Content

• Steps
• Part 1 of 4: Finding your dog at home
• Part 2 of 4: Getting Started on the Street
• Part 3 of 4: Posting a Lost Dog Notice
• Part 4 of 4: Preventing Your Pet Lost Again
• Tips
• Additional articles

The disappearance of a dog can be a very unsettling situation for its owner. However, you are more likely to find it than to lose it permanently. It is especially important at the same time to remain calm in order to be able to carry out searches without unnecessary worries that impede your logical thinking. Take a deep breath and use this article to help you find your furry friend.

Steps

Part 1 of 4: Finding your dog at home

1. 1 Interview family members. If you haven't seen your dog in a while, ask family members about it. Perhaps she is hiding in someone's room, or someone has gone for a walk with her. It also allows you to set the time when the dog was last seen.
2. 2 Lure the dog to you. Dogs love food, so you can lure your pet out of hiding by rattling the treats or food packages. Walk around the house so that the dog can definitely hear you.
3. 3 Approach your search methodically. When you realize that the dog is out of sight, start a methodical search within the walls of the house. Check each room carefully, look under the beds and in the closets. Be sure to check all rooms, toilets and closets at home. Don't forget to look under and behind furniture.
4. 4 Look for your dog in unusual places. Frightened dogs may simply hide in unique places. Look behind and inside household appliances, as dogs can hide behind refrigerators and climb into tumble dryers. Also, be sure to look behind protective screens and even into technical rooms, for example, where the heating boiler is located. Small dogs can hide under folding chairs (behind footrests) and even crawl behind books on bookshelves.
5. 5 Call your dog. Remember to call your dog by name when searching. Your dog may be sleeping soundly in a corner and not hear you right away.

Part 2 of 4: Getting Started on the Street

1. 1 Start searching as soon as possible. Your chances of finding a dog will be significantly higher within the first 12 hours after you escape. In fact, some experts state that approximately 90% of pets are successfully found if their owners start searching within the first 12 hours.
2. 2 Call your dog's name often. The dog knows its name and can react to it. It also gives the dog an audible clue of where you are.
   • Remember to use the dog's household nicknames as well. If at home you call your dog "honey" rather than "Princess" more often, try calling her this and that.
3. 3 Bring a package of treats with you. Food is a powerful motivator for any dog, so bring treats with you. Shake the package of treats as you move and call your dog by name, promising him the treat.
   • For example, if you usually refer to a treat as yummy, you should call your dog "Rex! Would you like some yummy food?"
4. 4 Take advantage of the silence. The most effective time to go hunting with treats and summoning your dog is during quiet times of the day. Try doing this early in the morning to make your dog feel safer if he decides to come out to you. At this time, she herself can already leave the shelter and search for food.
5. 5 Become a detective. When searching, pay attention to any traces of your pet.Look out for paw prints in the mud or excrement left by your dog. See if there are any pieces of wool left behind. These clues can point you in the right direction for your searches.
6. 6 Look for both higher and lower. Your dog can hide under thresholds, climb into car bodies or behind barns. Look into any small holes you notice, as dogs can squeeze even into very small crevices. Check dark places with a flashlight. Be sure to look under and behind bushes.
7. 7 Listen for as long as you call your dog. You need to listen to be able to hear sounds from your dog, such as howling, barking or rustling. A dog can lead you to her if you stop and listen.
8. 8 Leave your favorite items outside for the dog. Lay out your dog's favorite toy for him to lure home. Additionally, try leaving something outside that smells of its own, such as a worn shirt, whose scent can guide your dog.
9. 9 Analyze recent events in your community. Look into abandoned or under construction houses, as dogs can hide in such places. Also consider if any of the neighbors moved when your dog went missing, as sometimes dogs get into trucks carrying furniture.
10. 10 Use the car. You need to explore the surrounding area on your own feet in order to be able to look into all the nooks. However, if you cannot find a dog nearby, get in your car and start driving around. Drive slowly and systematically scan all the streets. Keep your car windows down, and occasionally call your dog.
11. 11 Start your search nearby and gradually move on. Some dogs, having a chance to sneak away, go on the run. You should definitely search the area within a radius of 1.5-3 km on the first day of the search, but also keep in mind that the dog can run up to 8-16 km. Even though dogs rarely run as far as 16 km, expanding your search won't hurt you.
12. 12 Get help. The more people look for the dog, the more likely it will be to return. Ask for help from relatives, friends and neighbors, and coordinate your actions during the search. That is, you must define each person their own search territory, so as not to waste time duplicating your actions.
13. 13 Talk to your neighbors. Your neighbors can be a great help in finding your dog. They could see her running in a specific direction, or even one of them could shelter her. Walk down the street door-to-door, showing the neighbors a photo of the dog.
    • Also try to interview postmen who travel long distances in your area due to the nature of their work.
14. 14 Notify local animal shelters when your dog is missing. That is, notify the staff of animal shelters that you have a missing dog, and you are looking for it, so that they are aware of the matter. Don't forget to call private animal shelters as well.
    • Also take the time to visit shelters in person at least once in the first couple of days of your search to look for a dog there as well. Visit shelters every two days if your dog is not returned during the first days of the search.
15. 15 Go to veterinary clinics. Notify your veterinarian if your dog is missing, especially if it had tags on the collar with the contact details of the veterinary clinic. However, you should also call other veterinary clinics in your area to make sure your injured dog has not been brought there.
16. 16 Take precautions while searching. Don't go looking for your dog alone at night, and always bring flashlights and cell phones with you.
17. 17 Don't stop looking. Pets can successfully live a long time outside the home.You can find your dog after months of absence, so keep looking for it and check back regularly at animal shelters.

Part 3 of 4: Posting a Lost Dog Notice

1. 1 Post ads. Print ads with a photo of the dog, its description, name and your cell phone. Do not forget to report the place of loss, but do not give your personal address. Also include the date in your ad.
   • Place your keyword phrase at the top of your ad. That is, write the words "THE DOG LOST" at the top of the ad in large, bold, easy-to-read type. The rest of the announcement should be short and to the point.
   • Ads with a color photo of a dog will be more appropriate than a black and white one. Choose a photo for your ad that shows the dog's face and its distinctive features.
   • Try using brightly colored paper for your ads, as it will attract people's attention better. You can also offer rewards to help motivate people to search more.
   • Try to post ads in shops, cafes, phone booths, and trees. Be sure to post them within a radius of 1.5-3 km from the place of the disappearance of the dog, however, it will not hurt you to cover an even larger area with them. The dog could run much further than that. Particularly frequented places by pet owners will be most useful for posting ads, such as pet shops and veterinary clinics, however, try to also place ads in places that many people pass through, such as in laundries or gas stations. Always ask permission before posting a sign on the door of any organization.
   • Hide any key pet feature in your ad. That is, do not tell it about any distinguishing feature of the dog, for example, the presence of a heart-shaped spot on the hind paw. This way you can interrogate people who are calling you about the dog and weed out calls from those people who are trying to deceive you.
2. 2 Advertise on the internet. You can post your ad on local lost animal sites. You can also resort to using social networks. Post a message to your friends and ask them to share it with their friends. The more people look for a dog, the higher the chances of it coming back.
   • Be sure to make your ad public for all people to share. For example, on Facebook, you can set its publicity setting before publishing your message without changing your own account settings.
3. 3 Advertise in the newspaper. Advertise your missing dog in the appropriate section of your local classifieds newspaper. Your ad should be short and contain only the essential information that you have included in regular paper ads.
4. 4 Beware of scammers. If someone calls you saying they have found your pet, take someone else with you to see that person. Make an appointment in a public place and don't give the person a reward until you get your pet back.
   • When someone calls you about the discovery of your dog, ask the person to describe the animal carefully. Pay attention to the key omen that you have hidden in the ad.
5. 5 Check the announcements of found dogs. Along with your missing dog announcement, you should check the found pet announcements. Additionally, read the headings of finds in local newspaper ads.

Part 4 of 4: Preventing Your Pet Lost Again

1. 1 Place a tag on your pet's collar with your contact information. The tag should include the dog's name and your phone number. If someone picks up your dog, they can contact you. Be sure to update the information on the tag if your contacts change.
2. 2 Chip the dog. When chipping, a safe microchip is inserted into the dog's withers.This chip has a unique code that can be scanned at a veterinary clinic or shelter. This code can be used to obtain contact information about the dog's owner so that he can be contacted when the animal is found.
   • Be sure to update your contact information if it changes, as outdated data won't help your dog in any way.
   • Even if there are information tags on the collar, it is useful to microchip the dog, as it may lose its collar on the street. In this case, information tags will also be lost with the collar, which will not contribute to the early detection of the dog.
3. 3 Sew up any possible holes outside. Be sure to check that there are no holes or gaps in your yard fence that your dog can easily crawl through. Also, be careful when opening the doors to make sure there is no dog behind the door.
4. 4 Try using a microchip or GPS tag on your dog. You can purchase a GPS collar tag. If you lose your dog, you can use your phone to track it. As a particularly advanced technique, microchips with the same technology can be used that are implanted under the skin of a dog and therefore cannot be lost.

Tips

• Always keep your dog on a leash in public places such as a park or beach.

Additional articles

How to take care of dogs How to travel with your dog in a car How to help puppies when their teeth are teething How to determine the age of a puppy How to put a dog to sleep How to make your dog love you How to calm your dog How to understand that a dog's labor is over How to make friends with a cat and a dog How to get your dog to drink water How to massage a dog How to play with a puppy How to convince parents to get a dog How to make homemade dog food