I have been a full time pet detective for over 10 years since 2009 covering all of California. This blog covers all aspects of preventing a pet from becoming lost and what to do if your pet becomes lost.

Feel free to call or text me at 510/415-6185 or email me at jackie@thesocialpet.com. I look forward to hearing from you!

Chessie as a Puppy in Oakland, 1985

Chessie as a Puppy in Oakland, 1985

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

My Pet Has Been Stolen. Can You Still Do a Search?

My Pet Has Been Stolen. 
Can You Still Do a Search?

If your pet has been stolen, the first thing you need to do is to contact your police department and file a report. Animals are considered property, and your local department needs to take a report for stolen property.
If your pet has been picked up and carried or walked away, or if your pet has been put into a vehicle with the windows down, we can still follow that track, as long as we have a viable scent article and the animal’s last known location.

In order to do the search to find your missing pet, I would like to know that your local police department is aware of the search being done, to clear it with them and get their approval. The reason for this is because any evidence or information we discover about your missing pet will be turned over to them for their investigation.

In addition, the police department needs to know when the search is occurring in case we need their immediate assistance while on the search. When I worked as an animal control officer, we frequently called upon the assistance of the local police department, and they would call upon our assistance when they had a case they were working on that involved animals.

What to do immediately
1. Start with a good, clear flyer:
Make the flyer in a common software like either MS Word or as a PDF document so that it is easily downloaded and sent anywhere by anybody
a. Use clear color photos
b. 24 hour phone number with voicemail
c. Basic description of your pet
d. Reward

2. Where to put and send flyer:
a. All light poles
b. Mailboxes
c. Door to door
d. Dumpster areas
e. Mail carriers, UPS, Fed Ex, DHL and all delivery people
f. Garbage truck drivers
g. Utility meter readers
h. Local pet stores, grocery stores, gas stations
i. All vets: emergency and regular
j. Schools and churches
k. Police departments

3. Send flyer to Class B dealers and pet shops:

4. File a report with your local police department.
a. Follow up with them regularly.

5. Craigslist:
a. File your own ads in both Pets and Lost/Found sections with a clear, color photo. 
b. Check ads in local, state and national Craiglists. Do a search on top for breed type in the Pets section. 

6. Do Internet searches on these subjects for potential breeders who may want to purchase your pet from the person who stole them. 
a. Puppies/kittens, dogs/cats, breeders, pets
b. Specific breeds or mixes (designer dogs)

7. Look at HSUS, ASPCA and Last Chance for Animals:
Look at stories they do for puppy mill, hoarder and rescue busts. Contact them about your missing pet to see if your pet is among any animals in the animals they find in their puppy mill busts. 

8. Review “Finding Lost Pets Checklist”

Articles to Read

American Psychological Society Article:

HSUS Article on Class B Dealers:

HSUS Article on The Use of Pets in Experiments:

HSUS’s History of Pets in Experiments

HSUS Article on the Use of Dogs and Cats in Experiments:

To prohibit the sale of "random source" (as opposed to purpose-bred) dogs and cats by Class B dealers for research purposes. Class B dealers sometimes obtain these animals through pet theft and free-to-good-home ads.

HSUS Article on the Use of Animals in Research

Wayne Pacelle Blog About buying animals from Class B dealers

USDA’s Dealer Requirement Guide

USDA’s Dealer Inspection Requirements

Websites
Horse theft

All stolen pets

Stolen Dogs

Last Chance For Animals
Keeping your pet safe

Pet theft and Class B Dealers)

Pound seizure – Animals sold to labs from shelters

Missing pets

More resources

Doggie Manners

Doggie Manners



Books
“Stolen for Profit” by Judith Reitman



Pet Theft Awareness Day!




"Protect Your Pet" by Last Chance for Animals

Protect Your Pet
From the Website: 
Last Chance for Animals/Dealing Dogs 

DON’T leave companion animals unattended in your yard. It only takes a minute for someone to steal your pet. 
DON’T allow your pet to be visible from the street.
DON’T leave your dog tied up outside restaurants or stores.
DON’T leave any animal unattended in your car, even if it is “just for a minute.”
DON’T use “free to good home” ads to place companion animals. These ads are often answered by Class “B” dealers. Contact a rescue group for assistance in conducting your own adoption.
DO spay and neuter your companion animals. This reduces your animal’s desire to stray and reduces the risk of your companion animal being stolen for breeding purposes.

DO provide your companion animals with collars, ID tags, and licenses. Speak with your veterinarian about backup forms of identifications, including tattooing and microchipping.

DO keep recent photos and written descriptions of your companion animals on hand at all times.

DO keep dogs and cats indoors, especially when you’re not home.

DO know where your animals are at all times. Treat your companion animals as you would a small child.

DO educate family, friends, and neighbors about pet theft

Properly Identifying Your Pet
A good dog collar with an ID tag is the first line of defense against pet theft; however, a collar can break or be pulled off. In addition to a collar, dogs should have permanent identification. Microchipping and/or tattooing your pet are excellent ways to ensure their safety.

Additionally, if your pet ends up at a research or medical facility, the researchers are required by law to look for any tattoos, and, if one is found, they must trace the pet back to the owner.

Microchips
A microchip is a permanent radio-frequency identification (RFID) chip implanted under the animal’s skin and read by a chip scanner or wand. Implantation is done with an injector that places the chip under the loose skin over the animal’s shoulder.
The advantages are obvious -- the process is quick and no more painful than a vaccination, the number is unique and the owners name and address are available on regional or national data bases so a dog can be returned quickly and safely.

The chip identification number is stored in a tiny transponder that can be read through the animal's skin by a scanner emitting low-frequency radio waves. The frequency is picked up by a tiny antenna in the transponder, and the number is retrieved, decoded and displayed in the scanner readout window.

There are two major companies that produce and register microchips: HomeAgain and AVID. For more information on microchipping, visit www.HomeAgainID.com and www.AvidMicrochip.com.


Spaying and Neutering Your Pet
Spaying or neutering your animal might actually help keep her out of a research lab. Animals that aren’t spayed or neutered often stray from home when looking to mate. Many strays end up in pounds or shelters, which, depending on the state laws, might in turn sell the animal to a research lab through a practice called “pound seizure.”

"Pound Seizure" by Last Chance for Animals

Pound Seizure
Last Chance for Animals/Dealing Dogs 

Pound seizure is the practice of “seizing” dogs and cats from shelters and pounds to supply the biomedical research industry. Some pounds and shelters must sell (or choose to sell) to Class “B” dealers or research facilities. When dogs and cats are obtained for research, their fate is terminal. Some animals die quickly, while others are used in long-term, agonizing studies. 

Pound Seizure is Not Necessary
The practice of pound seizure is not only unnecessary, The World Health Organization advises against it, as well as the Council of Europe. Pound source animals are poor subjects for research experiments because their genetic backgrounds and medical histories are unknown, making it very difficult to acquire accurate results. Furthermore, the myth that banning pound seizure will prohibit advancements in medical research and teaching situations is also incorrect. In 1983, Massachusetts became first state to officially prohibit pound seizure and has proved that research has not been hindered. For example, Harvard Medical School is one of the finest in the world. Three years after the ban was adopted, medical research remained at the same level as before. More and more scientists and doctors condemn the use of random source animals and are aiding to end the practice of pound seizure.

Shelters and Pounds are not Warehouses for Laboratories
Animal shelters, humane society shelters, and pounds are set up to do three things:
Protect animals until their guardian reclaims them.
Adopt the animal to a loving, secure home if the animal is not reclaimed.
Humane euthanization if there is no other alternative. 
Under no circumstances should an animal have to be subjected to torture in a research facility. 

13 States Have Banned Pound Seizure
Although there is no federal law pertaining to pound seizure, thirteen states prohibit it.

These states are:
Connecticut
Delaware
Hawaii
Maine
Maryland
Massachusetts
New Hampshire
New Jersey
New York
Pennsylvania
Rhode Island
Vermont
West Virginia

States vary in their oversight of animal control and transactions involving animals. Most other states have no laws regarding pound seizure and leave it up to the county or town governments to decide. For instance, some states indicate that "owners" must approve of the animal being released to research institutions, and others
mandate the release of animals without them first being available for adoption.

Three states in the U.S. -- Minnesota, Oklahoma, and Utah --
still legally require that publicly funded shelters and pounds provide dogs and cats to institutions for experimental or educational purposes.

What You Can Do:

To find out how your state stands on pound seizure, go to www.banpoundseizure.org/home.shtml. Click on your state to find out whether or not your state prohibits, mandates, allows or has not dealt with the issue of pound seizure.

If you live in one of the states that permit pound seizure, work for state legislation to end it. It’s been done, it’s being done and you can do it in your state. Bills have been presented before and it is not hard to introduce them. You just have to do it. Until there is a law to protect our animals, every animal is at risk.

Contact those in charge of local pounds and shelters and find out what they have done or are doing to cease this horrendous practice. Talk with town or state officials on the issue and insist laws are created to end pound seizure. Speak out, organize letter writing campaign and get petitions signed

"Pet Theft: “B” Dealers and Bunchers" by Last Chance for Animals

Pet Theft: “B” Dealers and Bunchers
From the Website: 
Last Chance for Animals/Dealing Dogs 
Nearly two million companion animals are stolen each year. Many of these animals are sold to research laboratories, dog-fighting rings or puppy mills, where they are abused and often killed.

Many of these pets find their way to research laboratories through USDA licensed Class “B” animal dealers. For a $10 fee, anyone can apply for a USDA Class “B” dealer license.

Class “B” dealers obtain animals from state, county or city owned and operated animal pounds or shelter, (this is called pound seizure), other USDA licensed “B” dealers and various random sources. However, “B” dealers also obtain animals from “bunchers." 
Bunchers fraudulently obtain animals through “free to good home” ads, preying on unsuspecting people who can no longer care for their companions. They make promises of a good home and tender care, only to turn around and sell the animals, sometimes the same day, to Class “B” dealers. In attempts to gather as many animals as possible for sale to research institutions, bunchers also frequently steal family pets directly from their owners.
Laws Don’t Protect Our Companion Animals
Currently, the only piece of legislation standing between family pets and the unscrupulous “B” dealers who sell them to be tortured in research facilities is the Animal Welfare Act (AWA). Enacted in 1966, the AWA requires that minimum standards of care and treatment be provided for most warm-blooded animals bred for commercial sale, used in research, transported commercially or exhibited to the public. Unfortunately, the enforcement of the AWA is completely inadequate and millions of family pets have ended up in research facilities as a result.

Class “B” dealers have been shown to regularly and willingly do everything in their power to ensure family pets are sold to be tortured in research laboratories. The monetary incentives associated with selling lost and stolen family pets motivate “B” dealers to violate countless laws. Records are falsified, evidence of ownership, such as dog tags, are purposefully destroyed and no attempt is made to reunite microchipped animals with their families. Instead, these companion animals are kept in often squalid conditions before being sold for use in experimentation.But underneath his battered work clothes, “Pete” was secretly documenting the atrocities at Baird’s facilities. Using a tiny microphone and videotaping device, “Pete” acquired more than 70 hours of video surveillance. An overwhelming amount of animal cruelty, abuse, neglect, and unsanitary conditions were exposed. 

 The enforcement of the AWA is the responsibility of the Animal Care division of the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), which is a part of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Government documents show the laws of the AWA severely lack enforcement and APHIS is unable to ensure animals are well cared for. Additionally, violators who are penalized for their infringements consider monetary penalties an accepted cost of conducting business, rather than a disincentive for violating existing laws. As a result, violations of the AWA, including the falsification of records -- the only current way to ensure that family pets do not enter the research animal trade -- continue undeterred.

"About Pet Theft" By Last Chance For Animals

About Pet Theft
From the Website: 
Last Chance for Animals/Dealing Dogs 

The USDA and Class "B" Dealers
The United States Department of Agriculture licenses animal dealers; anyone selling animals to laboratories (or selling more than 24 dogs or cats per year at the wholesale level) must be licensed. Class "A" dealers maintain their own breeding colonies while Class "B" dealers obtain animals from "random sources." For a $10 fee, anyone can apply for a USDA Class "B" dealer license. The USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) inspectors are responsible for making certain that the dealer's records are current and complete, and for ensuring the health and safety of the animals. Unfortunately, the USDA has not made the latter a priority, for there is a shortage of inspectors and enforcement of existing regulations is weak. Consequently, many of the people involved in the sale of stolen animals are licensed by the federal government.

Where do "Random Source" Animals Come From?
Many are stolen from backyards, others are obtained through "free to good home" ads. "B" dealers prey on these unsuspecting people who can no longer care for their companions. "Bunchers" acquire animals for free by making fraudulent promises of a good home and tender care, then sell the animals, sometimes the same day, to Class "B" dealers. Most will be sold to research facilities, many of which are funded by tax dollars. Researchers prefer to experiment on pets and other animals that have lived with people because they tend to be docile, accustomed to people and easy to handle.
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LCA Busts Largest and Most Notorious "B" Dealer
In 2002, Last Chance for Animals sent an undercover investigator into Martin Creek Kennels, a facility run by Class "B" dealer C.C. Baird. As a result of LCA’s undercover investigation, in March 2004, the USDA/APHIS filed a 108-page complaint against Baird, consisting of hundreds of violations of the Animal Welfare Act. In 2006, he was subsequently charged with felony mail fraud and was put out of business -- PERMANENTLY. You can read more about the C.C. Baird case here.
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Debuting in 2006 and airing frequently on HBO, Dealing Dogs has educated millions of people about the danger of pet theft and even spurred two U.S. Representatives to introduce vital legislation (The Pet Safety and Protection Act) in the House to combat the problem of pet theft. Dealing Dogs will be used again in 2007 to help introduce and finally pass the Pet Safety and Protection Act through the new congress.

Dealing Dogs is now available to rent through many major rental houses, including Netflix and Blockbuster, and is available for purchase through Last Chance for Animals here.

What is "Pound Seizure?"
Pound seizure, in which animals who arrive at the pound are turned over to laboratories for experimentation on demand if they are not reclaimed by their guardian or adopted out, is still in effect in some animal shelters. Some pounds therefore must sell (or choose to sell) animals to Class "B" dealers or research facilities. Read more about pound seizure here.

Saturday, October 19, 2019

Using a Pet Detective to Find Your Lost Pet

Using a Pet Detective to Find Your Lost Pet

Your pet is missing and you are looking into using a Pet Detective service to help find your lost pet. There are a wide variety of services offered, depending on cost and what your needs are. Some people offer tracking services with a trained tracking dog, and other services that pet detectives offer are flyer creation and distribution, shelter checks, creating posters and placing in appropriate areas, trapping assistance and profiling of the lost pet to determine where they might be.
Each person doing work as a Pet Detective will offer different work and training styles and will also offer different services. 

Some pet detectives  specialize in only specific types of animal like dogs, cats or small animals or livestock, and some only work to find deceased animals. For a person who does offer tracking dog services, there are two different types of scent work that could be offered: Tracking and Detection. 

Scent Specific Tracking is where the dog is shown an article that belongs to the missing animal like a bed, blanket, toy, carrier, clothing, collar, harness, etc. The dog is shown that article at the location where the animal was last seen or escaped from. Then the scent dog follows the scent track until the dog is told to stop. The dog follows only that specific scent and nothing else. 

There is a wide range of beliefs how long of a track a dog can follow and how old the track can be. Some believe that a dog can only follow a track a few hours old and others believe a dog can follow a track much longer and much older. I personally have seen and believe that a dog can follow any track they are trained to do. With previous training and experience and practice, I have seen a dog follow a track up to a month old. 

Detection is when the dog is looking only for a specific item like a cat or a human or an object, but it is not tracking. This is when the dog looks for any cat or any dog or any human, not a specific one. The dog can also be trained to look for deceased animals. Many dogs are skilled and trained in both detection, both live and deceased animals, and tracking. 

There is a wide range of backgrounds of the types of people who do work as pet detectives.  Some people come from human Search and Rescue (SAR) and remain in that field, doing both pet detective work and human search and rescue. Some people come from Police departments as K9 Handlers, working either live people cases or deceased bodies since their dogs will specialize in one or the other.  Many people who do this type of work have a background in dog training, both competition training, and/or pet dog training. This type of experience and skill is very handy since we all have to train our own dogs to do this work since no one person specializes in this training.  In addition, many people have experience and knowledge in animal shelters, both as a volunteer and working staff members. 

"What is the best type of dog for this type of work?
There are a wide variety of types of dogs used for pet detective work and for a variety of reasons. Some people have favorites in breeds and tend to stay with those types when they are looking for a working dog. Some people just start using the existing dog they have at the time they start their business. 

There are some common characteristics I have seen that are necessary for a good working pet detective tracking and detection dog. For size I would suggest a medium to larger size dog so that they are capable of covering long distances at a pretty good pace since most work is done on an hourly basis. And also that size become a good deterrent when the searches lead you through less than desirable areas that have possible safety issues. 

Another important characteristic is a dog that has a friendly and outgoing temperament and can handle every stressful and demanding situation that can and does occur. This includes walking in large crowds, loose dogs that are both friendly and unfriendly, unfriendly and scared people, high, low and wet temperatures. The dog should be friendly or accepting of all strangers since they will come in contact with a wide variety of people, all wanting to say hello and to pet them, especially children who see a cute dog and a jacket and harness and want to play with the dog. 

The dog should be ball or toy crazy so that can be a great motivator  or reward in the field, both in practice and real life. This also applies to food. The dog should be super eager for food of any type, even dry kibble. I want to see in a dog who says, “How high and when?” Make the work fun for the dog with rewards that they enjoy. Maybe have a type of reward that the dog only sees on searches. For example, I bring peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and Gatorade drink on searches, and Dino never gets these any other time. Those are his special treat and reward for working on searches. 

I have found that there are two key things that will determine if a dog becomes a pet detective tracking dog. First: Does the dog have an athletic body and structure that can enable the dog to  literally cover 10 to 15 miles in a day with barely getting tired? An athletic build with the ability to work long hours over a variety of terrains is best for this type of work. That means that any mixes or purebreds from any of these groups can do the work with the proper training: Scentxounds, Retrievers, Herding, Terriers

However, any dogs from these groups would not be good candidates due to their lack of built-in athletic ability and low motivation due to their Sedate lifestyle. Companion dogs like Pugs, Pekinese, Poms and any dog with shortened nose which limits/restricts breathing, combined with short legs and dwarf bodies, would not have the sustainability to do long term tracking, despite their basic ability and desire to track. Dogs with heavy, thick coats like Australian Shepherds can do the work but they will need extra care in the heat with the use of cooling jackets.

All dogs can track!
All dogs have the capability to track, despite what many tracking enthusiasts think. The difference is in the dog’s individual motivation and athletic abilities. Generally any dog or mix from any of the above groups have the amount of drive and physical capability track.Many searches in a single day ca be several hours long and can cover 10 to 15 miles easily over a variety of terrains from urban sideways and streets to mountain trails and bushes.

“Are Bloodhounds as great at tracking as everyone is told.”
There are many myths in the tracking world. One of the most commonly held beliefs is that Bloodhounds have a different capability or skill than another dog, but that is not the case at all. Another myth is that dogs can’t track a scent more than 24 hours old, but that is also false.


The second reason that makes a successful tracking dog for lost pets is the person holding the leash and performing all the training. I believe all dogs are born blank slates and that behavior is not genetic. The success or failure of a dog depends on the person or people in the dog’s life. In order to be successful, a dog needs to have a skilled and knowledgable trainer/handler who knows where to look for information that they many not have at this time, and who isn’t afraid to step outside their comfort zone and do something different. 

Using A Computer to Find Your Lost Pet

Using A Computer to Find Your Lost Pet

When looking for your pet, the biggest advantage you can give yourself and your pet is to make sure you use a computer to its fullest potential. Whether this is using a word processor to create your flyer, to maintaining your ad on Craigslist. 

See the blog post “Designing an Effective Lost Pet Flyer” on the mechanics of creating a flyer. There are several reasons why it is best to use a computer to create a flyer. First, it is easier, faster and less expensive to create a flyer through a printer than on a copier. Second, a computer generated flyer presents a more professional and authentic image. Third, type is easier to read that is predictable in upper and lower case, which makes the flyer easier to read. Compare this to a handwritten flyer which has inconsistent lettering. 

While I was an Administrative Assistant and doing a lot of flyers and sales marketing designs, I studied a lot about how to use white space and type to effectively get your message across. The use of upper and lower case letters and can easily change a message or tone and the specific type used can change the message. Type is divided into “Serif” or “Sans Serif.” “Sans” means “without” in Latin, and “Sarif” is “feet or hands,” San Serif font is used as titles and Serif is used as text. A type that is Sans Serif is blocky type like Helvetica, with no “hands or feet.” This type is best used for bold titles like “Lost Cat.” As a comparison, the “Serif” type has the “feet and hands” at the top and bottom of the type. An example of Serif type is Times Roman. This type is typically used for text in a paragraph since it is easier for the eyes to read and follow quickly. 

When posting ads, remember to use newspapers, both printed and online. Include a clear color if the rates are affordable. If not affordable, make the text super clear what the cat looks like with any distinguishing marks like white on feet, face or chest. 

When using Craigslist, keep the ad current by renewing the ad every day or as often as possible, and remember to use good, clear photos. Make sure the phone number used is open and watched 24 hours a day for any messages or calls. 

When creating ads, you can easily just repeat the same information that is on the flyer. There is no need to spend extra time rewriting everything when time is critical. Make the ads and the flyers all the same with the same photos, descriptions and brief information. 

When sending out flyers in emails, the flyer is attached in an electronic format and not a photocopy. This enables the flyer to get out very fast and far. Put on flyer “OK to forward” so that others knows this and don’t waste time asking. Some great places to send the flyers are vets, groomers, shelters.


When checking shelter websites like Petharbor.com, which list lost, found and adoptable dogs. Petfinder lists only adoptable animals. And then each individual shelter has their own website that lists found and adoptable animals. 

What Should You Do if Your Find or See a Lost Animal

What to do if you see an animal loose on the street

I have discovered that a person’s response to seeing an animal loose on the street is as unique as their own fingerprint or trackable scent. Some people will go out of their way to catch an animal, while others will turn around and walk away. 

One common response to seeing a loose animal on the road is to attempt to catch the animal. If somebody makes an attempt to catch an animal, there are only two possible outcomes. Either the animal is caught, or it is not. 

Here are some key tips on how to catch a loose dog on the road. Offer them really yummy food to entice them over. Their hunger at that moment might be enough to draw them to you. Raise your voice and talk to the animal in your best “baby talk” voice. Woman have an easier time with this, compared to men, but a man can still perform this successfully. Remove any hats and sunglasses, since these tend to scare animals. Bend down as low as physically possible, so you are practically on your stomach and are not intimidating. Turn your back away from the animal, and don’t stare at them directly. Look at them from the corner of your eye. A direct stare can be too intimidating and frightening. Have a leash ready with a loop in one hand to put over the dog’s head as soon as possible. You may only have one split second of a chance, so it needs to be accurate the first time. As you are trying to get the animal to come to you, hide the leash behind you to not scare the animal. Never run after the animal because this frightens the animal into thinking they are being chased. Try to get the dog to come to you by doing the above things. 

Here are some key tips on what NOT to do if you find a dog loose on the road. Never chase them or run after them. Try to get the animal to come to you by appearing non-threatening, especially if the animal is cornered. It may take several minutes for them to calm down, see the food in your hand and respond to you. Never wave or throw things at them like leashes or toys or other objects. They will think you are trying to harm them. Never rush the situation. Give the animal time to see you as a friend and to understand that you are there to help them.

If the animal is successfully caught, there are two more outcomes. You can  surrender the animal to the local shelter, or you can attempt to find the current home on your own and file a Found report with the local shelter. If you attempt to find the current home on your own, and don’t take them to the shelter, there are several ways to find them. If the animal has visible ID tags, then a person can easily call the number on the tag, and hopefully all the information is current, and the animal is quickly reunited and returned back to their current home. If the animal does not have visible ID tags, then you can have the animal scanned for a microchip. This can be done by taking the animal either to a vet or a shelter, and then can run the scanner over the dog’s body to see if there is a microchip. If there is a microchip, then the person can be contacted and the animal can be returned home. 

If the animal does not have either a microchip or ID tags, then there are other things to do to attempt to find the current home. You can check Craigslist for Lost ads in both the “Pets” and “Lost and Found” sections. You can place an ad in Craigslist for a Found animal, and you can place an ad in local and surrounding newspapers. You can also post flyers in local bulletin boards like schools, churches and stores. Animals can travel very far when lost, so it is a good idea to check surrounding communities if you have found an animal. Remember to post flyers with a clear, color photo of the animal in the local and surrounding areas, and distribute them to vets within a vicinity of at least one mile. A larger distance may be needed in rural areas where the nearest vet is several miles away. 

If somebody does respond to the ads and flyers, ask them for proof that the animal in the flyer is their pet. Commonly, you can ask for current photos or vet records. Before meeting with them to possibly return the animal to them, ask them for a phone number to call them back to confirm that their call is not a prank. 

What if you do all these things to find the current home, but nobody comes forward to reclaim the animal? I think that a good time frame to confirm that everything has been done to find the current home is about 30 days. If all the above steps are taken and followed and maintained for 30 days, and no person comes forward to claim the animal, you are free to decide what to do with that animal. You can surrender the animal to the local shelter, but they may charge you a surrender fee because they may consider the animal your’s at that point. You can keep if the animal, or you can find the animal a new home. 

There are many reasons why an animal never gets reunited with the current home, and why nobody claims all the animals in shelters or kept in people’s homes. First, the animal has been on the road and missing for a long time, and the current people have stopped looking for the animal. If an animal is on the road for longer than one week, they will typically look “abandoned” or “mistreated.” They will look thin, dirty, scared and hesitant about approaching people. A person who finds this type of animal, typically misunderstands these signs that the animal has been abandoned, and if the animal has no ID, many finders won’t attempt to find the current home because they feel they don’t want to return the animal to a neglectful home. 

Second, after becoming lost, the animal is taken into a new home, and then eventually gets loose from that home. Sometimes the old collar is removed, so now the animal is loose with no ID in an area they don’t know. The second home may not make an attempt to find the new animal, if they don’t have much of an attachment to the animal, or they feel the animal is going back to its previous home.

Third, sometimes animals are stolen from their own property, and taken far away. If they are released, get loose, or even confiscated from the person who stole them, they are now an animal that nobody knows anything about, and the old home is no longer looking for  them.

Fourth, of course, there are people who do not look for their animals when they become lost, or they make a very basic attempt, and stop shortly after the animal is lost, assuming all kinds of things like somebody has picked them up and given them a new home, or the animal will find a new home on their own. 

If somebody makes an attempt to catch the loose animal, but the animal runs and can not be confined and caught, there are three additional outcomes. Either the person makes an attempt to find the current home and relays the information to another party, or the person calls Animal Services to report the loose animal, or the person does nothing more and walks away. If the person want to do something further by helping the animal, they can search for Lost flyers in the area or place ads in Craigslist stating that they tried to help this animal and what happened and where it occurred. This is actually very helpful to the person searching for their animal because it gives them a point of reference to where their animal was last seen and whether the animal was responsive to people assisting them.

Calling Animal Services in response to a loose animal tends to vary according to the person who sees the animal, and the agencies in which the animal is loose. First, most agencies don’t respond to loose cats. The cat has to be confined in order for them to respond because, as everybody knows, it is very difficult to catch a loose and unconfined cat. Second, most agencies still respond to loose dogs, and will make a basic attempt to locate the animal. However, it is a low priority in the line up of calls if more urgent calls are waiting for a response. The other matter that affects whether Animal Services can respond to a loose dog is the time of day in which the call comes. Some larger and well-funded agencies still have an officer on duty 24 hours a day to respond to all calls. Some agencies will respond to only emergencies outside of normal business hours (typically Monday through Friday 8 AM to 5 PM) with an officer “on call,” meaning that the officer is at home with a pager, and will only respond to life threatening emergencies like animal bites, injured animals or animals causing a traffic hazard. Some agencies don’t even have an officer on duty to respond to any calls, whether they are emergencies or not, if the call comes in outside normal business hours. 

Sometimes, if the person who sees the animal just calls the local shelter and informs the dispatcher about the loose animal, the shelter staff may be aware of a particular animal of that description missing in that area, and they can pass on the sighting to the person looking for that animal.

Another response to seeing a loose animal on the road is to do nothing at all, and generally the reasoning behind this response is because they don’t see anything wrong with the situation of an animal running loose. If the animal seen running loose is a cat, then most people won’t do anything about the situation and will let the cat go about its business with no response. Loose cats are so common in most communities that there is no alarm to seeing a cat running around.

On the other hand, if the animal seen running loose is a dog, and they decide not to catch the animal at that moment, there can be a variety of reasons for their response. I have found that people from certain cultures where dogs commonly run loose in the streets, have this type of non-response. Such cultures are Latin American countries like Mexico and countries in Central America, and people from India, Asia and the Middle East, also tend to do nothing because where they come from dogs are commonly seen running loose in the streets. In addition, rabies is a very common disease in these countries, so these people have learned to stay away from so called “street dogs” that commonly carry rabies. This fear will be brought over to the United States, and it will also be transferred from the parents to their children and from generation to generation.

A person’s past history with dogs will also guide their response when they see a loose dog on the street. If that person has had a negative interaction with dogs in the past, and is, thus, afraid of dogs, they will not approach any dog they do not know, and are probably hesitant around dogs they do know. Even if the person has not had a negative experience with dogs in the past, if they learn from their parents or grandparents, because of their parent’s past negative interaction with dogs, that all dogs are to be avoided and feared, this person will also have this fear and carry it with them without ever having a negative experience with dogs. 


Another common reason why a person won’t attempt to catch a loose dog on the street is because they think the dog lives nearby, they don’t think the animal is lost, and that it is just wandering around. They may tell the dog in a harsh tone “Go home!” or “Shoo!” and the animal scurries away, so they think the animal is going home, when actually they scared the animal away.