Lost dog: what to do, how to find it quickly

What to do if your dog is lost

It is immediately necessary to develop a clear plan for finding it. This should include actual local searches and submission of advertisements to local newspapers and online groups.

The owner's first actions

What to do if you lost your dog, first of all:

Immediately search the area and the nearest area where the dog was walking.
Ask for help from acquaintances and friends living in different areas - the dog can end up anywhere.
How to find a dog in a big city - of course, turn to social networks: make publications on all available Internet platforms. Also call shelters and veterinary clinics.
Print and post wanted posters: make 100 text copies plus about the same number of small business cards with the number and description of the loss - they can be distributed to dog lovers.
Request recordings from video cameras of nearby places, for example, from streets or private courtyards, shops. To do this, you need to know the date and approximate time period of the loss. However, to obtain video materials, you need to write a statement to the police department. Then the records will be provided, but not earlier than 2-3 days from the date of application.
If the animal has not yet been found, the radius of exploration of the area should be expanded. In a village you can find a dog relatively quickly, but in large cities the matter becomes more complicated. You need to go around all areas, even the most remote and remote ones.

Important! You need to start acting as quickly as possible after discovering the loss; you should not expect the animal to find its home on its own.

With a leash or harness, the animal has fewer opportunities to escape

Social networks and public support

Photo from the site brothers-smaller.ru
In parallel with announcements in yards, information about a missing dog or cat must be disseminated on the Internet. You need to use social networks and help groups , as well as personally contact animal lovers. “The wider the audience reach, the better the result. Miracles, but this method works great! – notes Anastasia Shukaeva. “According to my observations, the most effective activities are posting advertisements “on the ground” and reposting them online.”

An irreplaceable resource of our time is social networks and specialized websites. For example:

https://propalasobaka.org/
https://www.hochusobaku.ru/mboard/poteryalas/
https://www.lostdog.ru/lost/dog
https://claws.ru/cgi-bin/base.pl?base=1

Remember that “ask marketing” is very important on social networks. Ask for help correctly! Be sure to include in your messages a large, high-quality photo of your dog and complete information about the loss. Be sure to ask your friends to repost and spread your request.

Also, notes Anastasia Shukaeva, there is a possibility that the animal was caught and then sent to a shelter. Call the shelters and ask first about the dates of capture - if it agrees, then ask in more detail.

Shelter volunteers are willing to help in the search , notes Anastasia. a Rottweiler assistance team, a “tax team” and other similar network groups) could help him

Why a dog can run away from its owners, the main reasons

A dog can go missing for the following reasons:

External stimuli: sudden movements, loud sounds, the appearance of strangers - all this can cause fear. Without a leash, in this case the animal can run and get lost. A harness is especially important, for example, in a forest or unfamiliar area.
Curiosity. In summer there are a lot of different smells, and your pet will be happy to explore them. If the dog is not trained in special commands, it will be difficult to call.
Insufficient physical activity. If you spend little time in the fresh air with your dog, then at any opportunity he will strive to break free.
Display of aggression, possible punishment from the owner. Dogs are sensitive to human moods and emotions. The animal will constantly run away from an owner who is angry or behaves rudely.
Physiological reasons - the period of estrus in females, to which other dogs react.

What to do if a dog runs away - algorithm and methods for combing the surrounding area

In the first half hour to an hour, you need to repeat the entire usual walking route with the dog, go around your favorite places, dog parks, etc. You can leave someone close to you at home in case the pet decides to find a home on its own. It’s worth bringing a dog’s squeaking toy: the animal may respond more quickly to its sound, as well as the familiar voice of the owner.

It is necessary to explore the surrounding areas, because the animal could have run into someone’s dacha or hidden behind garages. In this case, it is better to use a car or a bicycle; the underground metro in this case, on the contrary, will interfere with exploring the surrounding area. If the pet is not found after a day or two, you should begin a large-scale search throughout the city, involving friends and social networks.

It is better to train a dog that is difficult to train together with a dog handler.

According to experts, usually during the day a domestic dog hides somewhere, and at night it comes out to eat and look for its owner. Therefore, even in the dark, you cannot stop the search operation. It is especially dangerous if your pet goes missing in winter. A dog adapted to live only in the warm and comfortable conditions of an apartment will not last long in the cold.

Note! In the first 10-12 hours the dog may still be within 10-15 km of home.

Spread of information

This point must be combined with the first - time is working against you. You will need a communication source - a phone, tablet or laptop. Check that it is charged. Find a good, clear, full-length photo of your pet. Enlist friends and acquaintances to file a missing person report while you explore the area.

Print out small information sheets with your phone number, the heading “looking for a dog” and a brief description of the dog. Distribute them to passers-by, near the place of loss, and to veterinary clinics. Visit the nearest popular pet walking spots. It is quite possible that your “lost” will want to communicate with his own kind. And dog owners, out of solidarity, will certainly treat you sympathetically and agree to take your coordinates to inform you if they see a similar dog.

Be sure to use social networks. Make an ad with a photo and post it on popular resources - bulletin boards, animal forums, VKontakte, Instagram, Facebook. Contact the administrators of large communities of your specific breed and public areas in the area of the loss. Ask all your friends to repost your post.

Post notices around the area. It is advisable to print it on bright paper for better visibility, and place the key phrase “Missing Dog” at the top. A properly written advertisement must contain a clear photograph of the pet, the area where it was lost, a description of the animal, your contacts and the amount of the reward (if desired). The coverage should be as wide as possible - bus stops, pet stores, bulletin boards, dog parks, parks.

Posting advertisements in the area and posting them on the Internet

One of the first aids in finding a four-legged friend is the Internet. Periodically you need to look through social networks in sections about lost/found animals in the city. And most importantly, place your own ad: on Avito, Instagram, VK or My World, in groups of shelters and volunteer organizations, on the page of local events. In a publication about finding a dog you need:

Write the text. It should occupy half or a third of the ad. The article states that a dog has disappeared, briefly describes the conditions of its disappearance, the approximate area - without an exact address; The characteristic features of the animal are given.
Take a good (black and white) photo of your pet: it should take up half a sheet of paper.
Provide a contact phone number – 1 or 2 numbers.
Enter the amount of remuneration. Money will encourage the finder (or thief) to give the pet back to the owner, so the chances of being reunited with the pet will increase.

Important! You cannot indicate the breed of the animal and, if available, the brand number - this information can be used by scammers. By the way, purebred, expensive dogs are returned much less often.

Loss announcements should be brief and informative

Steps to do

The first thing you need to do when your pet goes missing is to start an immediate search.
Don’t expect the dog to come back on its own; it may be frightened of the new place where it ran away, or it may simply not understand at first that it is lost and go for a walk for its own pleasure. Call your dog loudly, walk around the area, and take the time to do this right away.
If the dog does not immediately respond to your call in an accessible area, then start questioning passers-by, showing them a photo of your pet on a smartphone. At the same time, ask children, they pay attention to dogs more often than adults, but do not ask them to start searching themselves. You shouldn’t add a missing child to a missing dog.
Hand out leaflets with your phone number or business cards to passers-by, interview dog walkers in the area, because your lost dog may come across them during a walk.
If you couldn’t find the dog on your own within 3-4 hours, then try to make leaflets in a short time. Ideally, they should contain a color photograph of the lost dog, a bright inscription that the dog was lost, a description of the dog’s appearance in the form of text, and an indication of the nickname that the animal responds to.
And also your contact information - phone numbers, social networks. Post advertisements on porches, in stores, in all visible places. Pillars are not a priority in this matter, as people pass by. Announcements about a missing dog should attract attention and not drown in advertising garbage.
If your dog was wearing a tag, a collar with a tracker or note, a ribbon with an address - check all incoming calls and messages, maybe someone has already found your loss and is now looking for you.
Don't neglect social networks. All cities have citywide groups, or neighborhood groups. go there, make an announcement about the missing dog and ask to post it on behalf of the group so that all subscribers can see it. Ask all your friends and acquaintances to post or repost your post. Many people are now on social networks almost 24/7, and the chance of finding a dog will only increase.
Contact shelters. They can also post on their page about the missing dog. They will also quickly disseminate information to all their employees and volunteers so that they pay attention to the dogs brought to the shelter.
If your dog belongs to a club, then contact them there too. Ask the administration to tell all club members about the missing dog; it is possible that one of the same breed paid attention to the wandering dog or even took it in to find the owner later.

Where to go if lost

The owner of a dog can seek support not only from friends, but also call specialized institutions where they can identify a homeless animal.

Shelters, veterinary clinics, police

When thinking about how to find a dog if it has run away, and where it might be, you should also take into account the fact that it could already be found. For example, they could report a stray dog, and it was taken to the SAH or a shelter. Also, the animal could have been injured, and passers-by took it to the clinic for treatment. From there he was taken in by new owners or, again, assigned to foster care or to a boarding school for dogs. The owner of the dog should call the nearest institutions, explain his situation and ask about the animals received. In this case, you need to indicate the distinctive features of the pet, the presence of a collar, chip or brand, etc. - everything that can help in identification. A person should be prepared to go to a shelter or hospital if they can provide important information.

Can an animal return home on its own?

Animals should not be underestimated - the dog can return to its owners on its own. Even if the pet has gone quite far, thanks to its excellent sense of smell, it can find its way. If for any reason the dog gets off the leash and does not respond to the call, it is also capable of returning. But in the latter case, the presence of an emotional connection with the owner plays a significant role - wild animals tend to disappear forever.

On a note! If the animal does not respond well to commands and tends to run away, it is worth purchasing a special GPS collar. Through communication with the satellite, it will signal the pet’s location and speed up the search process.

There are special devices for constant monitoring of your pet.

What to do if your pet is found

First of all, you need to carefully examine him for fractures, wounds and parasites. You can take him to the vet right away. Then the dog needs to be washed, treated, fed and given the opportunity to sleep well. You also need to take the time to delete posts and express gratitude to all the helpers. If desired, pay a reward to the most active participants in the search.

Any owner of a four-legged pet should know what to do if the dog runs away and be prepared in advance for unforeseen circumstances. The initial task is to throw all your physical strength into the search, putting aside all other matters.