DO NOT CHASE A LOST DOG

When we are helping an owner find their lost dog, one of the first things we try to stress is “Do not chase, Do not call” if you see your dog. What this means is when a dog is loose & on the run they get into what we call “survival mode”. This is when the dogs only thought is just to survive & hide from preditors. Most won’t even recognize their own owners often being on the run for more than a day (all dogs are different).

The first instinct when an owner see’s their lost dog is to yell out to them “Here Fido”, that is the worst thing they could do. The dog will stop, look then RUN. Fido has no idea that’s their owner, Fido just wants to find a safe place to hide. Now the dog is running, which will put him in danger of being hit by a car, hurting himself or going into a dangerous situation (woods, highway, thick brush). Another thing that owners or people helping with the search is they start chasing the dog when the dog runs, this just makes the dog run farther!

The best thing you can do when you see your lost dog is STOP, DROP & STAY QUIET! If you stop when you see the dog, the dog will stop (nothing to run from). Then drop to the ground, avoid eye contact & do not speak. Now the dog has no reason to run & is now curious who that is sitting there. We have had owners sit as long as an hour and a half (very fearful dogs). If they have food in their hands, they may gently toss from food in the direction of the dog (most lost dogs are very hungry), then if the dogs takes to food, toss again but not as far and so on. It’s the best way for the dog to get close, the whole time you never make direct eye contact or speak to the dog. Hopefully the dog will get the scent of the owner & snap them out of survival mode. Sometime just a sniff of the hand of the owner will bring them out of survival mode. Scent is a dogs strongest sense.

So remember, if your dog gets loose tell everyone involved in the search, DO NOT CALL, DO NOT CHASE!!

The above picture is a handout we give to all neighbors of the lost dog & anyone helping on the search along with a flyer of the lost dog, this way, we can make sure everyone knows what NOT TO DO. The other is a flyer of WHAT TO DO. Trying to keep the lost dog safe will help the dog get caught!