I sometimes post on another advise board (a general, more entertainment style kind of board), and there is a woman (living in the US) whose pet dog has escaped from the garden last Friday. Unfortunately the dog wasn't wearing his collar and id tag at the time he ran away. She says, it is cold where she lives (I don't know the State).
She has been searching the immediate area daily, knocking on doors in the neighbourhood, and has now started to spread out her search. She has put up flyers with a picture of the dog (on Monday), and put an ad with a picture in the local newspaper (came out Wednesday). She has contacted all the local and further away shelters, RSPCA and other organisations, and she keeps in contact with them.
She has had calls from people in the area who spotted her dog last Friday and Saturday (running along the street), so obvioulsy he wasn't stolen from her garden. Some people even joined in in the search.
Is there anything else she could do? She says a "Pet Detective" has called her, offering his service. Should she take up on that offer?
Needless to say, she's devastated.
Tips needed for finding missing dog
Re: Tips needed for finding missing dog
If she is considering a 'pet detective', that person should be able to give her references upon her request.
..........Traci
An update:
After I wrote the first post, this woman was called by two neighbours down the road who had seen a couple that lived opposite of them carrying her dog in a cage ... So, the dog was stolen after all! It's an expensive breed, can't remember which (minpin??), and maybe they were trying to sell it. Anyway, she went to talk to the couple, but she found them quite 'creepy' and was in fact scared of the guy. It turned out that this guy has been working as a parking lot attendent opposite her house for some time, maybe watching her and the dog constantly. He admitted that he had the dog, said he found him, and that he dropped him off at the police station. Checking with the police and their records it became apparent that he was lying. So finally on Saturday eve the police went over to him and talked to him, told him that if he didn't return the dog asap, there would be severe consequences for him.
Half an hour later, my friend's door bell rang and a small boy returned the dog! They obviously got scared and sent this boy (a friend's son, a family member?) to return the dog. He was evasive when they questioned him, and because the dog was so freaked out and obviously half starved they let the boy go to attend to the dog.
I was so happy to hear that this story had a good ending after all, that I wanted to share it here. Needless to say, my friend, who had been half out of her mind the whole 9 days, was VERY relieved. She said she will have him microchipped now.
But what a horrible thing to do! Stealing someone else's dog? I'm shocked!
After I wrote the first post, this woman was called by two neighbours down the road who had seen a couple that lived opposite of them carrying her dog in a cage ... So, the dog was stolen after all! It's an expensive breed, can't remember which (minpin??), and maybe they were trying to sell it. Anyway, she went to talk to the couple, but she found them quite 'creepy' and was in fact scared of the guy. It turned out that this guy has been working as a parking lot attendent opposite her house for some time, maybe watching her and the dog constantly. He admitted that he had the dog, said he found him, and that he dropped him off at the police station. Checking with the police and their records it became apparent that he was lying. So finally on Saturday eve the police went over to him and talked to him, told him that if he didn't return the dog asap, there would be severe consequences for him.
Half an hour later, my friend's door bell rang and a small boy returned the dog! They obviously got scared and sent this boy (a friend's son, a family member?) to return the dog. He was evasive when they questioned him, and because the dog was so freaked out and obviously half starved they let the boy go to attend to the dog.
I was so happy to hear that this story had a good ending after all, that I wanted to share it here. Needless to say, my friend, who had been half out of her mind the whole 9 days, was VERY relieved. She said she will have him microchipped now.
But what a horrible thing to do! Stealing someone else's dog? I'm shocked!