My dog is lost. We let her out in single digit temps on the 18th. Maybe in the woods I need help/ideas how find her. Please help??
4I walked it for a hours but too much land to cover. I called shelters and police departments. How far do I have to walk and need a plan.
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How far does she normally roam? Any neighbors nearby that might have brought her in?
@capguncowboy We did a mass email to the neighborhood. The biggest problem she is alone and there is no one walking in the woods to find her
@Mellaine She usually roams 1 mile to the dam. I do not know where else the dogs go out to play.
Craigslist, signs in the neighborhood and on trees on the edge of the woods, call the shelters every day. Most keep strays 1 week and it may take a few days for your dog to land there. Take all the shelters a photo with your contact info. Food in your backyard just in case. Check the woods for tracks if there is snow. Good luck.
@Kidsandliz I am going to hang signs tomorrow. Thanks
@Mellaine I did not know to call shelters everyday. Lots of great ideas. thanks
She was out with my other dog who came back home. I am not sure how far she travels usually to a dam 1 mile away. There are no people in the woods to find her because it is so cold also a lot of land. She grew up here and been in the woods by my house for 10 years. I think she got confused on how to get home and went farther away from my house.
@Mellaine Taking your other dog -- on leash-- out with you when you look is best bet. They will smell each other.
@ceagee I have been doing that also. I also cut up blankets the dogs lay on with a trail leading back home.
@ceagee this
~Put ads in your local paper(s) and penny saver. (ETA: Most will put both on their print and on line versions. ASK )
~Make up flyers with your dogs picture, name it comes to, where last seen, etc and of course your contact info. Hand out around your neighbor hood.Stick them under door if someone isn't home. Post at the local shelters even though you have called them. Post at pet stores and feed stores.
Post them wherever you are allowed to where people will see them.
~Call neighbors you know and talk with them about it if you didn't see them when going door to door.
~You might consider offering a small reward. Enough for incentive. Not too much so that someone will try to pass off another dog as yours or hold your dog and ask for more. ( You might as your local shelter for guidance on this)
~Do you have a local radio station ? Call and see if they announce it on their local news segment. ( or any time)
~Call all local veterinary offices to see if anyone brought in your animal. Leave them info incase someone does. Post fliers there.
~Keep calling the shelters daily or every couple days.
Better yet, stop down in person. They are usually short staffed and very busy, so the more you check the better your chances of recovery.
~Ask your shelter(s) /rescue groups if they have a FB page for lost and found animals -- many do. Or ask if they will post on their regular site and FB page
~Send out your own lost pet FB posts and Tweets
~ Pet Finder has a lost pet section. Post there.
~Don't give up ! Enlist the help of friends.
~If your dog isn't normally outside, put out some items w/ your smell on it. Some T shirts (worn not washed) or if they dog has a favorite blanket. The smell may guide it home.
~ lastly, call the county highway department to see if the road crew has seen your dog. It's a sad call to make, but your dog might of been hit and if injured needs help. Or if they picked up a body, at least you would know.
Good luck !
@ceagee Thanks, lots of great ideas. I will go to shelters tomorrow. How do I tackle the woods so I cover enough area?
@Mellaine let your other dog lead the way. Give it a piece of that blanket w/ its friend's smell on it and say let's go find xxx. The off you go.
Call your dog as you walk.
@ceagee Thats a great idea. Thanks
I do not know how to find people to help me. My daughter and few of her friends helped for about a hour. I called shelters to see if they knew anyone. No luck
@Mellaine What breed of dog is lost and what breed of dog came home? Are you in a rural area, dirt roads etc..? Who is the dog most attached to?
@mick it is a mutt, gordon setter, lab, german shepard. My neighborhood is mostly surrounded by woods. I live by Des Plaines river a mile from Dam #1 west in wheeling il. I am trying to find a good map.
@Mellaine I didn't let my dogs run loose, but sometimes they would escape. When this would happen I would drive very, very slowly in both directions from my closest road, about a mile and 1/2 each way. same road. Back and forth, back and forth etc. and calling their name . You have to do the same thing over and over and over until your dog finds you!! Help your dog find you! Dogs can recognize the sound of the their loved ones vehicle. Drive very , very slowly, this always worked for me, thank goodness. I hope it works for you and your dog too.
@mick I wish I could drive around but there are no roads in the woods. You are right, my dog knows the sound of my car. Dogs are smart.
I realize this isn't helpful at this moment but...
Try and train the dog to respond to a whistle at a later time... try to also make sure it isn't a harsh pitch.
@legendornothing Thank you for the idea of the whistle. I ordered 4 off amazon they use for training search and rescue dogs.
Everyone else got mostly everything... good luck, I wish you the best
@legendornothing I hope so. Thanks, for caring
I think others have already covered it very well, but I just wanted to wish you the very best. My heart (as cold as it usually is) goes out to you. Good luck!
It's been covered pretty dang well by the others. I hope your pup makes it home!
@Thumperchick Thank you so much for your help, also for telling the cruel person to take their post down. The community at meh is so helpful and smart. Meh is my favorite place to go on the computer everyday. You are amazing.
@Mellaine Still sending out lots of good thoughts to you and your furry baby today. Truly hoping to hear something good soon!
@Thumperchick how do i pull a post
@Mellaine generally, you don't. If there is a comment or something that you need changed after the ~10 min edit window, you can tag me with what needs to be changed.
What are you wanting removed?
@Thumperchick I thought I read you wanted me to pull one but you must have been asking @carl669
The only thing I know is to make sure that you spread the word really far and wide; I've read that dogs tend to keep going in a direction (and cats tend to stay nearby), so dogs often end up far beyond the areas their owners thought to put up flyers for/etc.
@novium That is really helpful. I keep walking close to my house. Thanks so much. Do you know how far they can go? I am going to tackle a new area today in the woods farther from my house.
@Mellaine unfortunately, they can go pretty far. It depends on the dog, of course. I think the standard advice is to alert vets/shelters/put up notices within like a 30 mile range.
@novium I am going to post the signs in a larger area this weekend. Thank you.
So sorry to hear about your dog! Hope you find him!
I don't have any ideas to add to the excellent ones above. But, PLEASE let us know when you find him!
@bleukatt I will keep everyone updated. Big hugs to everyone.
@Mellaine please do! Hope you find him!
@hollboll I still have high hopes of finding her. Not giving up yet. Thank you for taking your time reading and commenting.
Sorry about your dog, they are family to us too. My wife found our neighbor's dog by spreading the word by mouth, on facebook, and an app called Nextdoor. The dog had been taken in by a family a couple neighborhoods over. On a cold night hopefully someone took your dog in. Good luck!
@ugadogch I just tried to sign up for Nextdoor but my neighborhood is not part of it. Thanks
I volunteered at our local shelter for 5 years. The #1 advice I can give you is go to all shelters and rescues that pick up strays. You must visit the shelters and visit them often. Phone calls will not cut it! Often the people working shelters are overwhelmed and really don't have time to check out individual animals, apart from a quick glance.
If your dog is a specific breed, get on line and research that breed's rescue groups. Some of these groups are huge and have wide reaching connections that could possibly help you. Sounds silly but an example is Basenji Rescue. They have over 2000 members across the country and when a dog goes missing the members go nuts helping.
See if this Google link can help you: https://www.google.com/?gws_rd=ssl#q=lost+pet+finder
@Teripie Thanks, I will have my daughter do the computer work. She is much faster than me. It helps to know what other places I can get the word out.
@Teripie She has not turned up at any shelters yet.
She does have a chip in her hoping shelters and police check. I have heard Chicago does not always check because of the high volume which I find awful.
I am not to worried about her ending up in the city because I am about 30 miles away.
@Mellaine I did go check at the Chicago shelter and did not find her.
@Mellaine - if you have a picture or two you'd like to post here, i'd be happy to share it on facebook. i'm originally from illinois and i still have a lot of friends there.
best of luck to you!
@carl669 Thank you, My daughter will be home soon from finals. I am getting tears in my eyes how caring and helpful everyone is.
@Mellaine @carl669 The Facebook thing is another great idea. Strange things can happen with the power of social media.
@carl669 hi! This is her daughter! Do you have an email that I can send a picture to!
@Mellaine my {email redacted}. any relevant info (last seen, where the dog usually goes, etc) would be great as well.
@Mellaine info has been posted to facebook.
@Thumperchick - mind pulling my post right above this so my email isn't hanging out? (TC edit - done.)
@carl669 i wondered about that..selling @carl669's email address to fund lollipop deliveries. Any takers?
@mellaine I know nothing about animals but I hope your dog safely returns to you very soon.
@mikibell Well, shoot, I missed @carl669's email addy. How much do you want for it? I think @jaremelz said that she has something "special" to send to him.
@Barney Moi? Nope, plus he and I have the hotline. For business purposes. Yeah, business.
@jaremelz Good! That'll save me the .99 cents that I think mikibell was going to charge me.
@Barney I think the going rate for a standard carl is tree fiddy.
@jaremelz @Barney due to recent economic fluctuations, the going rate is tree fiddy tree. and yes, the hotline is for business purposes only. never mind that it starts with 1-900. and add another tree fiddy if you want an English or Irish/Scottish accent.
@mikibell - give the address to whoever you want, but only if the promise to show up driving a dump truck or some other construction vehicle!
@Thumperchick - thanks for the redaction.
@carl669 I am lost what everyone is talking about.
@Mellaine We were teasing @carl669 because he publicly posted his email address. It is a good way to get spammed; robots search forums for email addresses.
@mikibell That is too funny. blame my daughter for giving her email first. I did not know you should not give your email on forums. Good to know!
@Mellaine it is not a no-no, just make sure you spell it out, i.e. heyyou at yahoo dot com ..or some such method to make it harder for bots to spot it.
@mikibell Thanks, This is actually my first forum I have ever been on. I will tell my daughter.
If your dog has a squeaky toy take it with you when you walk and squeak it.
I know how you feel - I had a dog that was missing for days and nothing we did helped. Then 4 days later he showed up on our porch with a broken leg, and the vet said it was from a steel trap. We figured the trapper found and released him, but they don't check their traps daily. Ask around if anyone knows if someone has traps set.
@hallmike I am sorry, Traps should not be legal. I hope your dog is ok.
@Mellaine He was fine - just a broken leg. Wishing you the best.
@hallmike My other dog loves the toys I ordered from meh. I am hoping this goes up for sale again my dog loves toys that make noise. If it does get posted I will share it on all the sites we have been looking for Daisy.
@Mellaine - I am so sorry that someone from our community took your family's pain and worry and made it worse, even for a second. (I think this may be the first time I've ever apologized for another member.)
I really hope your furry one is reunited with your family soon.
@Thumperchick Thank you, I have better hope of finding her with all the help.
Oh, and a piece of advice for posting about your lost pet on fb! Look for local garage sale and kid stuff trading pages/groups. Most will allow you at least 1 post about a lot pet and it can be seen by hundreds of people, fast. Remember to include the pertinent info:
Date/Time lost, location last seen, name, colors/markings, size/weight, your contact info, picture of your dog.
If you go this route, please remember to go back and update the posts, as they tend to get shared and shared until the pet is found.
@Thumperchick Great idea! Thanks, I would never have thought of posting it on sites other than lost dog. Your the best!
When you are walking the woods, try to think of things that calm and relax you. Your dog may be worried by your worry, or afraid she's in trouble, and not want to come to you. So, take some deep breaths and relax when you are feeling anxious while searching. Maybe bring some soup in a thermos and eat lunch while you sit by the dam.
@katylava that's a great idea! Thanks so much!
@Mellaine My daughter and I did this a few days ago. I did hear being quiet is the best because dogs go into survival mode after 2 days and will not come out for anyone. I was told by a rescue group to drop on the ground if we do see her and let my other dog help lure her out. Responding to this makes me want to cry we still have not found her yet. I am told not to give up. Thank you for your help.
Don't know enough about dogs to be of any help, but I sure hope you get reunited soon. Stay positive.
You need to get a tracking device for your animals, they are cheap and maybe MEH will consider selling one brand of them.
@cegodsey YES!!
@cegodsey I have been looking at tracking devices to buy for my other dog. There are so many to choose from I need to do some research. Do you know about tracking devices?
Recently read to take water and something that smells like you (unwashed shirt for example) and put them out where you last saw your dog. Don't put out food though, but maybe add a favorite toy. Keep checking that spot, they may comeback on their own. I wish I could find the link for you.
I'm sure it's been said but when you get him back get him chipped if you haven't already
@Foxborn FOUND THE LINK!!!! Here you go www.reshareworthy.com/how-to-find-a-lost-dog/
I was at my Mom's house, today, and there was a kitty who was looking a little cold and lost. I tried to get him to come inside and get warm, but he wouldn't come near me. However, that got me to thinking that maybe someone has given your dog shelter, so don't give up hope. Keep getting the word out that your dog is missing.
@Barney did you feed it? If you check back and is still hanging around you might try a hava heart trap. Many cats are freaked out outside and once you get them in they are very sweet.
Don't want to go too far on a tangent here but you know how to reach me if you need more info on dealing w stray cats.
@Barney I have been hoping someone took her inside. I have been put up at least 75 signs and about 5 different on line sites for lost dogs. Someone stopped me today while I was putting up a sign and told me she would help pass them out.
You are right, word spreads from all my hard work.
Thanks
That is nice of you to want to help the kitty. I once took my kids old plastic playhouse and made it a outside house for the stray cats. I insulated it and gave them my old comforters.
If the cat is a feral maybe trap it, get it spayed and put back outside with food and water.
I'm sure it's been said already, but go to all the area shelters in person. And, don't just go once, you need to go in at least every other day, especially if they don't post all their intake photos on their Facebook page. Also visit the shelters that are a county or two away. I'm active in several local pet lost and found pages, and I follow multiple shelter pages, and I can't tell you how often someone will post that they brought a stray in a shelter that's close to where they live, but is in the next county over from where the dog was actually found. Search out all the local pet lost and found pages and post on each of them.
Also, if you happen to spot your dog while out looking for him, whatever you do, do not try to chase or catch him. Dogs revert very quickly into a semi-wild fight or flight mode when they are lost. He may not immediately recognize you by sight or even by voice and he will very likely run from you if you try to run up to him. Your best bet is to sit down where he can see you, preferably with smelly treats, and talk softly to him until he comes to you.
Also, there's a group in my area called Dogs Finding Dogs. They track dogs that are lost and have reunited many pets with their owners. You might ask around and see if there are any groups/businesses/organizations like that in your area.
@PurplePawprints I checked for tracking dogs, the only ones I could find were dogs trained to find human smells. I did come across a dog rescue person who has helped me so much today.
@Mellaine I'm sorry that Daisy is still missing, and that there are no tracking dogs near you, but I am glad that you found a helpful local contact. Keep up the good fight and hopefully she'll be home soon.
I am still looking for my Dog Daisy. This is more exhausting than climbing a mountain for 12 hours. At least I will know if I do not find her I gave her 100% of myself. But still have time for meh to relax me.
@Mellaine Sending good wishes that she turns up very soon.
@Mellaine Still thinking of Daisy and you.....Any news??
@mick I am not giving up looking for her. Thank you for asking.
So sorry you haven't found Daisy yet..still praying she is found safe and sound.
@AttyVette I did give up for a few days thinking awful things must have happened to her. I was reminded not to give up hope and started looking again today.
I'm hoping you find her soon. She sounds like a wonderful dog.
Just checking back here... Really, hoping for good news!! or any update on Daisy dog, from Mellaine.........
@mick No Daisy yet. I still looking. Thank you for your concern.
Dog update? Or was this a hoax?
@radi0j0hn No hoax. Really sorry for not responding. I did not know anyone was reading and still helping me. Everyone is so nice I get tears in my eyes. I love everyone for caring and helping.
@Mellaine - I hope you found your furry family member.
@Thumperchick I think this may have been a hoax. After all the interaction, it makes no sense that this person has not responded. Or maybe the dog was in the backyard and they are embarrassed.
@Thumperchick Being a suspicious sort, I checked the 'lost dog' sites for her region, and nothing came close. Are Tazowolf et al back?
@radi0j0hn i kind of doubt it was a hoax. her daughter did reach out to me with information for me to share out on facebook. also, i'm not sure what the point of a hoax like this would be.
@OldCatLady - based on the information her daughter sent me, i sent that info to a couple lost dog sites in that area. 1 of them emailed me back and said the information had already been submitted by someone else. usually when you submit info to those sites, they do email you every couple days and ask for an update. it's possible the dogs did not make it and the site already pulled down the notices.
@radi0j0hn Maybe her dog didn't come home and she is too sad to report back.
@sammydog01 That's what I was thinking. I figured either the pup didn't come home or they got bad news about it and it's too hard for her to come in here and talk about it. She's been in other threads here recently.
@radi0j0hn OMG!! I feel terrible. I am sorry I have not responded lately. How do I know if someone responds to me. I was wondering if my post was lost. I am going for a walk in the woods today to look for her. NO it is not a hoax. That would be a terrible thing to do. I recommended all of everyone's great ideas for a site to a woman who has a dog rescue business. I have done almost everything that what was recommended to me. I took a week off work to look for her. I posted signs, facebook which had 479 shares, craigslist, 150 signs, checked all the shelters, called 6 police stations, made a bed with a big plastic box and her old bed near my house, leave food and water out daily, walked the woods everyday, posted on the neighborhood facebook sites that you recommended, tore old blankets and sheets that smell like her and my other dogs and left a trail back to my house, sat down in the woods and relaxed, I was told to cook outside for the smell of food, hung sheets from the trees for the wind to blow familiar scents. There is more I have been doing. I do not know how to post photos on the forum and would like to share what I have done.
Really sorry and the help from everyone has been very helpful. I will make sure I look at this conversation everyday. THANK YOU FOR ALL YOUR HELP!!!
@carl669 Thank you for posting the lost dog on your facebook. I did not know I had anyone responding to help me anymore. Really sorry.
@Mellaine You can look up my daughters facebook by her email she gave to you. Her name is her email. Thank you again.
@OldCatLady All the lost dog sites have postings. look at lost dog IL I spoke to the founder. I love my dog and we are sad but not giving up. The dogs name is Daisy.
@sammydog01 She has not come home. I keep thinking I see her in my back yard and get really excited.
@OldCatLady What does this mean Tazowolf et al back?
@Mellaine http://imgur.com is great for picture sharing. You can drag and drop whatever pictures you want, and it'll upload them and generate a link that you can post here.
@carl669 My dog still has a post on all the sites. I spoke the founder of lost dogs IL and she gave me some more ideas. She offered to come help look for her.
@Chops Thanks, I will get some photos on in a few hours. I want to go in the woods now before it gets dark.
@PurplePawprints I did think she was dead. My other dog was bringing home bones the size of Daisy. I thought he was eating his best friend. A few days later I took a few bones to her vet to see if was my dog. The bones ended up to be a baby deer which gave me hope to start searching again.
@Mellaine How horrifying and heart wrenching that must have been! I'm so glad that you were able to verify they were the bones of another type of animal. Don't give up hope. Miracles do happen! I once had a cat that went missing in a rural area for several months. We looked and looked with no luck (and this was before social media). One day I was driving down the road, about a mile from my house and I saw him walking across a parking lot! He became an indoor kitty after that. (He originally came to us a decade before as a stray and hated being indoors when he was younger, so we let him be an outdoor cat. He happily lived his remaining years inside after I found him again.) Anyway, keep posting and don't give up hope yet.
@PurplePawprints Awwwww.. That is a great story. You have a big heart for helping the cat. My daughter and I are going to volunteer the shelter where where we adopted Daisy when things slow down looking for her. People who love animals are always so nice.
@Chops Thanks for the site. I will post some photos of Daisy. I was going to take some photos in the woods today but I only had a hour before the sun set. I will take some tomorrow and post those also.
@OldCatLady No need to explain. I looked it up
@OldCatLady How did you do your search? What sites?
She is still listed. Try searching by my zip code 60062. Let me know if you do not find her that worries me. I checked and she comes up for me. Thanks
Does favoriting this post make me a terrible person, or does it mean I sympathize with the cause/struggle. Ouch.
Sorry this may seem insensitive.
(It is.)
(Crap.)
You are a nice person. Thank you
Here is the link to Lost Dogs IL
http://www.helpinglostpets.com/v2/?pID=963465
Here is link for another photo of Daisy
@Mellaine Any further updates?
Daisy was never found. It was hard taking down the last of her few signs today. I am hoping someone found and fell in love with her not wanting to give her up. I saved everyone’s great ideas and passed them onto a woman I met that started a small rescue for lost dogs. From now on when I see a lost dog sign I will know how awful it feels, call and offer them help.
Thanks again
@mellaine I’m very sorry. Please consider a rescue to help fill the void. Saving another animal’s life may provide some comfort for you.
@mellaine Thank you for the update, and so very sorry about Daisy. Hopefully you are right and she was taken in and cared for.
@mellaine I am so sorry.
@mellaine I’m sorry. You never know- maybe she made it far enough away that the people that found her didn’t see your signs.
@mellaine I’m so sorry she wasn’t found. (((((@mellaine)))))
@mellaine Definitely not the outcome I was hoping for. So sorry about your Daisy.
@mellaine Terribly sorry… let’s all hope she ended up someplace safe.
@mellaine so sorry to hear this. hugs and thoughts go out to you and your family.
@ACraigL Awwww, Thank you everyone!
I never in my life have had so much help from so many wonderful people. MEH is so much more than a company trying to sell products. I am a terrible writer
I am at a loss for words to say how much help and most of all The warmth from the community. Thanks so much.
So sorry you never found her…praying she was taken in by a kind person.
@AttyVette I believe she is in a great home. THANKS
I do need help with another problem…
my house was robbed by my ex and friends
everything is gone including clothes, shoes, jewelry, heirlooms, collections of antiques from estate sales and all my kids things. any suggestions for type of cameras? Hidden cameras?
They liked all my meh items too. I added it up over $150,000 and cannot remember all the things I have had packed in boxes. Any ideas how to catch them? I just noticed tonight my 2000 sq foot basement has been emptied today.
@mellaine wow. Hidden cameras for sure. My condolences man
@mellaine
Go to the police. That’s big enough they may seriously investigate. Report everything you can think of.
Some police depts have an auto report system w the pawn shops.
Really really sorry.