How to Find Your Lost Dog

Losing a pet can be a heartbreaking experience. First come feelings of panic mixed with hope that your buddy will return shortly. As the hours go by, the panic settles in as does the certainty that your missing pet is not going to return on his own. Days go by, and hope fades into mourning. The guilt and worry leave you wondering: Is my pet OK? Are they warm and happy in a new home? Are they wandering lost, hungry and afraid? Are they dead? You should always take every precaution necessary to prevent losing your pet, but when prevention fails, what do you do next? How do you find that lost dog?

First, and most importantly, print up flyers with a picture of the dog. If you don't have pictures and the animal has a distinctive purebred look, hop on the internet and Google to find a picture that closely resembles your pet. Make sure you use a casual photo of the animal; animals that have been lost and wandering rarely look their best. Pictures are of vital importance that cannot be understated, but a written description is important as well. Try to include anything that might identify the dog as yours. My dog, Tango, was a six month old Great Pyrenees when he went missing from my front yard. He was all white with a fluffy coat, his ears were slightly darker with some gray hairs mixed in, and he had a large hard lump on the inside of his left "wrist" on his front leg from an injury at 12 weeks old. He also had a slightly yellow patch in front of his tail that looked more like a dirty spot on his back than a colored patch, and he had double dew claws on his back legs. Also include details such as the pets name, where it was last seen and whether or not it was wearing a collar. Don't forget your phone number! Tear off phone numbers at the bottom of each flyer are best.

Now take those flyers and post them everywhere. First visit your neighbors and show them the flyers. Talk to your mail carrier, garbage collector and any delivery personnel you see. Take a flyer into every vet's office in the area. Take them into the local animal shelter, and the animal shelters in surrounding counties. Send them to local rescues, regardless of breed--rescue people are in close contact with other dog people in the community. Also take copies of those flyers to the local city and county police stations. In my case, my pup was a large enough dog to scare someone and I wanted to make sure that the police knew that he was harmless. The officer in my area was wonderful and asked me several other questions, like would the dog come and jump into a car if he were called, were there any areas in town where I regularly walked him that he would be familiar with, etc.

While you are at the police station, file a report on your missing dog. While this may seem extreme and a little embarrassing right now, it can save you and your dog later. If, in six months, you were to find your dog in someone's back yard, that police report may make the difference in an ownership dispute. Also be sure to place an advertisement in the "Lost and Found" section of major papers within 60 miles of your home. Many people will check these lost and found ads first when they find a stray dog. Many papers offer lost and found ads free of charge.

Over the next several days, develop a relationship with the animal shelters. Go and visit the shelter every other day. Visiting is crucial. Many lost pets have been sitting in the shelter while the operators told owners over the phone that they didn't have a dog like that. Yes, they have your flyer, but they have so many animals come and go they can hardly keep track of them all. Seeing you on a regular basis also helps keep your dog in the forefront of their minds and influences them in your favor. Remember they deal with the dregs of pet-owning society--people who mistreat, abuse, neglect and abandon their animals. They may be inclined to assume you are an irresponsible owner and that your dog would be better off in someone else's home...it wouldn't be the first or the last time this happened. Your obvious concern for your pet will reaffirm their faith in what they do and make them want to help reunite you and your pet.

Finally, maintain that relationship with the local rescues. Keep in touch with them, again to keep your pet from getting lost in months of paperwork. Use Petfinder.com to search in your area and see if any of the photos are your missing dog. Hopefully you will find your dog quickly, but in many cases the pets are found months later.

With my own dog, Tango, I followed each of the steps above. Just a few days ago on Petfinder.com I found a picture of a Great Pyrenees in a rescue 45 minutes away. The dog is male, very thin and sad looking. His ears are folded back against his head, so I couldn't determine the color, but I could tell from the photo that he does have double dew claws on his back legs. He is obviously young because his body and head are still narrow and immature. His coat is also relatively short for a Pyrenees--I sheared Tango's coat in July and the coat length in the picture matches what Tango's coat should have grown out to by now. I called the rescue and the dog has already been sent to the federal prison for obedience training, so they couldn't immediately confirm or deny that it was my dog, but they are looking into it. I am waiting breathlessly for that call. If and when he comes home I am going to take him to have him micro-chipped and get a personalized tag put onto his collar, and then I'm not letting him out of my sight for the rest of his life. I wish you the best of luck in finding your own pet. Don't give up!