How to find a dog if it ran away

Why can a dog run away

Cynologists believe that the main reasons for the escape of a pet are fear and curiosity. In addition, boredom and the desire to “get better acquainted” with a relative of the opposite sex at a certain period can serve as motivation.

Dogs most often run away and get lost in the warm season, when the owners take them to the dacha or go with them to nature. In these conditions, dogs are given more freedom than in the city. Unfortunately, sometimes animals use it to the detriment of themselves and their owners.

Loud noises can cause dogs to be afraid and run away to hide. For example, car horns, thunder, explosions of pyrotechnics. For dogs that ran away, frightened by fireworks, experts even introduced an original definition – “May dogs”. A pet can also experience fear and confusion when they find themselves in a crowd of people, at a crowded train station or a busy highway.

Some dogs are overly curious. They may be interested in a passer-by with a package, where tempting smells come from, a cat or dog running past, and even more so, a company of relatives. Actually, a naturally curious dog, not limited in movement by a collar and leash, is able to follow any moving object.

Dogs that are bored in the yards of country houses, especially when it comes to energetic animals, sometimes turn out to be very resourceful in finding ways to escape from their native walls. In addition, they can run away regularly. Depending on the size and characteristics of the breed, dogs jump over the fence or climb over it, climbing first onto low, nearby objects. Often, animals open the door on their own or squeeze through the gap if the doors are not tightly closed. Hunting dogs, distinguished by their love of digging, can very quickly dig a tunnel under the fence. Representatives of this group of breeds, by the way, are often lost on the hunt if they are still inexperienced or insufficiently trained.

How to find a runaway dog

The first thing to do when discovering that the dog has run away is to try to take control of the situation, discarding emotions, and in no case give in to panic. The most important thing is to start looking for a pet as soon as possible, before he has gone far. It is best to take action in two directions at once – bypassing the nearby territory and informing as many people as possible about the loss of the animal.

Call relatives and friends, ask them to help with a direct search in the microdistrict where you live, or in disseminating information about the loss. So that you don’t waste precious time personally, have them create flyers with the text about the lost dog, its photo, contact phone number, and then print them out as widely as possible.

Together with assistants (preferably those whom the dog recognizes), go around the area, covering as much territory as possible. At the same time, someone must remain on duty in the place where the dog left the owner: it happens that the animal returns there.

Helpers should separate. Let everyone call the dog by name as loudly as possible, show passers-by its photos on a leaflet or mobile phone screen. It is important to carefully examine every meter, because a frightened dog can hide anywhere: under a car, in the bushes, in an open basement – a flashlight is useful in this case. In your search, try to simulate the situation, because you should know where your dog usually hides when he is afraid.

Post missing dog notices in public places. It can be transport stops, house entrances, tree trunks, bulletin boards near shops, schools, hospitals, post offices.

Tell about your situation to people working in the search location – sellers, loaders, janitors, security guards in institutions and shops, the local policeman. Ask mothers walking with strollers, elderly people sitting on benches if they have met your dog. Leave your contacts to everyone, because people can’t always figure out right away whether they saw your dog or not, but if they think about it, maybe they will remember. Children are able to provide help – they often notice what adults do not pay attention to, and, as a rule, kids are responsive and not indifferent to animals.

Search for all the phone numbers and addresses of dog shelters, animal trapping services, veterinary clinics, where someone could give your lost pet. Call these institutions or, preferably, go there in person. If you don’t find your dog there, then make contact with the staff who will call you back if it appears there.

If all your efforts are in vain, start a remote search for a runaway dog. Report the missing person on social media, prioritizing animal search groups, neighborhood or house chats: someone may have already found your fugitive. Many believe that social media reposts, along with posting ads, appear to be the most effective ways to find a runaway dog.

Keep in mind that looking for your pet, you may encounter scams, especially if you express a desire to reward the person who finds your pet in the missing person’s announcement. In order not to become a victim of rogues, do not indicate absolutely all the special signs of the dog in the leaflet. Subsequently, by asking a clarifying question regarding the missed nuances, you can easily determine whether they are deceiving you or not.

Safety measures

It is better to prepare for any trouble in advance, including the loss of a pet. Owners who chipped it have a good chance of quickly finding a runaway dog. Today, many people know about this modern method of animal identification. Having found the lost dog, they immediately take it to the veterinary clinic. There, the chip is scanned, and, having found the contact details of the owners, they tell them the good news. The chip acts as an effective replacement for brands on the skin of animals, which are erased over time, tags and labels on collars that tend to get lost.

It is advisable to have a sample of a lost dog announcement already prepared, so that in the event of such a development of events, all that remains is to print it out. This will help you start searching faster, because every hour the probability of finding a dog decreases. The flyer should include a photo of your pet, your contact information, and the words “LOSS DOG” in large letters. It is better to enclose announcements in cellophane files to protect them from precipitation.

Forget self-guided. “Mine will never run away” is a very naive and irresponsible statement. If you are with a dog in an unfamiliar place, a leash should be a must. When heading with a pet to a crowded and noisy location, use a harness instead of a collar, because a frightened dog can twist out of the collar. If your dog has a powerful physique, it is advisable to use both a collar and a harness, that is, you will need two leashes or a re-stitch.

In a private suburban area, you need to make sure that the fence is complete. Cunning diggers will not be able to escape if a wire mesh is stretched under the fence. And, of course, you need to make sure that the gate is always tightly closed.