What to do When Your Dog Is Lost or Missing!

The two most important things to recovering your pet is time and effort. The faster you let people know your dog is missing and the more people who know about your missing dog... the better your chances of finding your pet.

Was your dog wearing a collar and tags? Was he microchipped? Does he have a tattoo or other mark? Microchips and collars with ID tags help get your pet home faster.

How big is your dog? Remember that size is relative to the viewer. Some one used to small dogs will consider a 50 pound dog as large, while people living with very large dogs will think that size is small or medium. Give your dog's size in a general weight range and allow for hairy dogs looking bigger. A 90 pound Malamute could be described as 90-100 pounds or as 95 pounds.

What color is your dog? If your dog has more than one color or if the main color is a "shade", you should describe how the color looks in basic terms. For example, sable is a common color for many breeds.. but it may look orange, reddish brown, or light tan. A "gray and white" Malamute may have black hair tips and could also be described as "gray/black and white" or "dark mixed gray and white" depending on his overall look.

What does he look like? Give your dog's breed on your flier or missing dog report, but also include "looks like" as well. A Malamute flier would read something like "Alaskan Malamute, black and white, weighs 90 lbs, and looks like a very large Husky." An all white Malamute might be described as looking like a "very large spitz" or "heavy white Shepherd", a sable (or sable trimmed) Malamute might also be described as having "husky/shepherd" looks. Remember most people don't know all breeds or breed colors.

Any other distinguishing features? Mention any other important features or those that may not be apparent in a photo. Memtions eye color, scars, facial markings that don't show up well in the photo, etc. Also describe the type of collar, basic colors and collar decorations, and tags worn.

Collar types could be cotton, nylon, leather (flat or rolled), metal, etc and come in buckled, snap, or slip/choke connections.

Keep color names simple like red, blue, brown, multi-color and use simple descriptions like light, dark, neon, bright, etc. Do you really know what color Puce is? Well, neither does anyone else, so if the collar is a fancy color like Fuschia... just call it bright pink.

Patterns should be described as solid, striped, spotted or multi unless it is a commonly excepted print description such as "plaid", "rainbow", "floral", or "happy face".

Tags should include a Rabies tag from a vet clinic, but can also include various shapes and colors of local license or identification tags.

Flyer information should include your contact numbers, a clear photo, a good brief description of your dog, and the word "Reward" (but do NOT list a price).

On your flier, please make it quite clear whether or not your dog is wearing a collar, and what color it is. If he has identification tattoos or microchips, include that information.

Contact numbers should be where you can be reached easily or a message can be left. This includes home or work number, cell phones, or pagers.

Use photos with good detail and contrast, and try to have a plain background if possible. If you use a computer to print color flyers, also print a flyer in black & white to use for faxes or for making photocopies. Above all, your flier should say "Reward" in huge bold letters. Do not specify an amount.

If there is a heavy concentration of immigrants in your area, or within a 50-mile radius of your home, write your fliers bilingually or use two sets of flyers.

Post your Flyers in as many places as possible and for several miles from where your dog was last seen. A 25 to 50 mile radius is NOT unreasonable. Dogs can travel many miles when lost, exploring, or frightened. This is especially true if they "hitch" rides to other parts of town and across major roads, follow waterways or ditches, or have behavior quirks such as thunderstorm anxiety.

Send a flier to every post office within a 50-mile radius, and ask the local papers to pass fliers to their carriers in the same radius. And don't forget local delivery services such as UPS, FedEx, or even florists. These people often have to be on their watch for stray dogs, in case these dogs are aggressive; they will be more likely than your average pedestrian to notice a strange wandering dog. If there is a local jogging route (or bike path or horseback riding trail), post fliers on trees and lampposts along the route for the same reason.

Some other suggested places are pet department stores (PetsMart, PetCo, etc), convenience stores, drug and health stores, liquor stores, schools and day care, vet clinics, boarding kennels, groomers, shelters and humane societies, gas stations, health or recreation clubs, and of course street signs or light posts.

That's up to you. There are two schools of thought about including the dog's name. One says that a Good Samaritan will be able to make the dog trust him and come to him; the other opinion says that by providing a name, you are giving a potential thief a window into your dog's soul.

If your dog was stolen, call the police immediately and file a report.

Inform your neighborhood watch program or neighborhood constables.

Enlist the aid of ham radio operators and CB radio users.

Advertise your dog as lost in local and neighborhood newspapers. Many newpapers will list lost & found dogs for little or no cost.

List your dog on as many Lost & Found internet services as possible. Ask friends to forward email notices to other people and pet email lists.

Contact local dog rescues, particularly if your dog is purebred or looks more like a single type of dog. Call rescues who help breeds for which your dog may be mistaken... if your dog is a Malamute or Malamute-mix, call both Husky and Malamute rescues.

Call the studio lines of the top three rated radio stations during morning and afternoon rush hour, and speak to the on-air personality. Briefly describe your problem and ask them to please mention it on-air. Stations routinely record every call that comes in to the studio (for security reasons), and if they decide to assist you, they will simply play your conversation. Try to keep your problem less than one minute in length.

If there are unusual circumstances regarding the dog (Seeing Eye), his breed (world's rarest), or his disappearance, call your local television stations. One (or all) of them may pick up the story for its "Human Interest" potential.

Remember to keep a list of who you called for future reference and call backs. It is also a good idea to keep a descriptive list of your dog as a reference when you call. After a few calls, you may not remember everyone you called or to give all your dog's information to each person.