We love our furry friends, and our hearts break hearing stories about lost animals within our communities. When it comes to preventing these crises there is only so much you can do, and accidents happen. It’s inevitable that a doggo will probably get a little too confident and want to explore your community every once and awhile. When this does occur it’s important not to panic and to have a plan of action in place.
Did you know 80% of lost pets are found within 1 mile of where they went missing?
Search
– Search your yard, and home!
o Is your pet hiding? Make sure to double check in closets, basements, garages, and around bushes and shrubs within your yard.
– Conduct a search
o On foot or by car, start scanning your neighborhood slowly. Look for their favorite places to go on walks. Don’t forgot to grab some treats before you leave the house, the scent will help attract the animal to you.
Post on Your Community Sites
– Post a “Lost Dog!announcement on your community website. Be sure to include a photo, as well as details about where he/she was last seen. Other details including, “120lbs, Black Rottweiler, and Food Drivenare also some things you can share to enhance the post.
Prep Your Home
– Set up food and water outside and inside your home! Hopefully, if your pet is nearby this will draw them back in. Be sure to refresh the food at least once a day.
Conduct another Search
– Form a team, and make sure they are all responsible adults, or teens. You might be able to gain some additional help from your online post, and from members within your community.
– Make sure you don’t have 5 people within your search committee shouting your animals name. This can confuse your pet on which direction to go. Make sure that only one owner is calling for the animal’s name, and the tone is happy. Animals will be able to sense panic and become frightened if your tone isn’t right.
These steps can be essential right after your animal has gone missing. Don’t forgot in the coming days to post on community facebook pages, and lost dog facebook pages around your area. The best thing you can do is maintain these steps, and hopefully your furry friends will come running home!