The loss of a pet is a traumatic event that unsettles the owner. The overwhelming panic prevents you from thinking rationally. It is safer to immediately use a clear algorithm that explains how to find a missing dog if it has run away. Following work instructions increases the chances of success by reducing overall search time.
Lost dog: what to do first
If the dog is missing, start searching immediately without waiting for it to return on its own. Use the phone to notify relatives, friends and acquaintances about the incident. The more people can be involved, the greater the chances of success of the operation.
Comb the neighborhood - algorithm and search methods
The search algorithm depends on the time since the loss. For the first 2 hours, search in a small area that includes:
- daily walking route;
- garages, basements and entrances of your own and neighboring houses;
- indoor walking areas and open fields, popular among dog walkers;
- nearest metro stations, passages and markets;
- places where stray animals are located;
- bushes and other thickets where the leash can easily get tangled.
Leave your clothes or your dog's favorite toy near your entrance. A familiar smell will help him find his way home. Don't forget to leave a person nearby who is personally familiar to your pet.
Ask and involve local dog walkers, janitors, grandmothers and children in the search. Describe your pet in detail and be sure to leave a phone number for contact. To be on the safe side, show a photo of the animal.
Don't forget that a frightened dog could jump into a vehicle. For this reason, it is better to conduct searches in groups in order to cover as large an area as possible.
Call your pet's name loudly and use squeaky toys to attract attention. During the first 24 hours, don’t stop looking for him even at night. Because of fear, the “lost” can fall asleep for the whole day. In this case, it is easier to find it at night.
Post advertisements
After 3 hours, it is recommended to write a missing person notice. Despite its simplicity, this method still remains one of the most effective. There are a few things to consider when writing your ad:
- Photo
. Use a color photo that takes up at least half the page. Black and white and small images are more difficult for passersby to perceive.
- Text size
. Fill the remaining space on the page with large text. Focus on the usefulness of the information, not the quantity.
- Heading
. Leave the largest font for your nickname and exact reward amount. The last point is very important, since possible overexposure costs money. Knowing about compensation, people are much more willing to help.
- Place of loss
. Indicate the area without going into detailed details.
- Distinctive features
. Describe the location of the unusual spots, coat color, and approximate size. Do not indicate the brand number and breed to reduce the number of scammers. Mention only the similarities and add a note about the presence of a skin disease. This false information will discourage attackers from coming into close contact.
- Contact phone number
. Along with the main number, be sure to indicate an additional number (relative or friend). In this case, the person who found the dog will definitely be able to call you.
Place printed flyers in plastic files and secure with staples. Such protection will prevent damage during precipitation. Post notices all over the city, starting from places of daily walk and ending with the nearest trains where a confused pet could jump.
Try to place leaflets in places with maximum crowds of people, these are:
- public transport stops;
- parks;
- veterinary clinics and pet stores;
- supermarkets;
- entrances.
Be sure to hand out announcements to passersby. Passing from hand to hand always gets a great response. It is also recommended to place flyers directly on the car to attract the attention of residents of several areas while on patrol with friends.
After receiving calls, do not rush to transfer money. Agree to meet a stranger only if accompanied by your friends, choosing the most crowded places possible.
Write to social network groups and forums
The Internet works real miracles, so do not forget to duplicate the information from the paper advertisement in all well-known social networks and on thematic forums. Ask your friends to repost the text posted on your personal page. Be sure to contact famous millionaire bloggers. The more subscribers see the text, the greater the chances of success. In addition to large public pages, do not forget to leave information in the communities in your area.
You don't have much time, every minute counts
The more time passes from the moment the dog ran away from you, the less likely you are to find it. The dog is in a panic because his beloved owner is not around. The animal is unable to perform meaningful actions. Therefore, most likely, he will behave inappropriately.
What dangers await your pet?
- In panic, the animal runs forward, not realizing exactly where. He may run out onto the roadway and get hit by a car.
- If the leash is still fastened on the dog, then it will most likely get tangled in the bushes and will sit in some hard-to-reach part of the park, where it will be difficult to find. A dog can spend several days in a state of stress, hungry, without access to water. Dehydration and exhaustion are guaranteed.
- The animal will definitely hide in any, in its opinion, suitable shelter - in an vent, a sewer hole, under some kind of kiosk, etc. Often this place can be abandoned. The pet will hide in a place where there are no other people or animals. It is very difficult to find it there. Moreover, having squeezed into a hard-to-reach gap in a state of panic, the dog will then not be able to get out of there on its own.
- A pet may well be attacked by a stray flock and be injured.
- It’s just that “good people” can beat a lost dog, since it may begin to pester passers-by, looking into everyone’s eyes and trying to “explain” that it needs help.
- Hunger can force a pet to eat completely unusual and inappropriate food, which even stray animals that know how to survive on the street do not eat. The result is indigestion at best, and serious poisoning and death at worst. Including from the poison scattered by dog hunters.
- A purebred dog can simply be stolen and then sold at a dog market.
What should you do first?
The most important thing is not to panic and calm down. Because the fate of your pet now depends on your mental balance. You should reason calmly and sensibly. Analyze why the dog ran away from you and in what direction. Your further actions depend on this.
- If the dog ran away along with its stray relatives, look for where exactly this pack is usually “deployed”.
- She got scared of something and rushed into the bushes - look for her where she can hide.
- If you reacted to a stray animal and chased it, then you are looking for where the stray can hide from your dog; the pursuit is probably not over yet.
Be sure to ask passers-by along the way if they have seen your dog. Often, it is the questioning of eyewitnesses that can lead you to your pet.
What to do if you can’t find your dog? Continue searching! Only not alone, since one person will not physically be able to “comb” a fairly large area. Don't forget, dogs move much faster than humans and are able to cover a much greater distance in the same period of time. The animal is driven forward by fear.
Where to go
Having figured out where to look for the missing dog, all that remains is to find out the institutions and places that are ready to assist in the search. In such a situation, it would be foolish to refuse support, so try to use all possible options.
Shelters
Due to constant overcrowding, the likelihood of ending up in the shelter is high only during trapping periods. They occur in autumn and spring. Contact all known institutions to confirm the nearest capture date. If it coincides with the day of disappearance, check more detailed details to identify your pet.
Veterinary clinics
If a dog is missing, the finder can try to find its owner using a brand or chip. The easiest way to obtain this information is from your veterinarian. Also, the need for treatment due to an injury or fear of leaving the “foundling” next to your pets may bring you to the veterinary clinic.
Police
If you are sure of theft, file a police report. This rarely produces results, but at least gets the attention of employees.
Additionally, request CCTV footage to check patrolled areas at different times. They can be found on webcam sites in your city. In addition to the location, you will need to indicate the date and time period. The necessary records will be ready in a couple of hours, but they can only be picked up at the police station after filing a missing persons report.
Media of any level and format
If you are sure that the reason for the disappearance is kidnapping, then be sure to contact the media. An article in the local newspaper or a short segment on television will help spread the word and reinforce the value of the police report. In this case, law enforcement officers will look for the dog with greater enthusiasm.
Internet resources
In addition to your own announcements on social networks and forums, do not forget to monitor announcements about found animals. A person may want to return the dog, but miss the information about his loss. In this case, he himself will create an ad in the group about the “lost ones.”
Also don't forget to check the free message boards. Criminals may try to sell your pet for more than the reward. In such a situation, you will have to enlist the help of the police.
IMPORTANT! How to report a found dog to the police
Dear friends, I hope this topic will be considered important and pinned to the top.
So, a volunteer or an ordinary citizen found a dog on the street. We all know that at the first moment it is necessary to do everything possible to find its owners.
However, the law obliges us to carry out an official procedure for reporting the find, since a dog is property. Art. 230 of the Civil Code of the Russian Federation states that the finder is obliged to write a statement to the police no later than three days. Not everyone has time to go to the department, wait, and waste their time on this. Therefore, this is most often neglected. However, this is completely wrong for several reasons:
1. By not completing this procedure, you are breaking the law. A dog is property; if you find someone else’s property and don’t say anything about it, then you are hiding it.
2. All deadlines that entail legal facts begin to run from the moment the application is submitted. Let me explain - the fact that the dog was found on this particular day is very easy to prove and report from the day the application was submitted. As we know, within 6 months from the moment of discovery, the animal is not yet your property. Therefore, you have no right to dispose of it (donate it, transfer it under a sales contract). Until the expiration of 6 months, the dog is either with you or with other persons for safekeeping. And if you find the real owner, you will be obliged to transfer the animal to him, and he, in turn, will reimburse all expenses incurred by you in relation to the animal during this period. Again, all deadlines are counted from the moment the application is submitted.
Currently, a police report can also be made via the Internet.
Messages are accepted in the section “For Citizens” - “Reception of Appeals”.
An appeal submitted through the official website of the territorial body of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia will be considered in accordance with the Federal Law of May 2, 2006 No. 59-FZ “On the procedure for considering appeals from citizens of the Russian Federation.”
The response to the appeal is sent depending on the specified address - by e-mail or in writing. When filling out the application form, it is mandatory to indicate the full name of the applicant, as well as the postal or email address for sending a response or notification.
submit a complaint to the Moscow via the Internet at:
https://mvd.rf/request_main
And submit a statement to the Moscow Region via the Internet at:
https://50.mvd.rf/request_main
Select “I have read the information” and click “submit an appeal”, and a page with information about this service will open. This page indicates the body responsible for providing this service - the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation, recipients of the service - legal entities and individuals, the documents necessary to receive this service - an incident statement, and also provides a template for drawing up an application, the cost of the service and its procedure are indicated payment - in this case, the service is provided free of charge, the period of provision of the service and its result.
We will use the application template. To do this, open the application template directly from the gosuslugi.ru portal and fill out the application. Then it must be printed, signed and submitted to the duty station of the internal affairs agency, where it will be registered and reviewed in the prescribed manner.
The gosuslugi.ru portal also provides the opportunity to submit an application and receive this service electronically, without the need to personally come to the internal affairs agency. To do this, click on the green “Submit Application” button.
On the page that opens, you are asked to go through the authorization procedure, which is necessary to establish the identity of the citizen who submitted the application. Since anonymous applications according to the legislation of the Russian Federation are not considered.
If you do not yet have a password to access services on the gosuslugi.ru portal, then you need to go through the registration procedure. To do this, select the “go through the registration procedure” option.
The page that opens contains an appeal to portal users and outlines the registration procedure. Here you can also find “Registration Instructions”, which outlines the registration procedure step by step.
To continue the registration procedure, select “Proceed to fill out the form.”
A page will open with the first step of the registration procedure – filling out the form. We fill out the form. We indicate your last name, first name, patronymic, birthday, pension insurance certificate number, TIN, mobile phone number, email address, postal code and address. We also enter what password we want and confirm it by typing it again. This is done to eliminate errors when typing the password, since the password itself is not displayed.
Select a security question and answer, which are necessary to recover your password if you have forgotten it. Then enter the code drawn in the picture and click “Continue”.
Then you need to complete the remaining steps of the registration procedure, and upon completion of its completion, a registered letter with a password will be sent to your email address to access services through the portal.
After receiving the letter, you will be able to register on the authorization page and fill out the application form electronically directly on the gosuslugi.ru portal page (information copied from the site https://www.city-n.ru)
How to make a statement to the police?
If you report a found dog, try to clearly and clearly identify the event. Describe the location of the find, the day and time, the appearance of the dog, its gender, color, special features (brand, injuries). What she was found wearing (collar, leash, clothes). Indicate the place where you transferred the dog for safekeeping, if such a fact existed.
If you submit an application in writing, then in the application you must indicate your passport details, your place of residence for correspondence, contact telephone number and email address.
Next, I recommend saving a screenshot of the completed application and its subsequent registration, in case of system failures.
In practice, it happens that a return message about the registration number does not arrive. Modified August 10, 2021 by Manya
Statistics and predictions for success
When purebred pets go missing, the chances of finding them are always higher. They are easier to distinguish from strays than ordinary mongrels. Special groups dedicated to helping specific breeds also contribute.
Another advantage of purebred origin is the presence of a mark. It is very easy to find the breeder, so it is better to notify this person in advance about the disappearance of your pet.
Owners of four-legged friends from the shelter should not despair either. At first, they are monitored by a curator, so you can always turn to him for help and support.
The chances of success increase if you have a brand, a chip and a token with the owner’s phone number. Eight out of ten missing people can be returned home.
How long can you continue searching?
There is no exact answer to this question. Sometimes four-legged friends are found within the first 24 hours, and sometimes years later. Dog lovers who have experienced such a misfortune advise not to give up until the very end. If acquiring a new four-legged family member will calm you and your children, make sure that if the missing pet returns, you will be able to leave both of them.
Why do dogs run away from their owners?
The chance of salvation is high, but still do not forget about the remaining 20%. Lost animals can die from hunger, thirst and cold. Also dangerous are busy roads and stray dogs, ready to tear to pieces any stranger on their territory. We should not forget about human cruelty.
Dire consequences can be avoided by following basic safety measures. All of them are aimed at preventing possible causes of escape and facilitating the search for a lost animal.
Possible reasons
Most often, four-legged friends get lost in the warm season, when their owners let them go for walks on their own. Once free, they may be afraid of crowds, the noise of cars, or simply become carried away by a squirrel in the forest.
During New Year's holidays, fireworks and firecrackers become the cause of escape. Even those walking on a leash are running away due to the incessant explosions. A moment of joy from sparkling fireworks can turn into real grief for the owner and psychological trauma for a four-legged friend.
Also, the likelihood of loss increases during the period of sexual hunting. Bitches in heat can easily snatch the leash and run away in an unknown direction in search of a gentleman. Young males show playfulness when they smell the scent of a female. If your pet becomes too problematic during sexual arousal, it makes sense to consider neutering surgery.
How to prevent escape
To prevent escape, take care of raising your pet and purchasing reliable ammunition. This will help:
- Completion of the UGS or OKD course. Knowledge of the “Come to me” command and an adequate reaction to noise are indispensable in a large metropolis.
- Regular use of a leash. Do not make exceptions for small breed dogs. Spitz and Yorkies are much more difficult to find than larger representatives. It is permissible to walk without a leash only in a fenced area with familiar dog walkers.
- Thorough check of equipment before each walk. Make sure that belts, metal rings, carabiners and other fasteners are intact before going outside. Try to tighten the harness or collar to prevent accidental tearing. But don’t forget about comfort, leaving space exactly the width of your finger.
- Increased attentiveness during estrus. This poses a danger not only for females, but also for males. If pets do not participate in breeding, then it is better to neuter them. This will eliminate the irresistible urge to reproduce and reduce the likelihood of theft.
- Avoid walking in the dark during the New Year holidays. If this cannot be avoided, then be sure to buy a glowing collar.
- Hunger is the key to returning home. Do not feed your dog before a walk, as a well-fed animal is ready for long adventures. But a hungry pet will remember that after a walk a hearty homemade lunch awaits him - and will not want to run away.
Attach a special address tag to the collar indicating the nickname and your contacts. It’s even better to secure the duplicate on a separate cord. This will prevent important data from disappearing if the collar is lost.
When choosing a collar, pay attention to models with a built-in GPS tracker. This device greatly facilitates the search. Chipping performs a similar task.
Do not allow your child to go for a walk with the pet unless accompanied by an adult. The baby will not only not be able to restrain the animal, but will also not be able to repel intruders. Non-disclosure of information about the cost and breeding value of the pet will also protect against theft. Never give out this information to strangers.
Missing dog notices
Ads posted on the street or on the Internet, media, and TV are effective in finding missing dogs. You can ask for help in groups and social networks, for example in groups dedicated to a specific breed or area of the city. You should not neglect newspapers and magazines; if the locality is small, then advertisements in the media and on television are quite effective.
You should place ads about your missing dog in the database of microchipped animals (Animal-id and AnimalFace) if it has a microchip implanted.
Posting advertisements also produces results. The ad must describe the animal in detail, but without unnecessary words. The ad text should be simple and understandable. The heading “Missing dog” is indicated in large font, followed by the breed, or main characteristics (if the pet is not purebred), color, gender, age, nickname, information about the place and time of the animal’s loss, shape, color, material of the collar and tag (address tag). You must attach a photo, preferably a full-length one, and indicate coordinates and contact information. The presence of the phrase “a reward is guaranteed for those who return the dog” will attract more people to the search. The advertisement must be printed on an A4 sheet, in color, with tear-off contacts and in a quantity of at least 100 copies, posted around the area, near shops, veterinary clinics, bus stops, metro, garages, and dog walking areas.
You can distribute leaflets to schoolchildren with a photograph and description of the missing dog; some children actively take part in the search. You can place the flyer on the back window of your car.
You should not indicate the microchip code and the brand number in the ad, but if the person calling claims that you have found the animal, then it is advisable to ask him about the location of the brand and ask him to name its number, checking the accuracy of the information.
If possible, you need to answer all calls, call back those who were not able to answer in a timely manner, look at advertisements about found animals in newspapers, on the Internet, and also look through ads with offers for selling dogs, searching for a partner for mating.
There is no need to be lazy and drive around and look at the dogs reported by people who responded to the advertisements. It is not always possible to recognize your pet based on one description, who during his absence could get dirty, lose weight, get hurt, or, in a word, change.
Some calls may come from scammers, so you can and should record telephone conversations and conversations in person. Before the meeting, it is advisable to call the police; if the police respond, the scammers will be detained when transferring money for the dog. But you can’t always hope for help from the police, so you can arrange a meeting with the extortionist and come with friends and activists who will help deal with the extortionist and return the animal.
What to do if you find someone's dog
Finding yourself on the other side is no less exciting. First of all, people are afraid of the possibility of infecting their own pets, so only a few are involved in foster care. Despite this, there are many more ways to help a “lost” person.
Identification
If the animal is in no hurry to approach you, be careful. The stress experienced can turn into aggression. If you have seen a flyer about the loss or recently spoke with the injured owner, contact him by phone without letting the dog out of your sight.
Calm animals can be taken to a veterinary clinic or to volunteers. If there is a stamp or chip, they will be quickly returned to their owners.
If all possible identifiers (including the address number) are missing, you will have to follow the same algorithm as the owner. Online and offline advertisements can help here.
