From the beginning an organized approach is best…

The situation may be brought on by a trip to the vet or a front door left open, but the worst of nightmares begins when a beloved four pawed family member escapes or goes missing. If you have never encountered this situation, the experience can be quite a shock. For many of us it can be paralyzing at a time when we need to be on our best game. It is a time for action when you may feel the need to curl up and just cry. Below is a list of the most immediate activities to pursue when first you realize your pet has escaped or is missing.

First Response Protocol…A step by step list

Relax and don’t panic… but also don’t wait to start looking. Statistics prove that pet owners with the greatest likelyhood of recovering their pet start looking immediately and have an organized approach. Be one of these pet owners.

Ground Zero Property Search: Make sure your pet is really missing. If you did not see him or her escape or do not know of anyone who did, take a few minutes to do a quick sweep of your property and the most obvious hiding spots before bolting for the front door to look.

Check your home, yards, garage, outbuildings under beds, etc. Sick or injured animals hide much of the time.

Prepare to search:

What to bring: You can gather this in 5 minutes or less. A better idea is to have some one else do this while you do the ground zero search.

• Photo of pet
• 20 cards with 24 hour phone number & the words LOST DOG
• Treats
• Leash
• Carrier (if dog is not leash trained or will respond and run to crate)
• Whistle, squeaky toy or clicker if pet has been trained to one or thinks they are fun and will respond.
• Box of treats or food that you can rattle if pet reponds to this

Immediately, grab your dog’s PET ID* kit with photo if you have one. If you do not have an ID Kit, grab a photo of your dog and a business card with your phone number on it. If you don’t have a business card or if the card does not have a phone number on it that you will answer 24 hours a day; take a yellow sticky, index card or any scraps of paper and write your cell phone number on them with the words Lost Dog. Make at least 20. Don’t forget the leash or carrier and treats in case bribery is necessary. There is something in your refrigerator that will work in an emergency. Hot dogs, last night’s dinner, bologna, cheese, even people cookies will work.

Bring in the troops: This is the time to call in your friends, family and neighbors. If possible, recruit those who will be supportive in your efforts and understand your concern and attachment for your pet. Call in your supportive friends and not the naysayers… you need to keep yourself focused in your efforts

Make it easy for the dog to return: Leave someone at the point of escape or your home in case pet returns. If no one is available leave a gate open, car door or crate or something that pet is familiar with and may want to stay near. In the worst case and with nothing else to leave, take off a piece of your clothing and leave it at the front door, near the gate or on the front porch.

Head for the door!

Choose a Direction: If you know in which direction the dog went, go that way, (and forget the ground zero search as you know he’s out). If you are not sure of the direction and your pet has done this before, go in the direction he went the last time he got out. If you have no idea what so ever, go to the spot where you think the dog escaped and assume he went right. This is a percentage call because dogs turn to the right more often than they turn to the left. If however, there is something scary to the right or something is blocking the way then choose another direction.

Neighborhood QUIK search:

Calling for your dog. One of the most difficult parts of the search is trying to remain calm. As you call your pet it is important to use your inside, affectionate voice. When we are stressed or trying to project our voice, many of us put tension in our voice which most pets perceive as something wrong. So if the pet is already skittish or may be afraid of reprimand, low soft voices and affectionate clicks and noises you use regularly are much more effective than screaming his or her name at the top of your lungs. Most of us have funny, affectionate or maybe even goofy pet names we call our beloved pet; as embarrassing as it is, this is the voice and words to use. It is quite a sight to see a big football player walking down the sidewalk, calling "Pookie wookie, Daddy loves you". But it works! Explain it to the neighbors later. Find your pet now.

Call pet's name but stop to listen…Call… listen (pause to count of 10). Call (pause to count of 10)… listen, etc. Remember use your indoor, happy affectionate voice like you want to play or give affection. If you have trained your pet to a whistle, or if the dog witll respond to a squeaky toy, shaking a box of food or treats, or any other welcoming response; use this action now.

Walk, ride or drive? This will depend on your pet and the availability of help and how long it has been since the pet’s escape.

Dog escapes and you notice within minutes. A scared, excited or bolting dog with you hot on his heels is best done on foot and DON’T chase him.

Try these steps:

• Drop to your knees and use your inside voice. If dog stops, roll over onto your back with your face towards the sky and continue to encourage the dog to approach. (This is a sign of your submission and invitation. Many dogs and some cats instinctually respond to these cues)
• Or pretend your eating something yummy while on your knees.
• Or run backwards while facing the dog and encourage him to follow with soothing words
• Develop a strategy to “head him off at the pass”. Intersecting an animal’s forward direction is better than flat out sprinting behind. Angulation in the direction you think he or she will go is more effective.

You did not see the dog go missing or dog has been missing more than an hour:

If you did not see the dog go missing or you think he/she has been gone more than an hour, then a driving search is best. Drive slowly and methodically scan in front, to the side, down cross streets, alleys, out across fields and parks. The ideal situation is to have a driving team. One drives and scans to the left while the passenger scans to the right and stops passerby’s with the dog’s photo and lost cards by asking “Have you seen this dog?” Remember to leave the telephone card with everyone you ask.

If you drive for more than an hour with no sightings return to the point of escape to figure out the direction of travel the fleeing pet went in. Knock on doors and talk to everyone outside: Ask anyone you see as you are searching out direction and sightings, “Have you seen this dog?” Show the picture and leave phone number card or sticky with them. If someone has seen your pet; go in the direction they direct you to and use the above protocols while continuing to gather sightings, evidence and direction.

Follow your leads and sightings until you either find your pet or run out of clues and sightings. If you go over two hours with no sightings or clues, head back to the point of escape to update and design a more formal search strategy with a public awareness campaign, development of witnesses and effective activities that will lead you to a reunion with your pet.

*A Pet Id Kit is a preventive measure, strongly recommended by Karin for pet owners whose dogs and cats are members of their families. For more information on the kit go to www.missingpetpi.com.

About the Author
Karin Goin is a licensed private investigator and the President of Pet Detectives, inc. a private investigative agency whose sole mission is the location and recovery of missing pets. By utilizing investigative skills, animal behavior profiling, escape scenario breakdown and environmental influences, she is able to “drill down” to the most likely scenario a missing pet may be experiencing. When not on the road with her K9 tracking team, she spends most of her time on the phone coaching pet owners in the search for their missing pets.

Karin and her K9s are regularly featured in newspapers, magazines and on television news segments across the country. She is the author of Finding Home… The Pet Owners Guide to Finding a Missing Dog and A Meow at the Door: Effective Techniques for Finding and Recovering a Missing Cat. She will be featured in a network TV series in 2008. Go to www.missingpetpi.com or call 918-368 2228 for further information.