Lost and Found Pet Issues

Compassionate Pet FBI Facebook Friends Rally to Help Pathetic Pooch

dog with huge mass
This poor fella, found in an alleyway in South Columbus with a large mass on his side, needs to visit the vet. His Good Sam is not in a position to absorb this unforeseen financial burden. 

Dog and good Sam

16 year old Good Sam. with Baby after a nice bath. Doesn’t he look grateful?

She posted on Pet FBI Ohio’s Facebook page and our kindly, caring Admin, Char, called for donations. Within 12 hours over $300 was donated by twenty good souls. When the first vet bill came in at $435, an anonymous donor swooped in and paid the balance. Another $210 came in after hours, That will go towards his ongoing care.

Dog at vet

Baby at vet

Baby is younger than he looks, does not have heart worms, and his blood panel came out OK. But they need to keep him a few days so they can do more tests and control his diet. It is dangerous to let  an animal or  a person gorge after a long period of not  eating. He will also need surgery most likely. You can follow our Facebook page for further bulletins. You may need to scroll down to Baby’s picture.

Fortunately, there is someone in the Good Sam’s family who can give Baby a good home, but his vet bills are not over yet. If you can, please make a donation to help Baby.

Donation link

About Microchips

It is not unusual to come across a news item about a cat or a dog that has been reunited after five, seven, or even ten years. Usually, as in the case of Boozer shown in our previous post, it is because the owner was traced through a microchip that had been previously overlooked.  A microchip is a tiny identification device, about the size of a grain of rice, that is implanted beneath the skin of your pet. Each chip contains a unique identification number. When a pet is found, it can be scanned at an animal shelter or veterinary clinic. The owners contact information is associated with that number recorded in a registry.

Unlike ID tags, microchips are permanent yet even they are not foolproof. Sometimes they migrate from the spot where usually implanted and are missed. Occasionally at a busy

Sheldon: Traced through microchip to the shelter where he was adopted

Sheldon: Traced through microchip to the shelter where he was adopted

shelter, the scanning protocol may be overlooked. Also, there are multiple microchip registries and that leads to confusion Another drawback is that pet parents forget to update their contact information with the registry and then it is no longer possible to trace them easily. Also some people do not know about microchips and if they rescue a stray they may not know to have it scanned by a vet or a shelter which is usually a courtesy service, that is – no charge.

Many companies now offer microchips for pets. They are not terribly expensive. Often humane societies offer low-cost microchipping, so ask your local humane society or consult your vet. Remember, having some form of ID for your pet, especially a microchip, will greatly increase its chances of recovery.

How Long Does It Take To Recover a Lost Pet?

Dog with family after 10 yrs lost

Boozer was lost almost 10 years ago, when his family was in the process of moving. They never expected to see him again after so long but Boozer was eventually surrendered to a shelter that scanned him and found the microchip that lead to this remarkable reunion.

Dog Recovered Quickly

Mikey was back home within 24 hours thanks to 254 “shares” on the Pet FBI Ohio Facebook page.

Statistics indicate that most lost pets are recovered within 30 days. But the time varies greatly depending on whether it is a cat or a dog. Most people will notice a stray dog and even try to help it. Lost cats are inclined to be furtive and they are harder to spot. Also people just ignore them because free-roaming cats are not unusual. A lot of cat owners disregard the dangers to free-roaming cats and let their cats outside. Another reason people don’t bother with a stray cat is the myth that a cat can “fend for itself”. Consequently, it may be many weeks or months before a lost cat “surfaces” and allows itself to be taken in or trapped.

Pet FBI has had many cases where cats or dogs were reunited months after they went missing. Do not give up too soon! If you have not recovered your lost pet after 30 days, you should renew your efforts: extend the area where you put up your flyers; continue to  check the shelters and online resources like the Pet FBI database, Facebook and Craigslist, etc.

Deaf Foster Dog Recovered Thanks To Alert Animal Control Officer

Dog w distinctive markings

Jeorgia

Tina, an alert Animal Control officer in Columbus Ohio follows our lost and found Ohio pet Facebook page. While looking over the new posts she remembered a phone call from a new foster parent about a missing dog that was deaf. It happened that this pooch had distinctive markings in addition to being deaf, so it was a pretty solid match. In fact, within 30 minutes a happy reunion took place.jeorgia2

Pet FBI Ohio Facebook Page Scores 80 Reunions In April With 10 Days To Go!

Never underestimate the power of Facebook! When there is a conscientious admin and a huge faithful following, successful reunions soon abound. Over the years Pet FBI Ohio’s Facebook page has achieved 36,000 likes and growing. An army of faithful friends share posts,  research other sources of information for possible matches, and sometimes even pound the pavement in an effort to find a lost pet. So far this month (April 20) there have been 80 happy reunions through Facebook and there are still many days to go! Thanks to all our devoted friends  for helping Pet FBI fulfill its mission of reuniting lost pets and their families.

HERE ARE JUST A FEW OF THE EIGHTY LUCKY DOGS!

Wet Dog Rescued, Relocated, Reunited!

man and dog reunited

Lost dog from Columbus ends up in Cleveland

This darling dog was spotted shivering and soaking wet at the side of the road by a Good Sam in Columbus, Ohio. Since he was on his way home to Cleveland he stopped to pick up the poor pooch and brought him home with him.  Meanwhile her anguished Dad posted  a lost report on the Pet FBI Ohio Facebook page. Hundreds of shares later, the item reached the news feed of the Good Sam who immediately contacted the owner. Here is is happily reunited.

OBJECT LESSON: Lost pets often end up far from home either on their own, or because they were rescued through circumstances that led to them ending up far far away. While most pets are found close to home, especially cats, always extend your search to shelters and media  farther away,

10 Month Old Sally Enticed To Return With Familiar Scents

cat and little girl

Sally and her little girl

This beautiful kitty was the darling of a little girl. When Sally went missing the little girl resisted going to school. She wanted to stay home to await Sally’s return. Mom was desperate, suffering for both Sally and her grieving little daughter. Then she posted on the Pet FBI Ohio Facebook page. The picture and the situation tugged at the heartstrings of our ace admin, Char, who contacted the Mom. Char explained that most cats don’t go far, especially during the first few days, and the best strategy is to try to attract the cat back. She encouraged her to appeal to Sally’s sense of smell by using familiar and fragrant scents to entice her to return. There are some good tips on our web site page “Tips-to-lure-a-cat-back-home”.  It worked! Ten minutes later the Mom texted Char  that Sally had come out of hiding. When the little girl got off the school bus there was her Mom with Sally. You can see the love in her sweet face!

Lucky Coincidence – Another Pet FBI Ohio Success!

Lost chihuahua reunited

Tiny Pooch Recovered through Facebook

 

Our Pet FBI Ohio Facebook pal, Charlene, overheard a co-worker discussing a small dog she had found. The co-worker was did not have a Facebook account but Charlene whipped out her mobile phone and scrolled down and there was a post for an identical dog!  It was indeed Tiny, now happily reunited.

Columbus Bar Crawl Benefits Pet FBI

Columbus Bar Crawl Guys and Pet FBI Director

From left to right:
Bill, Kyle, Maresa and Ryan – the Columbus Bar Crawl Guys and Pet FBI Director

There’s a group of great guys, old school chums from Columbus Ohio, that sponsor a bar crawl each year to benefit a local charity. At this year’s Crawl on April 9 Kyle, Ryan and Bill raised $1,200 for Pet FBI!

A few months back Kyle’s fifteen year old hound dog went missing. As often happens when a pet goes missing, Kyle who is normally a well-focused, organized and rational kind of person went all to pieces.  A neighbor suggested Pet FBI. Kyle sent a post with a picture of Cody to Facebook/PetFBI Ohio. Our ace admin, Char, moved it to the timeline and messaged him with encouragement and advice. Within hours the Good Sam who had found Cody saw the Facebook post and contacted Kyle. He was so relieved he broke down in tears. It was a joyful reunion.

Now Kyle has paid it forward in spades by sponsoring a great bar crawl to benefit Pet FBI. Participating sponsors besides many friends and co-workers were Westies Gastro Pub, Valters at Mannerchor, Jimmy V’s, Hey Hey Bar and Grill, & Planks Bier garten, all in German Village.  THANK YOU, ALL!

Two Lost Kids Recovered through Facebook Post

These two darling kids (baby goats) disappeared from a field near Plain City, a rural area of Ohio. Their caretaker was pretty worried. Had they been snatched by a passerby and turned into a tender meal? Had a coyote gotten them? Had they jumped the fence and been struck by a car?

baby goats lost thenfound

Two Kids Who Made it Back Home Thanks to Pet FBI Ohio Facebook

She posted on the Pet FBI Facebook page and within 25 hours the post was shared 621 times and reached over 24,000 feeds. One of those came across a neighbor. Goats are notorious for not keeping to where they are supposed to stay and they had evidently made their way over to a neighbor’s field. The neighbor was surprised and relieved to find they had a home elsewhere and she was able to reunite them with their caretaker.
OBJECT LESSON: Do not underestimate the power of Facebook! If you post to a popular page like Pet FBI Ohio, with 35,000 friends and growing, your chances for a match are very favorable.