Month: March 2018

Prevent Your Dog From Getting Lost

Prevent your dog from getting lost to avoid the heartache.  A surprising number of dogs are lost everyday as the result of avoidable or careless errors on the part of their humans.  Dogs are much like two year old children who need protecting.  Knowing ways to protect and safeguard your pet can help to prevent your dog from getting lost.

Helpful Items To Prevent Your Dog From Getting Lost

This post may contain affiliate links which means if you make a purchase from a link on this site, I will earn a small commission.  This helps to support the site and keep it going but you will not pay a penny extra.

 

Dog Harnesses:
This is a great harness – strong, durable and has the extra advantage of being illuminated to be seen easily by cars at night. http://amzn.to/2ugCAPw

Indoor Dog Gate:
This gate pressure mounts for ease of set-up and take down. Extra tall for larger dog breeds. http://amzn.to/2IIXmu7

Pet GPS Tracker:
This tracker is affordable and rates highly in tracking your dog. http://amzn.to/2pwkX9f

Pet ID Tags:
Important to have your pet tagged with all his info. for a safe return home. There are many well-priced options here. http://amzn.to/2GbV2NM

Tips to Prevent Your Dog From Getting Lost

Get Your Dog Microchipped

Above all else, when you first get your dog, get him microchipped.  This is a simple procedure done in your Veterinarian’s office.  A teeny tiny transponder, about the size of a grain of rice,  is injected beneath the dog’s skin between the shoulder blades.  A number is assigned to each chip and it will be registered with your name and information when you activate it online.  The chip itself is dormant but when a special handheld scanner is passed over it, a signal is activated to transmit the information assigned to that chip.

Price is very reasonable to do this.  We decided to register our dog’s chips through the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA), which charges $17.50 for a lifetime enrollment.  No matter who you register through, the information is fed into a national database.  If a shelter picks up your lost dog, they will scan and then notify you that they have them.  If someone finds your dog, they can take them to any veterinarian or shelter to be scanned.

Be sure to keep your information updated with your registry as to any change of address or phone numbers.  According to the ASPCA, dogs without microchips are returned home 21.9% of the name, while dogs with microchips are returned home 52.2% of the time.  Further, the ASPCA states that in cases where microchipped dogs could not be reunited with their owners, it was usually due to the chip never being registered or the information not updated.  Although microchipping will not actually prevent your dog from getting lost, it will help to get him home quicker.

Get Your Dog an ID Tag

ID tags are another item that will not actually prevent your dog from getting lost but helps to get them home sooner.  The ID tags should not be used in place of the microchip, but rather, in addition to it.  Tags can fall off or become unreadable over time.  The nice thing about tags, providing they are readable, is that anyone that finds your dog will be able to notify you immediately.

Keep Your Dog Confined When Outside

Your dog should never be allowed to be outside without being inside a fenced area or on a lead.  Make sure your fence is high enough and the gates are secure.  Regularly check the fence to insure it is in geed repair and that your dog has not dug any escape routes under the fence.   While I prefer a fence to a tieout, if the latter is necessary, make sure it is the proper strength for your dog and that it is in good shape.  Don’t leave your dog tied out unsupervised, as it is too easy for him to become tangled or hung up.  When your dog is outside in the evening, be sure to have the area well-lit.  This can help to deter potential dog-nappers.  The stealing of dogs is a very real problem.  We talk more about preventing your dog from being stolen here.

Use Gates Inside Your Home

Using gates between doorways, especially in ares that lead to outside door, can help prevent your dog from getting lost.  Many times I’ve heard about children carelessly opening doors or leaving doors ajar, only to have their beloved pet make a getaway.

Use Safe Collars and Leashes When Walking Your Dog

Make sure your dog’s collar fits properly, not too tight but not too loose.  I actually prefer a harness to a leash as it is harder for the dog to wiggle out of and does not pull on the dog’s neck when walking.  The leash should be a proper size in accordance with your dog’s weight and strength.

Sometimes, even with all your best precautions, your dog may become lost.  Here are some great ideas to Help Find A Lost Dog.

HOW TO QUICKLY FIND YOUR LOST DOG

How to find your lost dog is a question no one wants to have a need for.  Realizing your dog is missing has got to be one of the most heart-stopping moments in dog ownership.  Suddenly, all manner of horrible thoughts go through your mind.  Is he hurt?  Did someone steal him?  Is he afraid?  All, understandable, but the most crucial question at the moment is how do you find your lost dog.

Steps to Find Your Lost Dog

  • First step in finding your lost dog is to gather up recent pictures of your dog.  Make quick copies, either on your home printer or at a copy shop.

  • Go around your neighborhood, knocking on doors and showing your dog’s pictures to see if anyone has seen him.  Leave your contact information in case of future sightings.  Leave some copies of your pictures and ask the neighbors to share them with others.

 

  • Post some of the copied pictures on trees and utility poles in your area.  Later, after following some of the other steps, go back and place colorful poster board behind the pictures to help draw attention to them.

 

  • Give a copy of the picture to your mail carrier and ask her to keep a lookout.  Do the same for UPS and FedEx drivers.  These people are all around your area regularly.

 

  • Call your microchip company, if your dog is chipped and ask them to make note that your dog is missing.

 

  • Call the local animal control, humane society, police department, fire department and veterinarian offices to let them know your dog is missing.  Often, if someone picks up a lost dog, they will call or take the dog to one of these places.  Take your pictures to these places also.

 

  • Visit the animal control and humane society in-person.  Mistakes can and do happen.  When a dog is brought in or picked up as a stray, the shelter workers will do a “best guess” breed decision on the dog they take in.  So, if your dog is a Lab mix and the shelter thinks their new resident is a Pit mix, when you call in you could be mistakenly told that your dog is not there.  While there, ask to post a picture of your dog on their bulletin board also.

 

  • Post your dog’s picture and information on Social Media sites.  Do this on the lost pet group boards as well as your personal pages.  Ask your friends on these pages to share on their pages.

 

  • Organize a search party.  Ask all your friends, both on and off social media to come out and scour the area, starting with the neighborhoods around your house and working out to areas further away.  Travel by both car and on foot.  Call out your dog’s name and also any words familiar to your lost dog, such as “cookie”, “treat” “bye bye” etc.  Taking another dog with you can sometimes help as dogs have a very keen sense of smell and the dog could help locate your lost dog.

  • Leave some of your familiar smelling clothing, blankets, towels, etc. on your property or in any areas where your lost dog may have been spotted.  Often, when a dog is lost, they will gravitate to familiar smells.  Check these areas frequently to see if your dog has returned.

 

  • Finally, keep up these steps over and over.  Don’t give up.  Finding a lost dog takes effort and your dog depends on you to be there for him.  There have been many reports of lost dogs being found weeks, months and years later.  Following these steps to find your lost dog as quickly as possible after he is missing is your best chance of finding your dog and insuring a happy homecoming.