Saturday, April 18, 2015

Lost your dog? Make sock soup!


A new video for Skype features a Russian detective who has a neat trick for finding a lost dog.  He cooks a pair of the owner's socks in water and puts the liquid in a spray bottle.  The spray bottle lets him mark places where the dog has been seen or where he wants the dog to go.  If your dog is missing, it is key to keep him in one place.  It is also helpful to show a lost dog the way home.  The spray bottle approach is useful for both.

It is also a good idea to take a cheap tee shirt and wear it for a day or use it as a pillow case.  Cut it into pieces so it goes further and so no one will want it.  Place the pieces where you want your dog to stay or to help him find his way home.

This is just one of many tips to finding a lost dog.  Lost Dogs of America has developed many tried and true tactics over the years.  Here are their top five:
  • Immediately put out food, water and your dog's bed or an article of your clothing at the location where your dog was last seen. There is a good chance that your dog may return.
  •  Get the word out by using flyers and signs (like yard sale signs) with a picture of your dog and your phone number, and then check your phone often! Go door-to-door with your flyers in the neighborhood where your dog was last seen.  Get a free quality flyer from HelpingLostPets.com The site partners with Lost Dogs of America.  If your state is part of their coalition, your flyer or your dog’s photo will appear on the FaceBook page for your state.
  • Contact your local animal shelters and animal control facilities, vet clinics and police department to report your dog missing. Fax or e-mail them a photo of your dog and your contact information.
  •  Instruct everyone that is helping you to NOT call or chase your dog. This will prolong your search. If they see your dog, tell them to sit or lay down (no eye contact) and gently toss out tasty treats to lure your dog in.
  • Post your dog on your local craigslist under lost & found, NextDoor.com, in your local newspaper or on other lost and found Facebook sites, especially neighborhood and county level sites as well as the state level.
And make sock soup!