dog

Tips for Dogs Lost in a Rural Area

Guest Post by Lost Dogs Illinois.

Dogs lost in rural areas can pose extra challenges because of the sparse population. It is not unusual for sightings to be few and far between or for there to be a long physical distance between sightings. It can also be difficult to get sightings when crops are tall or on roads where the majority of people are just passing through and driving fast.

Why do lost dogs like rural areas?

Scared lost dogs will often gravitate to a farm where it is quiet and there is a reliable food source like outdoor cat food or spilled grain. Farms provide a multitude of hiding places. Lost dogs will hide in sheds, old barns or under old farm machinery and creep out at dusk and dawn to eat. If the dog is not bothering livestock, farmers may let the dogs hang around indefinitely. But they may not proactively look for an owner because they assume that the dog was “dumped” at their farm.

Therefore, it is VERY important to flyer every farm in at least a 20-mile radius of where your dog went missing. Talk to the landowners and put a flyer in their hands. Ask them if they have seen your dog hanging around or passing through. Expand the radius to 30 miles or more if you do not get a sighting. Use Google Maps and Satellite Photos to look for roads that you may have missed. Make it EASY for people to contact you by making sure that they have a copy of your flyer in their truck or on their fridge.

Also:

  1. Deliver several copies of your flyer to any equine or farm animal veterinarians in the area. Ask them to pass them out to their employees and post one in the lobby for clients coming through the front door.
  2. Deliver several copies of your flyer to every equine facility in the area. Ask that they be passed out to boarders, trainers, farriers (blacksmiths), etc. who may routinely travel the route to and from the facility.
  3. Give copies of your flyer to all local delivery people including UPS, Fed Ex, United States Postal Service, garbage pick-up services, feed delivery, propane and diesel fuel delivery, septic services, etc. These people travel the back roads and need to know who to call if they see your dog. Do not expect them to proactively report a sighting without a flyer in their hand. They may not have time to look through listings or post to social media.
  4. Deliver flyers to all farm equipment dealers, farm supply stores and feed stores in the area. Ask to post one at the counter and on any bulletin boards.
  5. Post a flyer at any local gathering places such as coffee shops, diners, and taverns.
  6. Deliver flyers to the school bus drivers in the area.
  7. Ask farmers and hunters to check their game cameras for photos of your dog. Leave them a flyer so that they know who to call if they get a photo a week or a month from now!
  8. Use intersection signs at crossroads. Remember to get permission first!
  9. Ask landowners for permission to search old barns, sheds, and silos.
  10. Pay close attention to places where you see outdoor cats. There is probably a food source that your lost dog may also be visiting. Check for tracks or ask permission to set up a trail camera to monitor.
  11. Run an ad in the local newspaper or shopper.

Never Give Up! Lost dogs are safely recovered weeks, months and even years after they have gone missing. Your dog may be hanging around a farm and is relying on YOU to bring him safely home.

Moving? Here are Some Tips to Keep Your Dog Safe

Guest post by Lost Dogs of America.

moving day

According to the U.S. Census, the average American will move 12 times in their life. Moving is stressful for both two- and four-legged family members. Your dog’s health and behavior can be off during and after the move. Below are tips for moving with your dog to help alleviate some of the stress and keep your dog safe.

  • Ensure your dog is wearing a properly fitted collar with current information on the ID tag.
  • Contact your dog’s microchip company to update your contact information.
  • During the move (both from old residence and new residence), confine your dog in one room with familiar bedding/toys. If your dog is crate trained, use the crate. Close the door and place a large sign stating, “Do Not Enter”. If it is not possible to confine your dog to one room, then considering boarding him/her during the move.
  • Keep your dog’s current vaccination records as well as a list of numbers for your local animal control, non-emergency police line and area vet clinics handy. Keep a current photo of your pets either printed or handy on your phone or tablet.
  • If you are driving cross country for your move, be mindful of your dog darting out of car doors at gas stations, rest stops, hotels, etc. Make sure your dog is attached to the leash before you open the door, and you have a firm grip on the leash.

Once moved:

  • For at least the first few days place baby gates in front of all exterior doors even to the door leading to the garage.
  • If your new home has a fenced yard, perform a safety check; look for holes both in and under the fence, loose boards, broken gate latches, etc. Continue to be diligent – watch your dog’s behavior for the next few weeks in the fenced yard, he/she could find the weak link to escape from the fenced yard.
  • Familiarize yourself with your new community by getting to know where your shelters, animal control facilities, vet clinics, police departments, and town offices are located. You will want to have this information handy in case your dog goes missing.

If your dog does get loose, immediately file a report in the Pet FBI database to create a free flyer and social media links. One of our volunteers will post your listing to the appropriate state or provincial Facebook page. Then check out this article on the Lost Dogs of America website: Tips For Dogs Who Are Lost From Somewhere Other Than Home.

Thanks to Lost Dogs of America for sharing this great advice!

“Baby” is Home From the Vet

Girl and emaciated dog

Baby and Bri – on the first day of his new life

A few posts back we reported on a poor emaciated pooch with what looked like a huge tumor on his side. Thanks to the compassion and generosity of a good Sam, a 16 year old girl with a big heart and the “kindness of strangers” – the many Pet FBI Ohio Facebook friends who donated to help him get proper vet care, “Baby” has begun the rest of his new, transformed life with a caring, loving family.

The big mass on his side was an abscess not a tumor, it has been drained and Baby is much younger than he appears, about three years of age. Here are some exchanges from our Facebook page:

From the Mom of his the 16 year old gal who rescued him:

“Baby is home with us. Brianna and Jordan pick him up this evening. He has a lot of recovering to do, but we made a promise to him to have the best life from this point on. God chose us to care for him by sending him to Bri. She loves him completely. He is such a sweet, gentle, and loving little guy. They are curled up sleeping together now.”

A concerned comment from Julie, a Pet FBI Ohio Facebook friend:
So glad he is safe and loved by your family! I hope the vet gave you instructions on how to feed him and put weight back on in a very controlled manor. These emaciated dogs are very prone to bloating/torsion of the stomach. It happens if they eat too fast or too much at once. It can kill a dog within a hour. Please Google symptoms of bloat so you know what to look for. The symptoms are not obvious. It sounds like he is in good hands with you all.”

From Bri’s Mom: “Julie, ty so much for the info. Bri wrote down everything the vet told her to make sure she wouldn’t hurt him in the process of trying to help him. She has a food/calorie intake set up on her phone so she can keep track of it.”

From Bri: “The vet went over feeding schedule with me and informed me how many kcal to feed him, when to increase it, how much to increase it, etc.

Our hearts and prayers go out to Baby, to Bri and to their whole family.

A WARNING TO GOOD SAMS:
If you find a companion animal that is obviously starving, please seek vet care immediately as Bri did. Do not give feed it too much too quickly. You can harm a starving animal with only the best of intentions. It is OK to give water in small amounts at intervals.

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

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.

“Chaos” Reclaimed at Shelter Thanks to Tip From Facebook Follower

lost dog recovered held by child

“Chaos” reunited with his “big brother”

This sweet pooch shown here with his happy “big brother” had escaped the yard and been picked up and taken to Franklin County Dog Shelter in Columbus, OH. His family had posted his picture on the Pet FBI Ohio Facebook page. Fortunately, Nicole, one of our Facebook followers, spotted him at the shelter, remembered his post and alerted the family. A happy reunion ensued.

CONVENTIONAL WISDOM: Most lost pets are reunited through a shelter.
REALITY CHECK: Relatively few strays are reclaimed before being euthanized or adopted out to others.

According to a study done by the ASPCA (American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) only 17-30% of dogs in shelters are ever reclaimed by their owners and only 2-5 % of cats. Why so few? Basically it’s a question of timing. At most shelters, dogs and especially cats can be held for only a limited time. If the pet’s family isn’t there at the critical time…. that pet will either be put down or adopted out. Most shelters do not post their intakes to a public database. Most owners cannot check the shelters as often as necessary and it is generally useless to just call or even send a flyer. You must go to a shelter in person and see for yourself. In a large urban shelter there may be hundreds of cats and / or dogs impounded at any time. Please encourage your local shelter to take advantage of the free, searchable database at petfbi.org.

Alert Animal Control Officer Uses Pet FBI Database and Avoids a Stay at the Pound

Lost dog recovered by Columbus animal control and Pet FBI database

Greta happily reunited with her family

Greta went missing in Columbus, OH, Pet FBI’s hometown. Since we have been active here since 1998, we are widely used and trusted, which leads to quick recoveries, especially since Franklin County  Animal Control often uses our database and Pet FBI Facebook Ohio page to look for matches.

Greta’s family posted on the Pet FBI database and within an hour of posting, a tip came in that she had traveled east and was spotted in a neighborhood known as Forest Park. Not long after that Animal Control Officer Mary heard a call that was dispatched to that area and provided Greta’s number to the officer that picked her up. Since Mary acted so quickly Greta avoided going to Franklin County Dog Shelter  and was dropped off directly at home!

We wish all animal control agencies and shelters would take advantage of our free, easy to use database so that more lost pets could be reunited quickly and efficiently.  If you are reading this, please contact your local shelter and ask them to visit petfbi.org to see how it can help them.

 

18 Years Old! Blind and Deaf, Rescued From Storm Sewer

old chi-hua-hua after rescued from storm sewer

Chalupa, age 18. blind, deaf and comfortably home again!

Our frequent hero and friend, Mary of Franklin County OH Animal Control, was dispatched to an area where barking was heard but no dog was present. Mary searched and then discovered Chalupa, an 18 year old blind and deaf chihuahua at the bottom of a storm sewer!

Mary immediately sent a photo and message to Char, our tireless Facebook administrator.  The post reached almost 30,000 people including Chalupa’s frantic family. Thanks to Mary’s diligence and our Facebook friends’ caring and sharing, Chalupa was home again in a few hours.

Coincidentally, earlier in the week, BooBoo, belonging to another member of the family, was recovered when Char matched up a found dog post with a lost dog post. In less than a week the family had two reunions thanks to Pet FBI Ohio Facebook AND friends!

Lost dog recovered

lost dog recovered through Pet FBI Ohio Facebook

 

OBJECT LESSON: When Animal Control, shelters or humane societies work together to share information good things happen!

Newly Adopted Winston Snared By Stealth!

Winston had been with his new family only five days when he went missing. This made recovering him very difficult because he had been in foster care and had not yet bonded with his new family.

Newly adopted runaway dog recaptured

Winston and Julia

Fortunately, Pet FBI special agent, Julia,  took a special interest in his case. She joined forces with Winston’s foster Mom Rachelle and was also helped by Don, who had helped her capture her own newly adopted dog, Addison,  about a year before when he went missing. They did all they could to lure Winston back. Knowing he was basically shy with people but friendly with other dogs, she used her own dog to help attract him. But Winston was still too wary. He even eluded the baited traps they set for him.

They knew the general area where he was because of sighting reports, and a compassionate homeowner allowed them to hang out on their property to try to snag him.

The day of the successful capture Julia and Rachelle spent hours lying in lurk on the grass hoping Winston would approach.  Finally he did and Rachelle used a slip leash to snag him. She got nipped a few times but Winston is finally back in safe hands.

OBJECT LESSON:

Newly adopted pets are the most prone to run away. Pet FBI gets lots of reports about such situations.

It may be necessary in cases of a shy or frightened dog to use a trap for recovery. (See Julia’s advice about trapping a stray dog, also read Julia’s own amazing story about recovering her own newly adopted dog Addison).

If you can get a dog to approach you, a skip leash is a good way to snag it, but it is risky!

Remi Reunited Thanks to Pet FBI Facebook “Special Agent”

Big dog and little girl after reunion

Remi and his little “sister”, Isabella

Remi went missing in a rural area and his family was worried sick because it was hunting season and Remi could be mistaken for a deer! They posted to our Pet FBI Ohio Facebook page.

Days later he ended up in a Humane Society shelter in Madison County, many miles away and was posted on their Facebook page as a found dog. Thanks to Amanda, one of Pet FBI Ohio Facebook’s “special agents”, she connected the two just hours later and Remi is back home safe.

Note: Pet FBI “Special Agents” are unofficial volunteers who cross-post and cross-check lost and found  reports and have been responsible for many happy reunions. You can act as  a special agent for your area, too!

OBJECT LESSON:
1. Dogs can travel fast and far, Check for reports well beyond your immediate area.

2. Use as many sources of information as you can to post and search lost and found reports. Ideally everybody should post to a single, central, efficiently searchable database like PetFBI.org. Realistically, you need to cast a wide net and research various Facebook pages, Craigslist and other online resources as suggested on Pet FBI’s advice page.