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INTERNATIONAL
K-9 SEARCH & RESCUE SERVICES
P.O. Box# 1472 Longview, Washington 98632 USA.
Voice mail - Office 360-414-8093 Mobile (503) 705-0258.
Web site: www.k9sardog.com
Email:
searchdog@iinet.com or
harry98632@yahoo.com
INTEGRITY YOU CAN TRUST - SERVICE YOU CAN COUNT ON.
How to Find Your Lost
Pet. Written By Mr. Harry E. Oakes Jr.
The most
documented missing person and missing pet Search and rescue expert in the
world.
People spend a lot of money, time, and tears, searching for
their missing pet(s). This information comes from my 38 years plus of looking
for missing persons, and 25 years looking for missing pets. I hope this helps
you bring home your loved one.
Forward:
I started in Search and Rescue in 1972
with the Multnomah County Sheriff’s Dept.
L.E. Explorer Post# 900. In 1986, I co-founded the search dog team
Oregon
D.O.G.S. (Dogs Organized for
Ground Search and Rescue, for the state of Oregon while I was a team leader for
Portland Mountain Rescue. In 1988 I founded the international response team of
Mountain
Wilderness Search dogs.
In
1988, I did my first pet search with my second search dog “Ranger” and we found
the missing cat “Dweezil” in less then 20 seconds. (Hiding upstairs under the
waterbed in the client’s home).
In
1997
I started the first professional FOR PROFIT K-9 SAR dog team in the
world. It’s called
International K-9 Search and Rescue
Services. We provide
professionally trained K-9 SAR Dog Teams and coordinators
24
/ 7 around the world for missing people
or lost pets.
In
1999, I co-founded the search dog teams for the country of Turkey after
responding to their earthquakes as a rescuer. In 2002, I co-founded the search
dog program for the US Virgin Islands on St Croix USVI.
With
12 years of Law Enforcement, and 36 years of combined Search and Rescue
experience, the information I’m about to pass on to you the reader, are the
methods I’ve found useful in finding missing pets. Since 1988, I’ve
helped locate over 3,500 lost, stolen, missing pets.
I
hope this information helps you in your search efforts.
YOUR PET IS
MISSING
Many things
can happen to your missing pet. Your pet may;
*Track your scent
and find its way back home.
*Get scared and hide. We often find them hiding in
wooded brushy areas, garages, under
decks,
inside homes in attics, basements, cabinets, crawlspaces, or inside RV’s.
*Befriend a small child or other pet owner and
follow them home, to their work, or to School.
*Pick up a scent they are interested in, such as
the scent of food or the opposite sex, and
investigate
it. Yes, even if they are neutered or spayed.
*Fall victim to injury, illness, or death. They may
be attacked by a predator. Get hit by a car,
shot by a
landowner, or fall into the wrong person’s hands that will Try to keep them,
harm
them, or
sell them.
P#1.
SEARCHING FOR YOUR PET. (Please print this section
out and read it daily).
Remember
you are very emotional at this time and will experience many emotions
associated with your loss. The four stages of loss are anger, denial,
guilt, and final
acceptance. Understanding that these
are natural common emotions, will help you deal with your feelings and take
control of your search.
*Keep a daily journal of
what has happened in your search efforts, from day # 1.
Where you posted signs, who you called, and what animal control agencies did you visit,
when did you visit them, and whom you talked with once you arrived.
Who, What, When, Where, How, and Why.
This
is important in case we determine your pet has been stolen and catch the
suspect(s). Not only can you prosecute them for “Theft of a domesticated Pet” which
is a Class C Felony. You can also file CIVIL charges against them in civil
court to recover the cost of your search. The first thing the judge will ask
you for is PROOF of your expenses. So document your actions and keep your
receipts. Documenting is also a great idea because if for some reason your pet
is never found, and you’ve followed each of our steps, you will know you’ve
done everything humanly possible to get your loved one back home.
After you read each
paragraph, please place your initials on the line at the end of the list, after
you’ve completed the task. That way you will proceed in the proper order and
won’t miss any instructions.
Remember
to: Search your own home area first.
Checking any areas of possible hiding spots. We find 15% of the missing
pets still on the pet owner’s property, or within ¼ mile of the PLS. Point Last Seen. In garages, doghouses,
attics, crawl spaces below the house, apt, sheds, RV’s, behind the washer,
dryer, water heater, stove, cabinets, closets, etc. ____.
(NOTE) Cat
owners, remember to lift the hood of your vehicle and search under the hood.
Cat’s love to warmth of the vehicle engine at night. Also check the nearby
trees to see if you cat is stuck in one of them. De-clawed cats can climb.
1. Immediately start a journal,
either hand written, or on your computer. _____.
Document
your search efforts. Date, Time, what action you took, how much you spent.
Results of your actions. Who, What, When, Why, Where, and How.
2. Document
your expenses:
Cost of newspaper ads, photocopying, telephone calls, time off work, fuel, cost
of search dogs, veterinarians, attorney fees, etc. Reason: If you determine
that your pet has been stolen and if the suspect(s) is – are later identified,
you can then file for damages in a civil court to recover your expenses. I’m repeating myself but this is so
very important. Document your actions and expenses from the beginning of your
search. On my computer, I use Microsoft word for the daily journals and Excel
for the cost accounting figures.___.
3. Check
all animal control agencies within a four county region. North, South, East and West of where
your pet was last seen. File a missing pet report. Or, if it’s been determined
by a qualified search dog team that
your pet has been stolen, file a stolen
pet report with the local Humane Society Law Enforcement Division and your
local law enforcement agency as well as your local animal control shelters.
Don’t
just search within your county. We’ve found over the years, that many folks are
well meaning, but also lazy. They may see your pet, feel sorry for it, and pick
it up to keep it safe. Then turn it in to their local animal control
instead of the animal control or shelter nearest where they picked it up. This
is often in an entirely different jurisdiction.
Page#
2.
They
may work or be visiting from out of the area when they pick up your pet.
_______.
We
had a case in Florida where the pet was lost in Hollywood, FL and found 700
miles north a month later. Upon inspecting the dog, it had been transported by
vehicle to this shelter.
Pets are now considered
personal property and it’s illegal for another person to take possession of your property
(your pet) without following strict Federal, State, and County guidelines. If
the person(s) who has recovered your pet hasn’t filed a found report with the
authorities within the specified time limit, (usually 48 hours) they may be
guilty of theft of private property.____.
4. A.
Check the animal control agencies files. NEVER EVER TAKE THE
VOLUNTEERS or EMPLOYEES WORD THAT YOUR PET IS NOT AT THEIR FACILITY.
Most facilities are understaffed and over crowded. I’ve seen a facility miss a
GREAT DANE. I found it in their shelter the first day I went there. This after
they told my client, ”they didn’t have a Great Dane in their custody”.
Physically
drive to the shelters and animal control agencies and check their kennels. Fax
or email all veterinarian offices within your search area. Give them a current
photo and your personal information. While at the shelters, check their dead on arrival files-(DOA’s),
sick and injured files, quarantine kennels, adoption and destroy files. Also the
temporary adoption files. (This is a record where a person who has
found a pet can call in and register by email or telephone that they are taking
care of the pet). _____.
Most
of these facilities are run as a non-profit and therefore their records are
open for public inspection. If the shelter refuses to allow you to review their
files, get an attorney. Keep checking their files, in person, not over the
telephone, every three days. Don’t give
up for 8 weeks._____.
B. Check your ads on the Internet. Craigslist (
www.craiglist.com
) in two sections. Lost and Found and under PETS. You can also
post on MYSPACE as well as various other locations on the Internet FOR
FREE._____.
Contact International K-9 Search &
Rescue. www.k9sardog.com.
Email: harry98632@yahoo.com or
searchdog@iinet.com
We’re the most documented
professional K-9 SAR Dog tracking team in the world for missing pets or
persons. We keep on ongoing computer registered report on lost and found pets
around the world.
NOTE: I strongly recommend
that you stay away from PET DETECTIVES.
These are Private
Investigators who claim to have search dogs, unless you check a minimum of
three of their references.
Most
Pet Detectives that we’ve investigated, after receiving numerous complaints
from their previous clients, aren’t trained properly, and lack experience. They
may be great private investigators, but lack the other skills needed for this
type of work. Most of these folks who state they use search dogs aren’t search
dog handlers at all. Nor are their dogs trained and tested in Search and
Rescue.
Before you hire anyone, check his or her references. Get a signed contract for services showing up front, what they can
and can’t do for your money. Obtain an after action search report.
Contact our web site links for reputable Pet Detectives.
Page#
3.
The
problem we are seeing recently is that there are new PET DETECTIVE and PET SAR
Groups popping up all over the USA. One such example is a woman in California.
First
she states she’s qualified to teach K-9 SAR groups. Yet she claims “A search
dog can’t follow a scent trail older then 72 hours”. Any professional K-9 SAR
Dog team can tell you that isn’t true. Numerous search dog teams throughout the
USA have repeatedly documented following scent trails as old as year and have
found the missing person dead. We’ve also tracked a cat missing for over a year
and found it alive. This so-called “Animal professional K-9 instructor” doesn’t
have a clue of what she is talking about. Do you want people she’s trained
working for you?
She
travels around giving Pet Detectives and SAR (search and rescue) conferences at
$650.00 per student. The students attending these conferences get a certificate
of completion. Then the attendees feel they are now qualified to charge money
for their new found knowledge. After their 50 hours of training or less, they
claim to have real search dogs.
Fact
is, they’ve received about 50 hours of training or less. Our professional K-9
SAR dog teams get an average of 450 hours of training in K-9 SAR, first aid,
basic tracking, report writing, crime scene investigations and other topics
related to finding missing persons or pets. And, we’re tested yearly for our
certification levels.
Real search dogs Vs Pet
detective search dog cases.
Example#1. We received a call from a
client who has hired a woman from Oklahoma City, who claims she has two search
dogs. She had responded and performed her Pet PI search for the clients lost
cat. The PET DETECTIVE charged the client approximately $900.00 to do her
search. According to the client, this Pet PI didn’t file a report, or issue a
receipt for monies paid, and told the client that, ”she found her cat’s remains
in the snow”. (It turned out to be rabbit hair).
We
flew out there with a qualified search dog team and determined the client’s cat
was picked up near a play ground and is very much alive. This for ½ the fee the
PI had charged.
Example#2. We received another
complaint in Wyoming. They had flown a Pet search dog PI person from San Diego,
Ca. out and wasn’t happy at all with the dog handler’s performance. Again, no
after action report was issued, or receipt issued for the service. They had
paid this searcher over $3000.00 for her search.
We
were able to help the client, just through telephone calls, get their dog
located and returned home safely for free. We also assisted the client in
filing a complaint against the Pet PI search dog person from San Diego, Ca.
with the Better Business Bureau and get their money refunded.
PLEASE
check references and the search dog handler’s training and certification (We
call is qualification standards), before you hire a PET PI or search dog team.
Example# 3. A client in Southern Ca.
tried to get a “Pet Detective Search Dog team from S. Ca. to respond to his
lost cat search. She charged him $80.00 dollars just to give the client the
same information that we give to our client for free over the phone. She quoted in an outrages price to travel 100
miles to do the search for his lost cat. The client flew us down there to his
area, we did the search, and found his cat had been killed by a coyote for 1/3
of the price this PET PI quoted the client.
Example# 4. This client out of LA,
Ca. hired a PET DETECTIVE out of Montana. She paid her over $2,500 to come
track her lost cat. The Pet detective refused to give her a written report, and
her story about where her client’s cat went was proved to be wrong. After
wasting three
months
of the client’s time, efforts, and money. We came down and for ½ the cost
determined her cat was stolen by the clients own family member. We have a valid
suspect in the case.
Page#
4.
Example# 5. This client of Idaho,
wanted to hire a Pet Detective who said, it would cost a minimum of $150.00 for
her to come out and look. We did the consult for free and that afternoon our
client got her dog back safe and alive for FREE.
Example# 6.
A client in Ca. hired a PET DETECTIVE who brought in two dog teams. They
refused to allow the client to go along with them and claimed their search dogs
tracked his dog to an area where it was picked up. They (the pet detectives)
breached their own contract by not allowing their client to come along and
witness the search that he was paying for.
Example# 7. A client in Canada hired
a Pet Detective from Arizona. She brought them up twice at great expense to
search for her lost cat. The Pet Detective and her search dog, never found
anything. We were asked to come up to BC Canada and do the search. We did it
for 1/8th of the amount of money the Pet Det. Charged and after she
had failed twice, it took our search dog 5 minutes to locate where the clients
cat had been killed right behind the clients house in the alley.
Example# 8. The same Pet Det. We
received numerous complaints on from Oklahoma had charged a woman client from
NY $180.00 to profile her missing pet. (This is something we do for all of our
clients for free. The client was furious when she found out the Pet Det. Was
completely off base, and that we were able to do the same thing over the
telephone for FREE.
We
have numerous other complaints ref: these MAR’s pet detectives groups and how
they do their searches and how they charge for their services. While we support
anyone who is out there trying to make a difference regarding lost pets, we
don’t support taking advantage of someone during their time of need.
Police
officers, doctors, attorneys, nurses, paramedics, fireman, all provide a
professional service for people during their time of need. We also provide the
same level of expertise in our field.
1).
We send our clients a contract that spells out in great detail what we can and
can’t do, what
We
charge, and the contract protects the client and our search dog team(s).
2).
Our clients are asked to come along with us to witness our search efforts and
ask questions to
better
understand the process.
3). We issue
a receipt for all money collected.
4). We issue
a report that can be turned over to the court system and or law enforcement.
5). We charge
for only what service we provide. The pet detectives ask for a large deposit
that is
NOT REFUNDABLE up front. That’s just not
right.
If
you want a Pet PI, we recommend Melody
Pugh. (See our web site for her contact information). If you want a search
dog team, then contact our office and we’ll send a trained, tested,
professional K-9 SAR Dog team to your location.
Remember
to check all of your local animal hospitals, feed stores, vet clinics, animal
rescue groups within a 200-mile area. Also post signs at your local feed
stores, pet stores such as Petco and Petsmart. Check their lost and found
boards. If your pet is a pure bred, check the pure bred rescue groups in your
area.
6. Place an ad in the local newspapers.
7. Check
your ads in the newspaper. Check the lost and found section, pets for
sale, and pets being given away for free. These are located in three different
sections of the newspapers. Follow up on each ad that possibly refers to your
pet. Never go to the house or
location alone to check out a pet sighting. Think ahead and BE SAFE. ___.
Page#
5.
9.
Don’t give up for 8 weeks. After that period of time, you will
need to put closure on your search efforts. Get counseling if needed. You and
your family have suffered a terrible loss of a family member. I recommend that
you sit down away from distractions and write your pet a goodbye letter. Bring a box of Kleenex. Tell them what it meant to
have them in your life. How it feels to have them gone. What you did to find
them. Then when it’s time, let them go. We’ve had successful recoveries a year
after our initial search. But honestly those are very rare cases. ___.
10. If
the animal is found alive, get it to a vet clinic immediately. Have it
check for Giardia, parasite infections, and dehydration. If it’s not micro-chipped,
get it chipped right away. Avid, or Home Again offers a great service.____.
NOTE.
Many people who have had their pets micro-chipped fail to contact the Microchip
Company. Please as soon as you chip your animal, call the microchip company and
register your contact information with them immediately. Also give the company
a back up contact # of a family member or friend in case you are unable to be
contacted during an emergency. If your pet comes up missing, call the microchip
company right away and register your pet on the company’s “Hot list” or lost
list. Make sure they have your current contact information. In the Portland
area, we get approximately 3,500 pets back each year through microchips.
11.
If the animal is found dead,
contact your local animal shelter or a private pet service for removal, burial,
or cremation of the pet’s remains.
Be aware of scams. One of the most common
scams is where someone calls you and gets a description of your pet. They may
have seen your ads in the newspaper or on a poster in the area. They will then
give this information to a partner. The partner calls you and says,” he has
your pet”. He or she will give you an accurate description of your pet and
describing where he / she found it. He / she will tell you a story, such as,
“I’m now out of state traveling (or working). I was in your area and found your
pet. If you wire me some money, I will send your pet home immediately”. It’s a scam. DON’T FALL FOR THIS.
If
he / she is telling you the truth, then he / she will have no problem taking
the pet to the nearest animal shelter, or police department, and verifying
through an official agency that they do in fact have your pet. Then you can
work out the procedures of rewards and recovery of your pet. Never give anyone any money for your pet
until you actually see your pet first.
Another scam. Person will call you and
tell you that he / she is retired, or a truck driver, and picked up a
hitchhiker who had your pet. Your pet was sick / injured and the person calling
you took your pet to the local vet. The caller will then say something like,
“If you send me the money that I paid for your pet at the vet’s office, I’ll
send you your pet on the next airplane”.
Ask
the caller for their telephone#, name, and address. Send the police there to
verify their statements. If they are telling you the truth (99.9%) of the time
they are not, then work out the details of reward and returning the animal
after the police or animal control has verified it is in fact your pet.
Watch
out for unsavory businesspersons. There are a lot of new pet finder services
out on the market. Get references.
NOTE: There is a web site called
PETFINDERS.COM This service allows
you to file a report for FREE
listing your lost or found pet. We
strongly recommend them.
Be
wary of pet detectives who charge
you fees to go look for your pet. You can do the same job for free. There are a
few CREDIBLE PET DETECTIVES. Contact us for our list
of referrals.
Page#
6.
One
comment listed on Craigslist re: Pet finders. “Got a call today from
“Petfinders” after listing our lost cat with the Oregonian. They offered to
call everybody within a mile radius of our house to give them a description of
our lost cat. Looked them up online and it appears to be a total scam”. Beware
if they call you.
The
person who finds your pet may do the following:
They may call the newspapers and place an ad to advise
people that they have found the animal.
Check
the lost and found ads for people trying to report their animal missing.
File
online with local petfinders.com or other pet rescue resources, (Craigslist, My
space, etc.) that they’ve found your pet. Report finding your pet at the local
animal shelters, veterinarian clinics, or pet stores.
Some
folks will sell your pet or give it away to another person, medical research
facility, or to a friend.
NOTE: Numerous hospitals and
medical research facilities buy animals (dogs and cats) off the street. They
claim they don’t, but we have proved this isn’t so. They will not let us tour
their facilities for your pet. This includes local hospitals like OHSU, and
Good Samaritan. Never support these facilities.
Performing medical
experiments and testing on animals is cruel and wrong.
The
person, who has your pet, may be lonely and may keep the pet and take good care
of it. (Especially around the holidays). They may take your pet to a public
place such as a park, school, or shopping mall, and let it go, hoping someone
else will pick it up and take care of it, or that it will find its way back
home. Some cultures will eat your pet. This is highly unusual here in the USA,
but it does happen in less then 1% of the cases.
PREDATORS. There are many types of
predators that may attack and kill or injure your pet. Humans trying to capture
your pet to collect the rewards, or sell it to a medical facility for
experiments. Other animals such as other dogs, birds of prey such as hawks,
eagles, owls. coyotes, raccoons, possums, cougars, or bears may also attack
your pet.
Predators
killing your pet occur in 35% of our cases that we investigate. If you
live in the wilderness, country, or rural areas, check your local animal trails
for coyote-bear-wolf poop and look for your pet’s hair inside to prove or
disprove it’s been consumed by a predator.
Hawks,
Eagles, Owls, Possums, Raccoons, Coyotes, Fox, Bears, Cougars, Bob cats, and
some larger snakes can eat small dogs and cats. Don’t blame the predator.
You’re the one who allowed fifi or fido to run loose in the predator’s home.
Every year from March through July, we find a huge increase of missing small
dogs and cats that have become food for coyotes and raccoons feeding and
protecting their young. Be aware of the dangers of allowing your pet to run
loose.
WHEN YOU’VE FOUND YOUR PET. Your pet may suffer from psychogenic shock and it may be
traumatized. Your pet might not even recognize you as their owner, once you’ve
spotted one another. NEVER RUN UP TO
YOUR PET.
Your
pet may run away, or it may attack you to defend itself. The best thing to do
is to STOP and SIT DOWN near the pet, take a deep breath, and calm down. Calmly
call out your pet’s name repeatedly, in a very soft voice, trying to lure it
back to you.
Page#
7.
If
you have another pet at home that has bonded with the missing pet, take it with
you on your search. Let your other pet greet the one that’s in shock. Once
you’ve recovered your pet, take it to your vet. Immediately.
IF YOUR PET IS FOUND HIDING
or has been spotted.
Bring some pet food and something that has your scent on it, like a dirty sock,
shirt, or other piece of clothing that hasn’t been washed. Put some of the
pet’s food into the pieces of your unwashed clothing, and leave it in the
immediate area. You may even leave your scent trail from this area to your
home, if it’s close by. This may bring the pet out of its shock and draw it
back to you. Leave a piece of soiled unwashed clothing, cut up in the size of a
quarter, trailing home. One piece every 50 feet.
HUMAN URINE SCENT TRAIL. (Pee
trail). Another method that works is to have the person who the pet is bonded
with the most at home, urinate into a spray bottle. Mix the urine with water.
This sounds weird, but this actually has brought home about 5% of our cases.
Then go to the areas of possible sightings and spray a SCENT TRAIL of your
urine back home. One squirt (from the spray bottle) every 30 yards. Use a route
where your pet won’t get hit by a car. The pet may not come out of hiding. A
live box trap and trained animal capture staff are available to trap the animal
without hurting it. Contact your local animal control agency for assistance.
If your Pet is found dead. You may call a Critter
Gitter service to transport it, or animal control to pick up and handle your
pet’s remains for cremation or burial services. See pet loss support group counseling services. They are free.
THE USE OF SEARCH DOGS. If your pet is lost and
you’ve called our K-9 Search &
Rescue team, here’s what to expect. First we’ll send you this lost pet profile information for free.
We
will obtain a missing pet description and profile, take a report, and obtain a
scent article belonging to your pet. (Some kind of fur, hair, blanket, or
collar that only the pet has touched or worn, or laid on). We can then initiate
a track of the missing / stolen pet with a trained search dog team. In 95% of
our cases, we are often called days, weeks, or even months later after the
animal has been lost.
In
98% of our cases, our search dog team will track right to where the pet
is currently at, or where it was picked up by some well-meaning person, or
where it was killed by a predator.
The
person who finds your pet, normally will remove the pet from the area by
vehicle. The search dog can determine if the pet was killed and the location
where this happened.
If
the search dog indicates a LIVE ALERT, this is a strong indicator that
your pet has been picked up by a well
meaning person. We then ask you to post signs at this location. The person
who picked up your pet, observes the poster and will hopefully will call you to
return your pet.
If your pet was picked up and removed
from the area by a human, what do you do then? Post signs. Whoever
picked up your pet most likely will be looking for a lost poster and will do
everything they can to find the pets owners. Remember to post a sign in English and Spanish.
SCENT. All search dogs, as in any
other kind of tracking animal, will pick up the freshest scent of the animal,
and track it instinctively. As a human or animal walks along, they shed
approximately 10,000 pieces of scent per minute. This scent falls to the ground
and stays there until the wind and air currents moves the scent to nearby dirt,
sand, brushy vegetation areas. The scent is held there until it fully
dissipates about a year later.
When
an animal or human walks in one specific direction, it’s laying down scent that
the trained search dog can track up to 365 days later, even in the rain. Rain
actually helps the scent. It brings the scent closer to the ground
surface, keeps the search dog’s nasal passages moist to help the dog retain the
scent and it will liven the scent.
Page# 8.
What hurts scent? Heavy vehicle and human
traffic contaminates the scent. Heavy rains of 2 inches per day may wash the
scent down. Heat dries out the scent and the search dog’s nasal scent
receptors, making it harder for the search dog to track.
Cigarette
smoke contains a poisonous drug called Nicotine. Nicotine is an anesthetizing
agent that can numb up the search dogs scent receptors by 95% and make the
search dog’s job much more difficult. If you smoke around your pet, the second
hand cigarette smoke poison that you are putting into their little lungs
(Nicotine) can also alter the missing pet’s scent, therefore throwing off a
search dog. That’s why all of our team members are non-smokers. That’s also why
you are never allowed to smoke around our search dogs or their handlers. You
are also exposing your pet to many types of respiratory diseases and cancer.
Can search dog’s track at
night?
Yes, of course we can. In fact we prefer it. Air molecules stay lower to the
ground at night, and there are fewer scents to contend with in the evening and
early morning.
FALSE TRACKS. A
false track happens when the animal walks one specific direction, then the pet
owner, or someone else, walks on top of the pets scent, (usually in or around
the home). This transfers the pet’s scent onto the bottom of the person’s
footwear, and when the person walks or drives a different direction, this
person is now giving off a fresher scent of the missing pet to track. This is
called a false scent trail.
There
is no way to prevent this from happening, it’s a fact of life. The only way
that you can help this from happening, is to call our K-9 Search and Rescue
team out immediately before you do any looking, so as not to contaminate the
track. With our experience in tracking, we can quickly determine if we’re on a
false or a true track / trail.
What if the search dog
tracks my pet to one specific location, and we get reports of sightings in a
completely different area? It is not unusual at all for someone who is well
meaning to pick up a lost animal. Soon the animal becomes too much
responsibility for the person to take care of. They may let the pet go at a
nearby park, school, or business. They may take it back to where they found it
and set it free, hoping it will find its way back home.
The
pet may just break free from the person and try to find its own way back home.
REMEMBER, The search dog doesn’t know how to lie.
So, if the search dog team
tracks your pet to one specific area and indicates your pet has been removed
from this area, and, a few days later you get reports your pet is seen in an
entirely different area, don’t be upset at the search dog. Be upset at the
person who removed your pet and then let it go somewhere else. This
unfortunately happens in approximately 5% of our cases.
How do we know the search dog’s track was accurate? There is never 100%
guarantee that we’ll find your loved one. We’ll give it our best efforts. Again
I’ll repeat myself. A SEARCH DOG doesn’t know how to lie. That’s why their
testimony in a court of law is accepted, with training, testing, and mission
documentation.
A
search dog is trained to follow the freshest track or scent trail of the scent
given to them by their dog handler. A mutual trust exists between the dog
handler and the search dog. We use the dogs’ nose and tracking, air scenting,
and trailing capabilities along with our man and animal tracking and clue
capabilities to confirm why our search dog is leading us to a specific area.
During our search we look for clues such as foot-prints, fecal matter, hair,
blood and other signs to prove or disprove the track. This is call confirming a
valid track.
The search
dog team (one dog, one dog handler) must go through hundreds of hours of
training, testing and actual work cases to maintain their status in K-9 SAR.
That’s why it’s important to use a real search dog team and not someone who
claims to have a search dog.
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9.
Ask for
references from people they’ve already provided service for. Our
references are posted on our web site for all to see.
Be careful of
teams who we call “Posers”. These are people (dog handler’s) who “BRAG”
on TV or to the newspaper about ,”how good they are and what they can do”. Yet
when it comes to actual searching, their results are very disappointing. We’ve
seen teams like this in Texas and in Ca.
What is your success rate
in finding lost / missing / stolen pets with search dogs?
70%. We physically find 20% during the initial search. The
remaining 70% of the pets
that are found later because of the track. They are found because the search
dog led us to a specific area where the animal was picked up, and the pet
owners post signs there. The person(s) who picked up your pet, see the signs,
and call you. 10% of the pets are
never ever found. _____.
Why are 10% of the pets never found? They may have fallen
victim to a predator. Two or four legged. People may sell your pet for drugs,
dog fighting, medical experiments, food, or its fur. This is rare but it does
occur. Four legged predators such as bears, cougars, bobcats, larger dogs,
opossums, raccoons, and some birds of prey have been known to carry off smaller
pets and transport their remains to their den.
Why don’t you track the pet to the predator’s den?
It is not our position to
interfere with nature. We don’t wish to harm or annoy the predators. Nor do we
want our search dogs to be injured by the predator trying to protect its home
and its babies. When people build their homes in or around wilderness, rivers,
creeks, green spaces, they are unknowingly taking away the predators homes.
And, by doing so, they are providing food for the predator should the pet
wander.
PETS AND STRANGERS. I get told on almost
every search, “My pet will never go to a stranger”. This is not a true
statement at all. When the pet owner is talking about their pet, they’re
talking about the pet they know in a controlled environment. The pet is in a
stable home, has food and human contact, etc. Once an animal gets away from
this environment, they have to survive on their own. They revert back to what’s
known as a feral stage.
They
will hunt to kill and eat food and they will drink from water in mud puddles,
creeks, and streams. They may steal food and water from other animals’ dishes
in their surroundings. And when they are hungry, tired, and scared enough they
will seek out humans for comfort and safety.
Posters: When you print a poster,
here is a suggestion that works very well. Leave some kind of information about
your pet out of your description that only you will know about. That way you
can determine if the caller has your pet or not. Post your signs within a
1-mile radius for a cat concentrating on the area 4 city blocks from your point
last seen. Post signs in a 5-mile radius for a lost dog. Generally into the
wind. (Find out which way the wind was blowing on the day your pet
disappeared). Most pets including horses head into the wind when lost.
Post
at stores, schools, offices, parks, etc. Post your signs, after a search dog
team has determined the route your animal has traveled. This will save you
money and time. Remember you will have to remove the signs when you get your
pet back. We actually recommend that you make two different types of posters
up.
One
with a REWARD notice at top, the photo of your pet underneath. It’s name, your
area code and telephone. That’s it, nothing else. Let the reporting person id
your pet to you with more specifics to prove they have your pet. (Read our scam
section). Say something to the effect of “$ REWARD $ for safe return of missing
pet, no questions asked”.
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10.
Make
a second poster up with all the information. Post the Pets name, microchip #,
tattoo type, location, collar make, type, id type. Weight, height, length, eye
color, hair color, medical identifiers, etc. This detailed information is sent
to your vets, police departments, Postal
employees, animal control agencies and search
teams.
NOTE: If you have a large
Hispanic speaking culture in your area, don’t forget to make up signs in
Spanish as well.
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