By Lindsay

I had dogs for about twenty five years before I had one escape. This means that I am pretty dog savvy in general, but this new experience left me scrambling on what to do; not ideal in a situation when time is of the essence. So if you are also experiencing this for the first time, panicking on where to start as I was, take a breath, then follow this check list:

WHAT TO DO WHEN YOU LOSE YOUR DOG

Do not chase your dog.

I know that your first instinct is to run after your dog, however, this has the potential to spook them into running farther. If you are near rail road tracks or a busy road, this is particularly a concern. Give your dog one less thing to worry about & a chance to find cover if they got away from you because something scared them. 

Whoever the dog is most comfortable with should be the one to attempt to approach. Do not make eye contact or try to snatch the dog’s collar. Speak calmly, move smoothly & slowly. Say things that you know get your dog’s attention to get them to come back towards you or at least reconsider moving further away such as “want to go for a ride in the car?” or “want a treat?” then scatter treats if you have any on you. 

Once the dog has calmed down a little, do everything you can to get the dog to close the gap between you & him; it needs to be him coming to you, not you going to him to keep him from running again. However, no one knows your dog like you, so read his body language and proceed as you think best. When he is close enough that you are 100% sure you can, take steps to secure him such as clipping a leash on his collar if he is wearing one. 

Call Animal Control.

Call your local animal control office to report that your dog is missing, that way if they catch your dog, they know to contact you immediately.

Ask for help. 

Call any dog savvy people you know to form a rescue squad to help you find your dog. 

Contact local businesses.

If your dog got loose near any businesses, call them to ask if any employees spotted a dog. If a business is dog related such as a veterinarian, pet store, grooming salon, etc, ask them to keep an eye out, as they are most likely to help you.

Go to social media.

Use only local social media groups or pages. Provide a photo of your dog & his last known whereabouts as well as any critical information, such as if your dog is on any medications that make his return home extra important. 

Be sure to exercise caution, as sadly, some scammers may take advantage of your situation. 

If you are in Prince William County Virginia, you are insanely blessed to have this amazing resource, which is how we were reunited with our puppy: Lost & Found Pets Prince William County VA Facebook page. The heroic volunteers in this organization are experts at finding lost pets.

Pound the pavement.

If you lose sight of your dog, walk around the area that you last saw him in. Look for clues of his presence such as paw prints. Look where you think he may be based on his preferences. 

Get a game camera and a snap trap.

If you are struggling with catching a skittish dog, you will need an automatically closing trap to capture him; these look similar to dog crates but when an animal steps inside, they trigger the door to close. 

If you are able to get sighting confirmations from anyone in the area, combined with evidence of your dog’s presence, set up a game camera & some snacks they cannot refuse like sardines & rotisserie chicken. Monitor the trap via game camera to know if you were successful.

Only when you have a confirmed sighting of your dog on camera should you set a trap; if you set a trap without seeing your dog, you risk catching wildlife. If your first thought is, but maybe it would get my dog so I’ll do it anyway! Remember that you could wind up with a trapped skunk, & you’ll have to let him out.

My Experience Losing My Dog

All the dogs I had before we adopted Teddy were velcro dogs, meaning they always wanted to be with their humans. I never had to worry about them leaving my side. Teddy, on the other paw, was found hiding under a shed as a puppy, so he had a very different experience with humans. 

The day he ran away was about 5 days after we had adopted him; Teddy was still learning that we were a pack & he was very skittish. On a crocodile Dundee style walk about, he was the hide & seek champ of our hometown for nine long hours. 

The way the our community, the Furever project rescue team, & Prince William lost & found pets Facebook page rallied to help us get him home, & him coming home uninjured, was an answered prayer that was nothing short of epic.

On the day Teddy made his great escape, it was a pretty normal day, nothing unusual had happened. I had run out with our toddler to get him a smoothie, then while we were loading back into the car, my husband called me & told me what happened; Teddy charged past him when he opened a door. So I hurried home. 

As we were still getting to know him, having to figure out where to find him was a challenge. So even though we live in a fairly small town, it felt like searching for a needle in a hay stack. 

To begin our quest, I loaded our toddler into our jogging stroller, pushing him off road through fields by our home. Laughing at my huffing & puffing as I pushed him through mud & soggy mucky grass, he patiently assisted as we searched for our puppy for 3 hours.

Even after confirmed sightings from Good Samaritans we had left our phone numbers with, he continued to allude us. Then we had to accept that we weren’t equipped to find him on our own. 

Our next step was contacting his foster from the rescue we adopted him from, the Furever Project, for help. Even though she was not local to us, she didn’t hesitate to come help. The Furever Project helped me locate resources to find him. The prince William lost & found pets Facebook page acted quickly & their volunteer Amber didn’t hesitate to drop everything to bring out her expertise, cameras & traps.

Of all the places he could’ve gone to, the brown puppy goes into a muddy field. Think “the pit” from parks & Rec. Big foot should take notes on this strategy!

To quote Andy Dwyer from Parks & Rec, “when I lived in the pit, I made many vermin friends. They are good at tag but not good at sharing.” Not only were the human members of the community helpful, but the “vermin” of the community extended courtesy’s as well – the fox  who smelled the sardines, rotisserie chicken & liquid smoke we had to use to trap him didn’t enter the trap or fight him for the food!

Never did I ever think I’d see the day where my car would be a muddy mess & I wouldn’t be mad. My whole pack was tucked into bed safely that night so I was just grateful.

I hope the lessons I learned can help other families be reunited with their dogs too!