What To Do If Your Furry Friend Goes Missing
Most of the time, your dog will sit by your side dutifully, following you around wherever you go. Sometimes, though, he or she will go absent without leave, and you’ll be left worried sick. Where the heck have they gone? And will you ever find them again?
For those of you with tags and tracking apps, hunting down a missing animal is a walk in the park - often literally. But if you’re not quite that high tech, how on Earth do you go about finding them?
An Ounce Of Prevention Is Worth A Pound Of Cure
If you’re reading this and your dog hasn’t gone missing yet, take note: prevention is much more valuable than cure. Ideally, you need a collar to go around your pet with their name and address engraved on it. If you don’t know what we mean, visit Doggie Solutions - they have some examples.
You should also consider getting your pet microchipped, especially if you own a thoroughbred. Some specimens can be very valuable, meaning criminals might deliberately target your dog.
You should also make sure that your dog can’t escape from wherever you’re keeping it. Check for gaps under your gates or low fences that could be jumped over.
What To Do If The Worst Happens
If the worst happens and your pet really does get lost, then what?
Sometimes pets go missing despite your best efforts, and there’s not a great deal you can do about it. They might slip out if you leave the front door open and unattended for a few seconds.
First, take a look along their usual walking routes. Dogs will usually retrace familiar steps they’ve made in the past, following scent trails. They’re most likely sniffing around outside your home, in which case you can usually find them pretty quickly.
If you have trained your dog to come to you, start calling for them or using a whistle. If they’re in the area, they’ll immediately begin making their way back to you.
Second, if you really can’t find them after an hour or so, call up your local animal shelters and give them the details, including the name on the tag. Even if you can’t find your pooch, somebody else almost certainly will. And when they do, they’ll bring them to people who can look after them, like shelters.
The Center for Lost Pets is a great place to register if you’ve lost your dog. If anyone finds them, they can go onto this site and get your contact information to arrange a pickup or drop off.
If that doesn’t work, you can leave signs up around your neighborhood. Somebody, somewhere, has probably seen your dog.
Don’t Lose Hope
Dogs are hardy creatures and can usually look after themselves without any outside intervention for weeks. Strays, for instance, live out their lives on the streets. Even if it’s been several days, don’t give up hope. Eventually, the dog will turn up. If you find it after a long time, take it to the vet for a health check.