Your dog is your sidekick, best friend, pal, etc. You can’t imagine life without him. But one day your dog escapes.
What do you do now!? You certainly don’t want to abandon your dog to whatever adventures he may be enjoying without you. What if he is hurt or gets picked up by the wrong people? You just HAVE to find him!
We understand – you simply must find your dog. For many reasons, including the fact that you miss him and want him (or her) safely home with you. The problem is you just don’t really know what you should do other than keep scouring the neighborhood.
Here we have some tips for you to aid you in that search:
Don’t Skip the Search Party
As soon as you notice your pet is missing you should get out and start looking. If it hasn’t been very long since the dog escaped, your chances are good of him being close by still.
Walk and canvas the neighborhood and surrounding areas. Make noise and call the dog’s name just like you might call the dog at home to come to you. Don’t be afraid to catch passerby and ask if they’ve seen your dog. You might even feel comfortable knocking on a few nearby doors.
Call Around
Start checking with local shelters and don’t stop checking. Some shelters will check incoming animals for tags or microchips but some just hold them. Keep calling and checking. Go by local shelters and look for yourself.
Some shelters only keep stray animals for a matter of a few days so it is important you call or check several times a day just in case your dog shows up there or is brought in.
There is a fine line between checking in regularly and being a nuisance. There is no need to call every house but maybe schedule to call 2-3 times a day to check in and see if your dog has turned up. You never know when he could be found.
Make Posters
It seems a little bit “old school” but it’s still a good idea to post wanted posters around town. You never know who may have seen your missing dog. Not everyone has access to online or social media sites to try to track down an owner.
You can even offer a reward as an added incentive. Be careful offering rewards and make sure you recover your pet first. Unfortunately, there are a lot of people who would scam you or take advantage just to get a few dollars.
Use Internet Resources
Thanks to ever-advancing technology, we have the option of using resources from our phones and computers. Many cities and communities have local humane society pages and even lost and found pet page.
Take the time to scroll these pages to see if anyone has posted your dog as being found and held at a location. Sometimes people who find pets keep them at their homes while they search for an owner.
Additionally, you should post a picture and a vivid description of your animal, complete with name and maybe even a few characteristics of your dog. This allows others to be on the lookout for your pet and gives them a clue as to how they might be able to handle your dog if they find him.
Pet Finder Apps
Recently, a number of apps have been created that were designed to help you find a lost pet, such as Shadow. These apps are a valuable resource and there are a large number of them available. Many of them offer free services to help you find your pet.
The services these apps offer could vary but at the very least they will connect you with a community that will support you in your search for your lost dog. Many pet finder apps will check shelter pictures and compare them to your animal.
These apps could do any number of things from avidly searching for your missing dog to providing you with flyers to even allowing you to send a missing dog alert to your contacts.
Conclusion
Finding a lost dog can be hard but don’t give up hope. There are a number of resources to help you find your dog. Chances are he is looking for you too.
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