According to Our Research, 93% of lost dogs are discovered unharmed, and 20% find their way home by themselves. However, the secret to getting your dog back quietly and securely is spreading the word as soon as possible.
Do not expect your pet to return on its own in a short while. Don’t sit around wondering if he’ll manage to get home.
Get the word out as soon as you become notified that your pet is missing. Always remember that your pet animals have worn collars with identifying tags and have nice, clear pictures on hand in case of emergencies.
Although microchipping is a great method to identify your pet, hence, you should always ensure that your pet wears a display collar and tags.
To understand how you can bring your dog back home, let’s get into the details without any further ado.
12 quick actions to take if you lose your dog
Despite your best efforts, your dog will occasionally get away from the backyard or his harness in search of a squirrel or simply because they feel like wandering around.
The best part is that there are various methods to keep your dog from being lost; nevertheless, if that does happen, here’s what to do to assist in finding your dog and getting him back home.
1. Search the entire area
The best dog in terms of not getting lost is one that has received proper training. All dogs should be able to sit, stay, and come when called, so you should call your dog’s name if he or she does.
You might also need to offer a special treat or his preferred meal to leverage his sense of scent to entice him home.
You could wish to inform the locals of your dog’s disappearance and provide them instructions on how to approach your dog if they see it.
Provide her name and pictures, so anyone looking for her in the general area of your house knows who to look for. If you have other dogs, make sure to enlist their assistance as well.
Their strong senses of smell can be just what you need to point you in the route, like where their closest mate is now hidden.
2. Track your dog with a dog GPS tracker
A dog GPS tracker is a small device that attaches to your dog’s collar and uses GPS and cellular signals to track their location in real-time. . They’re super light and won’t bother your dog. These clever devices use GPS and cell signals to keep an eye on where your dog is at all times.
Bonus: Check out our Ultimate list of best dog GPS trackers for hiking, camping, and more.
3. Utilise Microchip on Your Dog
One of the first actions you should do is to inform the business that installed your dog’s microchip since proper identification, along with a collar with an ID tag and a microchip, is indeed essential to identifying a missing dog.
The entire reason for having the dog microchipped is to make it easier to locate them if they get lost.
Significantly if you just relocated or switched contact information, be sure the microchip firm has the most recent version of your contact information.
4. Spread a number of posters
Even though posting flyers is a dated strategy for pet rescue, it is nevertheless quite powerful.
Print a flyer with your dog’s current photo, a brief description, contact information, and other pertinent details about your pet’s behaviour.
If you’re going to provide a prize, make sure to mention it. Post your flyers as widely as possible, including electricity polls on busy streets.
Don’t hesitate to give them out to individuals, such as your mail carrier or kids in the neighbourhood.
If you’ve had phone calls reporting sightings of your dog, go to those locations to continue your hunt and post or distribute more leaflets.
5. Take advantage of social media or online forums
Nowadays, social media has the capacity to assist you in finding your pet dog in addition to flyers.
There could even be Facebook pages entirely devoted to discovering missing dogs in your region. Upload an alert on your own page and urge everyone to share it.
You should also post your dog’s picture to as many groups as possible. Additionally, you may create a special Facebook account for your dog so visitors can record spottings and share extra details with their friends.
6. Speak to local veterinary clinics & animal shelters
You should ensure that anybody who takes your missing dog to a pet rescue shelter or animal services facility knows your dog’s specific identity.
If your dog winds up at their office, be sure to phone them or drop by bringing one of your flyers so they understand how to contact you.
There is no assurance that they will contact you once your dog finally shows up, so be certain to keep checking in.
7. Identify Your Resources
Consider thinking like your dog, and he is still gone. If you were your dog, wherever would you go?
Consider places your pet is familiar with and likes to visit, like the city park, and places wherever they could feel secure and concealed, such as forested regions or even cemeteries.
Additionally, you might want to visit any nearby fast food joints or eateries since a lost, starving dog can be drawn to the enticing food aromas and end up raiding the garbage out.
8. Newspaper Advertisements
Advertise with a bounty in your neighbourhood newspapers or newsletters if anyone finds your unidentifiable pet.
Keep an eye on the discovered advertisements. Reply to any that could fit the description of your pet. White dogs can seem dull grey after a week of roving the sidewalks, and the advertisement’s image may not be entirely accurate.
9. Spreading the word through the radio stations
Contact regional radio stations. Free pet-loss information is sometimes provided on radio stations. Provide them with precise data about your dog’s whereabouts, characteristics, and contact details.
10. Register with pet-finding websites
The majority of cities have Online groups where missing and returned pet details are shared. Find volunteer groups and put a notice about your dog or cat being missing.
To aid in the search for your dog, share the post on your Facebook Profile, Instagram, or other social media profiles.
11. Don’t Give Up
It is painful to lose your dog, many stories of dogs have been missing from their homes for weeks or months and have reunited with their owners. Consistency and systematic approach is the key to success. No matter how many hours, days, or weeks it may take, do not lose hope you will reunite with your dog. The ways above mentioned will help you find your dog as soon as possible. Keep your search regular in animal shelters, and stay in touch with pet- finding organizations.
12. Create An Emergency Kit
Create an emergency kit for your dog. Keep all the essential details of your dog. Some of the essential information which you need is as follows:
- Medical health information.
- Contact details of your dogs vet.
- Latest picture of your dog.
How to Prevent Your Dog From Getting Lost
- Reinforcing fencing is one of the preferred ways to prevent dogs from running away.
- You can give training to your dog to not dig as well as stay in your yard.
- You can also use the indoor pets gates.
- You can use the dog collar id or microchip; it will help to track your dog’s location.
- Also, you can Give your contact information tag to your dog helps to ensure if they go missing.
Final Thoughts: What to do when you lost your Dog?
Don’t lose hope, even if it becomes harder day by day when your dog is
lost. However, You now have a list of actions provided by us to use when in need.
Furthermore, if you freak out easily, you can keep one thing in mind regarding animals. By that, I mean most dogs. When left alone, they learn to be incredibly adaptive and depend on their senses to live.
So, Be thorough and patient in your hunt for your lost dog and keep sharing, publishing, and doing so.
I hope you found this information helpful and helped make an action plan. Lastly, let us know your views on this topic in the comment section below. We pray that your dog will be home safely if lost.
Keep Searching! Don’t Give Up!
FAQs
Bring one of their favourite treats or toys to get your dog out of hiding. To entice your dog with familiar odours, leave your filthy clothing or your dog’s blanket outside.
Yes, it is common for lost pets to move around late at night and roam aimlessly looking for food because of starvation.
You must approach your recently lost and recovered scared dog with a soothing voice, calm behaviour and submissive body language.
Generally, lost dogs rely on following perimeters of the familiar scents and smelling them all the way to get home.
