We will help you find your lost dog!

Here is how to find a lost dog:
 

These tips are for someone who has lost a dog and refers to the PetFBI flyer. If you did not complete their form, go to PetFBI.org to get your free flyer. There are many lost dog tips here. Pick and choose. Do what you can. Don’t be overwhelmed by all these tips. Pick one, do that, then pick another.

It is very important that you remain calm.  You cannot panic. You have to stay strong for your dog. It will help you remain calm to follow our suggestions.  These are proven tips to get a lost dog home. We will help you find your lost dog.
 

· We are strongly against your offering a reward. Rewards can encourage people to keep quiet if they see your dog because they want to catch your dog and get the reward. It can encourage people to chase your dog. You want your dog to stay in one location and not be chased away or into traffic. Sometimes people take dogs to get rewards, so you don’t want to encourage that. Rewards are just NOT a good idea! Still, don’t believe us? Here is scientific proof rewards don’t work.
 

·Take flyers to every business in the area and ask if they will display your lost dog's flyer. Try businesses such as fast food places, convenience stores, gas stations, groomers, hair salons, nail salons, any and every popular business. Take flyers to pizza delivery places and ask that all the drivers be given a couple of flyers and any other delivery businesses. Give flyers to the mail carrier, and any UPS driver you see in the area. Give flyers to the trash collection driver, and newspaper delivery person.
 

Take the smaller flyers and do driveway drops. A driveway drop is when you put a small flyer in a baggie with a few rocks and toss it on a driveway. No driveway? Attach the flyer to the doorknob with a rubberband.
 

DO NOT put anything inside a mailbox or attached to a cluster mail box, because that is illegal, and you could be charged First Class postage for every flyer; postage due. Instead, use the newspaper receptacle.
 

Keep a list of where you are leaving flyers. You may want it if you expand your search later and of course when your search is successful, you will want to take your lost dog flyers down.

 

· If your dog is chipped, call the microchip company and be sure all your contact information is current and correct. Report your dog as missing. If you don't have your chip number, contact the facility where the chip was implanted. They should be able to give that number to you.  Your vet can help you if you do not know which microchip company to call.

 

· Instruct everyone that is helping you to DO NOT CALL or chase your dog. This will prolong your search if your dog is chased elsewhere. There is also the danger of your dog running into traffic if pursued.

You want your dog to stay in one area. If you see your dog, sit or lie down (no eye contact) and gently toss out tasty treats to lure your dog in. Lost dogs can go into flight mode within minutes of being out of your control.  A frightened dog will not recognize you, no matter how close your bond is.  This is a survival skill.  The dog runs before getting a chance to smell and recognize you.  You turn off this flight response by ignoring the dog and getting the dog interested in you.  So lay down on the ground, turn away, and talk baby talk to yourself.
 

· Go WALKING, not driving, especially if your dog is small. Walking leaves a scent trail that can help them find their way back home. If you have another dog, take it walking with you to leave a stronger scent.  
 

· Put your DIRTY laundry on the front or back porch. Your dog does not have to be able to get to it, just smell it. The scent can help them find their way back home. Put out food & water and the dog’s bed on the front porch.
 

· Even if your dog has a microchip, don't just call, but GO TO the shelters in your area AT LEAST every other day. Ask to see EVERY dog they have including the sick dogs that are sometimes in another area. GO TO the shelter SO OFTEN that every employee there knows your dog's name when you walk in the door. GO TO the shelter so often that every employee there would recognize you in a Walmart 50 miles away and know your dog's name! Many, many, lost dogs end up at shelters. Shelters sometimes get the gender, breed, age, or other details wrong in their online listings, so if the dog looks like your dog, go see the dog. Always be courteous to the staff at the front desk. They are your best allies when your dog is lost!

· Post on social media.  Facebook lost and found groups are a must. (We post your flyer on Lost Dogs of Texas Facebook page.) It is important to post on NextDoor, but you need to be a member and it can take a week to be approved.  We suggest you find a neighbor to post for you if you do not yet belong.
 

· Put ads on Craigslist in Lost & Found section and in Pets section every few days. Check those sections daily for a found ad. Also check ads for dogs that need to be rehomed. It is illegal to sell animals on Craig's List, so people get around this by calling it “rehoming” and charging hundreds of dollars.
 

· DO NOT CALL SOMEONE ON CRAIGSLIST WHO IS SELLING YOUR DOG BEFORE READING THE FOLLOWING.
 

If you see your dog for sale take a screen shot of the ad and be sure to include the web address of the ad and all the numbers at the bottom of the ad so that it can be traced, in case the ad is removed. DO NOT call that ad yourself. Get someone who can call and NOT be emotional about it, and who can pretend to want to buy the dog. They should ask no questions at all, just want to buy the dog. Do NOT tell them you are the owner. DO NOT go to meet anyone ALONE EVER. Take back up. Notify the police BEFORE you go. BE SAFE!! Sorry to sound like we are giving orders, but too many times we get contacted after the seller has removed the ad because the owner called to ask for the dog back.

       · Put a sign in your front yard, like a for sale sign that says LOST DOG LIVES HERE with a photo of the lost dog.

       · Go to Google maps and type in "veterinarians near (your address)" Write down the names and phone numbers of all the vets /clinics in the area. Call them all and ask for an email address where you can send them a flyer. Make a note next to each one of the date you sent the flyer and keep that list. Go back and expand the area and do the same thing again. If your dog is not home in a week or so, send them all the flyer again and make a note of the date again. Keep doing that until your dog is home.

I hope that you find some tips in all this lost dog help!