Missing Dog

Help, I Have a Missing Dog

Taking quick steps and remaining calm can make the difference between the safe return of a doxie or the classification as one in the thousands of lost dog statistics. Whether you have lost a dog or found one, the steps are the same.

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Prepare a Flyer

  • Use your most current photo of your dog, and use very large lettering that will catch the eye of drivers with the words "MISSING".
  • Include your immediate contact information, address, cell phone number, home phone number, and numbers to call if you can not be reached.
  • Describe your dog, but leave out some quick identifying feature if you are offering a reward (if your dog has a strange white patch on her chest, just use "black with white patch"), to prevent the unscrupulous from trying to take advantage of you.
  • Tape your flyer everywhere. Telephone poles, mailboxes, under windshield wipers of vehicles in your neighborhood.

Call the Police

The police officers on duty will often hear first if the worst happens and the dog has been hit by a car.

Call Animal Control

Don't know how to reach them? Call your local fire department or police station, they will find the number for you.

Social Network

Get the word out using Facebook, Twitter, and any other social media spots. Crosspost the listing to area veterinarians and groups that specialize in lost/found dogs.

Get in Touch with Local Rescue Groups

DRBC is often contacted when a doxie is lost or found. We are happy to help.

DACHSHUND RESCUE OF BUCKS COUNTY & NJ

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Call Radio Stations

Many do this free of charge, and many have personnel available at all hours to answer the phone.

Enlist the Help of Postal Workers, FedEx, UPS, or Anyone Else Working In the Area

Make a point of meeting your mail delivery person and handing them a copy of your poster. They might spot your dog on their rounds. Do the same with the garbage collectors and the utility department meter readers as well as the persons who deliver the daily papers.

Prepare Cards

Makeup cards with the dog's picture, the date lost, phone numbers...and hand those out to children, people out walking their dogs, running, riding bikes, etc. Sometimes they throw away flyers, where they'll keep a business card.

Think Like Your Dog

What does she like? Where would she be most likely to head? Is there another house/yard in the neighborhood similar to yours? She might be there. If she's crossed a street, she might have a visual barrier preventing her (in her mind) from returning. Follow the lay of the land—which way would you be most likely to go if you were she? Put one of your other dogs on a leash and see which way it's inclined to head for a general idea.

Place Food and Water Out

Place food and water next to the entrance your dog usually uses. Your dog may be closer than you think.

Make Posters with Impact

Try writing big red letters on the poster "CHILD'S BELOVED PET". Maybe you'll tug at someone's heartstrings if they think the dog belongs to a child. Place the posters in markets, drug stores, and banks.

Put a Poster in Your Car

Tape one of those large posters to the back of your vehicle (and your friend's), so everywhere you go, "people" know "somebody" is still looking for this dog, and is not going "to just go away!"

Contact Area Veterinarians

Mail flyers to all local vets (within 30-minute driving distance).

Visit Shelters

Visit shelters daily in person. Don't just call, often a dog is misrepresented as a different breed altogether, ask to see ALL animals, including the ones in the back awaiting euthanization.

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Visit Dog Parks

Hand out flyers and cards with the information to everybody at your local dog park, or any other popular dog area.

Remember

If your dog has been spooked into running, they might not come running back to you, even when they hear your voice. This is why it is very important to listen carefully for whimpering, whining, and to shine that flashlight underneath porches, vehicles, and other potential hiding spots. Don't count on a spot being too small, either! It's surprising how tight space a terrified dog can squeeze into.

Don't panic. You can do that after the dog is found.