). Once the dog and owner have been reunited, make sure to backtrack and let all those agencies and services you advised of finding the lost dog know that the owner was found.
Source: https://www.facebook.com/repawsitory/photos/a.28189054881664..
Tweet |
Facebook Comments