Today is #NationalLostDogAwarenessDay
But let’s remember cats also get lost very often too .
I have done many lost pet sessions. Here are some things I want to share with all of you. Important things to remember to keep your animals SAFE. A lost pet is heart breaking for the guardians and scary for the animal. Though some lost animals are just freak accidents, most are preventable. Even if you don’t think you’ll ever lose your pet I encourage you to read all of the information below. Maybe it will come in useful. Maybe you can share it with someone. Hopefully it’s never needed. But if it saves even one pet from getting lost, it’s worth it.
- It’s the animals that people think will never “run away” that get lost most often. Most likely the guardians aren’t as aware or attentive because of a false sense of security.
- Newly adopted pets go missing ALL the time. Within days of adoption. Keep an eye on them, because they will be adjusting and maybe fearful they may try to run out the door, slip a collar, or just have another “new pet” incident occur. These animals DO NOT know where home is.
- Holidays! With people in and out and more going on, animals can get scared and flee. Or they may unknowingly slip out of the door or fenced area due to guests leaving things open, not paying attention, or just the animal not being properly supervised because of the busy environment.
- Fireworks. Even pets you think aren’t afraid have the potential to get spooked one time. When there are fireworks secure your pet at all times. This is the biggest cause of missing pets.
- Car accidents. So many dogs are lost from accident scenes. They are not near home, don’t know how to get back home, and sometimes they are even injured. Buckle your pets in like you would do with your kids. It keeps them safe. The last thing you want to worry about during a car accident is where your dog is. The flee the scene quick and far because they are so afraid.
- Put a GPS on your pet. Please! Identification tags and microchips are great if they end up found but most animals are too scared to ever approach a human when they are lost. A GPS will help you find your animal right away! This is the single best thing you can do to make sure your pet is found. And make sure the GPS collar stays charged to at least 35% so you have a buffer of time if the animal is lost.
- Sadly, the vast majority of lost pets will never return home. They either are too afraid to show themselves to humans, they will die, they will get hurt and be unable to get to help, or they will be picked up and never identified. When fear takes over they are irrational. They will not come to people or you, they get too scared.
IF YOUR PET IS LOST
Put scented items outside of your home. Things that smell like YOU. Your pet loves YOU. This will help. Dirty clothes is best. And change it every couple days, to freshly dirty clothes to make sure the smell is strong.
If you go out searching make sure no one is calling frantically or yelling. That is scary for a pet. As soon as your animal is lots all sense of reason is gone. Their natural instincts kick in and they try to stay safe. Survival kicks in. They will be afraid, thinking you are MAD if you are yelling frantically. Call their name like you are playing with them.If it sounds fun, it sounds safe, and that is the best chance you have of brining them out of hiding/running.
- Get a drone ASAP. Time is of the essence. The longer your pet is gone, the less chance you are going to have a happy reunion. As soon as your pet is gone, react. Don’t wait.
- If you have a dog, and your dog has really good dog friends, bring those dogs to search. Animals will be more likely to show themselves to other animals.
- Animals know how to hide to the point that many times a human will walk by (even their guardian) and NOT see them. They get so scared it’s all they know how to do. If your pet is lost look in and under EVERYTHING, even if you think the area is too small, too dense, or too unappealing. Your pet will hide in spots that you will walk right by and never notice. Search every single inch of every single area. It’s next level hide and seek. Trust me. I have seen many animals be found deceased in areas that were searched before the animal died.
The best thing you can do is PREVENT a lost pet. A lost pet is something no one (pet or guardian) wants to go through. PLEASE GPS your pets. It is the most likely way you will ever find them immediately if they ever go missing. There are many GPS options available. Even if they are not exact, they will give you a small area to check. Please share this information far and wide. Let’s keep pets HOME and SAFE with preventative measures.
