A recent Dogs Today survey showed more than 95% of all dog owners have lost their pet at least once. For many, thankfully, it was only for a few seemingly endless minutes, but long enough for panic to set in.
No matter how careful you are, accidents can and do happen.
How can you increase your chances of your lost dog coming home?
Register at DogLost – before they’re lost!
It sounds counterintuitive to register at DogLost when your dog isn’t lost, but trust us, it makes perfect sense.
If you’re lucky enough to have never lost a dog, you may not be able to predict how you would react.
As a kid did you ever get separated from mum or dad in the supermarket? It’s that same degree of panic. This makes most of the population incapable of doing even simple things. So, act now, your future self will really thank you.
Take photos of your pet from all angles
Fast forward to scrolling frantically through a gallery of found dogs photos. It’s surprisingly hard to spot your own dog in a line-up of the same breed and colour especially after days of living rough. Maybe make a diary note to update those photos regularly, a new haircut can make a huge difference with a shaggy dog, for instance. You can store these on DogLost and upload a pic on our database, too. Keep these photos fresh.
Look closely at what your dog wears
The dog tag is your first line of defence. Everyone can see a tag – not everyone has a microchip scanner! Dogs are incredibly well dressed these days. Has every collar and harness got your up-to-date ID firmly attached?
PetDatabase.com do a very affordable Smart Pet Tag that has a QR code that links directly to your chip data. This means you can change your details on all the collars online instantly, so all your ID is always bang up to date. Perfect for when you go on holiday together or when you move house.
Theft by finding
If someone finds your dog, there is a danger of them imagining they are rescuing an unwanted dog. Not everyone knows that you must report found dogs to the dog warden.
If your dog looks thin and dishevelled – as most will do quite quickly – the finder may imagine they are ‘rescuing’ your beloved dog from a bad owner. Make sure you make it clear that no matter how scruffy your dog now looks, they are loved by making it easy for them to reunite you before they get too attached.
Make it clear your dog is loved
You can add details like “I am loved, chipped and neutered, please contact my people” as additional info to the Smart Pet Tag, so you don’t need to worry about how many engraved words you can fit on a traditional collar. So long as a collar stays on your dog, that message will never fall off.
Don’t scrimp on safety
Lots of dogs are lost on walks – maybe something frightens them, and they bolt even when on the lead. When motivated, dogs can reverse out of their collar or harness, so maybe invest in something more substantial.
Brush up your recall
Distractions like squirrels can put distance between you and can pull a lead out of your hand or even pull you over. Address these things to keep you both safe. Book some time or even a training walk with a local positive dog trainer.
Check the chip works
The vet should be able to do this for you. Is the number what you thought it was? We recently had a case where two littermates were given each other’s paperwork by mistake by the breeder. They’d each updated the wrong chip number religiously. So easy for that to not be noticed until one of the dogs goes missing and the wrong contact details are listed.
Find out where your dog’s chip is
Some of them move. Especially if you have a thin-skinned dog like a sight hound. if you have a dog whose chip has migrated to say a leg, best you know. A quick sweep with a scanner may not get a beep. The Smart Pet Tag is easy for everyone to spot as it’s on the collar – but with an oddly placed chip maybe, belt and braces, you can add even more details in the description, something like “I am chipped – it’s hard to find, keep looking”.
Be prepared
Find out what happens to found dogs in your area. Does your council have a dog warden, not all do. Some have contracts with kennels. Make a list of the numbers you might need to call to check if your pet has been brought in. And put it on the fridge or better still, store the numbers on your phone. Get the contacts for all the vets in the area you regularly walk and all the local emergency vets, too. No one is ever too well prepared. Imagine trying to collate this information when you’re in a complete panic. Do they all have emails? Maybe draft an email and save it.
Connect with your local dog community
Join any social groups on Facebook for local dog lovers, be so much easier should you need local eyes and ears. Plus, they’ll tip you off if there’s someone trying to steal dogs or there’s a rogue owner with a dog that bites.
Most dogs do come back. Research has shown very many return to the last place they saw you. But what if yours doesn’t?
- We send you ‘Safety Pings’, notifications if anyone inputs your dog’s details into any of the check-a-chip portals.
- Report your dog missing on DogLost, so much easier if you’ve pre-registered.
- DogLost instantly produce a poster from the photos you’ve already stored, that can be shared with their community of hundreds of thousands of dog lovers who can start helping you. Get something posted ASAP in all your local social groups and send that email to all the vets and the dog warden so they are instantly looking out for your dog. Follow up with a phone call to make sure the email has not gone to their junk folder. Find out when they have a shift change, set a reminder on your phone to call again then. Describe your dog, don’t assume people will know what your breed or type of dog looks like. Some people’s dog knowledge is very limited. Even vets!
- Have a spare charger in your car for your phone. And a dog lead. Treats – smelly ones. Maybe bring another dog they know with you if you are searching – after a little while a scared dog may not instantly recognise their beloved owner, but another dog can cut across that fear. Bring something to the spot that you last saw your dog that smells of home and check that spot or even camp out there if you can. If it’s not a fire risk have a BBQ, scent will travel. If you can park nearby leave your boot open and sleep in the car. (That’s if you can sleep, you may not want to till the dog is home). These are things that may sound crazy now, but they have worked for others. Scared dogs often move at night. During the day they may be hiding.
- Take advice from your contact at DogLost – no one has got more dogs home than they have. You may need to escalate and use a Drone or even a dog that is trained to track lost dogs. in this case, check Drone SAR Facebook group, they are a group of volunteer drone pilots that work closely with DogLost to help track missing dogs. Be careful of unscrupulous people who may try to profit from your misfortune.
- Check your pet insurance – there may be provision for printing posters and getting them delivered. Or putting up a reward. But listen to the experts. DogLost is a massive network of volunteers, and you need a community when this happens to you.
- DogLost will help you decide when a lost dog becomes a stolen dog, and they can help explain the importance of getting a crime reference number.
