Get Your Lost Dog Returned Fast

Find A Dog’s Owner in Less Than 1 Hour – A real story

 Last weekend I pulled into my driveway and saw a dog that at first looked like mine sitting in the snow bank.  After a few seconds I notice it was not my dog. Always be wary of a dog you do not know and don't chase a stray dog, they may just run. To coax a skidish dog,  get low to the ground or even lay down and be still to be less threatening, food helps. if dog looks dangerous call animal control. The dog was very friendly yet I had never seen it in the neighborhood. The dog followed me to the house door and the dog had no collar. The local rescue had just closed for the weekend. Now how to find the dog's owner.

What Didn’t Work.

My first thought was to contact neighbors I knew and describe the dog- no luck.  I called the local shelter to see if maybe someone called there looking for the dog, unfortunately –no answer. I asked my son to walk the dog around the neighbor maybe someone would be walking around looking for her. I drove around a few blocks further out asked a few folks outside if they know of a dog that looked like her. I even stopped the mailman. If anyone would know, it might be him. He directed me to a house but I had already been there knowing they had a dog that looked familiar. Again no luck.

                                                             What Did Work?

I’m going to say the “F” word. OK, shield your eyes. FACEBOOK. Right after I found the dog in my yard, I posted on my Facebook page that I found a lost dog and included a description. I also left a message on the Facebook page for the local shelter.  I checked 15 min later. No reply. About 25 min after I posted, I got a message from someone who is connected with a lost dog organization on Facebook. He suggested, become a member of this F-book page https://www.facebook.com/groups/504294992989095/?fref=nf (Berks Dog Search) and post a picture and description of the dog and where found.  In about 10 min, the owner Facebook messaged me and we made arrangements to meet to return the dog.  Miley is now safely at home –A happy ending yeah !!

Why did Facebook work?
  Over time, I have established facebook contacts with similar interests which includes a lot of pet owners. My facebook contacts include many pet enthusiasts. That helped I am sure. Check for a similar organization in your area, it may come in handy some day.
 
 Finding a lost pet's owner is rewarding and a small way to bring joy to another human  not to mention the pet.     

               COLLAR WITH PET NAME AND YOUR PHONE NUMBER

http://officialdoghouse.com/collections/leather-dog-collars/products/identification-dog-collar

Things To Consider:

Keep your dog fenced or tied up at all times. If tied up remember, not for too long. The tie out can break, get caught on things, etc

Before you adopt, or right away after, get your dog micro chipped. This involves a vet or shelter inserting a tiny, tiny computer chip under the skin. It won’t hurt any more than a routine vaccination. Then a pet can be scanned by a vet, shelter or police and then matched to a Database and the owner found. Note you must register your pet and there is a fee about $30 month for your piece of mind. Find out more here.

 When posting on social Media about a found dog, use common sense. The owner claiming the dog should freely give you their information and provide some specific information to identify the dog. You don’t want to turn over a lost dog to someone who “just wants a free dog”!

More information:
http://www.missingpetpartnership.org/recovery-tips/i-found-a-stray-dog/
http://www.humanesociety.org/animals/resources/tips/what_to_do_stray_pet.html
https://www.cesarsway.com/get-involved/helping-a-lost-stray-dog/what-to-do-if-you-find-a-stray-dog
http://petfbi.org/what-to-do/found-pet-advice/