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.
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!
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,
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!
K.C. With His Hopeful Note!
This kitty had been a frequent visitor in our Facebook friend Nikki’s neighborhood for two weeks. She put this sign on his collar in hopes of solving the mystery: was this cat just a “moocher” or was he really a stray? When no one called, Nikki posted the kitty to the Pet FBI Ohio Facebook page.
Our “special agent” (unofficial volunteer) Teresa immediately commented and suggested that Nikki check our lost and found pet database.Thankfully, fourteen year old K.C. was posted. He had been missing for two months! Whether you have lost or found a pet, posting on Facebook is not enough. After awhile the info gets buried and is not easy to find. MAXIMIZE your chances of a reunion by using our free, searchable lost and found pet database at petfbi.org: The Information Center For Lost and Found Pets.
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.
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!
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?
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.
“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.
“Ean” Surfaced Many Miles From Home
Missing for two whole weeks, thankfully Good Sam filed a report for him on our free lost & found pet database! www.petfbi.org
Good Sam was convinced he had a family missing him because he was a lover boy. Turns out his Mom & Dad are grad students from China and were unaware of Pet FBI. Just as they were losing hope someone suggested they search our database and there he was!
Ean had somehow traveled many, many miles and would have had to cross many busy streets! Thank goodness for www.petfbi.org!
OBJECT LESSON:
Most cats are found very close to home. Inside cats especially are unlikely to go far – at least for the first week or so – and will probably be found hiding very close by. BUT, it is not at all unusual for lost cats to turn up far from where they went missing. Sometimes they get there on their own; sometimes they have been picked up by someone and then gotten away; or maybe they were spirited off unknowingly while exploring a pickup truck or a van. When searching for a lost cat or dog be sure to extend your search beyond the immediate area. Check shelters in nearby counties and put posters up at major intersections beyond your neighborhood. Extend your search as time passes.
