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Losing your dog can be scary. In fact, a lost dog situation is perhaps one of the most stressful situations you may deal with involving your dog. Thankfully all hope is not lost. There are many things you can do to aid in the search for your beloved pet. Here’s a small list of the most effective practices for finding a lost dog.
- First, you should notify any shelter near you that you have lost your dog. The American Humane Society recommends contacting any shelter that is within 60 miles of you. If you are not sure where your local shelter is, or if there is not one in your town, you can usually do a quick Google search to find any that are nearby.
- Search the neighborhood. This is the best place to start your search, because there is a good chance that your dog has just wandered off somewhere in your own neighborhood. If you are close with your neighbors, you might also be able to enlist their help in the search.
- Advertise your search. It may seem cliché, but putting up posters around your neighborhood or town is a very effective way to notify people that you are looking for your dog.
- Look online for your dog. Someone who finds the dog may take to an online forum such as social media sites like Facebook or post the animal on Craigslist looking for the owner.
- Never wire someone money for your lost dog. There are many scammers out there looking to prey on the emotions of scared dog owners to make a quick buck. If you feel there is no other option to get your dog back than to send money to the person who says they found your dog - always verify that they do actually have your dog. It is not hard to be fooled when you are emotionally compromised by your missing dog.
- Don’t give up hope. It may seem fruitless if you’ve been searching for your dog for a few weeks or a few months. However, there are cases of people whose dogs have been gone for years being reunited with their owners. Never stop looking until you know with absolute certainty that your dog is lost for good.
These are all great strategies for aiding in the search of your dog, but I think the best method of making sure your dog does not get lost, is to make sure that your dog has up-to-date tags, and that the tags are displayed clearly for anyone who may happen across your dog in the neighborhood. A dog has a much better chance of being returned to you if they wear a collar with your name, up to date phone number, and address attached to their neck.
Now let me quickly tell you all about my favorite way to keep your dog’s tags from falling off or getting lost. In my opinion, there is no better way to attach your dog’s tags to their collar, than by using an s-biner with a lockable gate. I really like the one from Nite Ize. It’s cheap, at 5.99, and very secure. Aside from just giving you peace of mind that your dog’s tags aren’t going to fall off, I love this device because it makes transferring tags from collar to collar a snap. You don’t have to worry about hurting your hands or breaking your nails trying to pry a normal split-loop key ring apart with these s-biners.
Losing your dog can be nerve-wracking and scary. However, you should not give up hope until you know for sure there is a reason to do so. Often times, lost dogs end up in local animal shelters or even inside the home of a good neighbor. If your dog’s collar got lost, or their tags fell off, there is a good chance that no one realizes the dog has a reliable owner. Always check online and at any local shelter to see if they have intercepted your dog. Be careful of looking online though, as many people will try to scam you into paying them money for your “lost dog.” Don’t fall for it. Again, the best preventative measure to avoid losing your dog like this is to make sure that your dog’s ID information is up to date and is prominently displayed on their collar. Not only is this simply good practice, in many places throughout the country and even the world, making sure your dog has tags and a collar is the law!
Get a Nite Ize S-Biner Taglock from KeepDoggieSafe.com, and give yourself piece of mind knowing your dog’s tags and collar are secure, today!
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