Monthly Archives: June 2013

Keep Your Dog Safe During The Fourth Of July

Noisy parades, loud music, neighborhood picnics, and, of course, fireworks, –these summertime traditions are all great fun for people, but they are traumatic and dangerous to their pets.

More pets run away from home over the Fourth of July holiday than any other. And with many towns holding fireworks displays throughout the summer, summertime escapes are becoming more and more commonplace.

Many dogs experience similar phobias during thunderstorms or when loud music is being played. Your dog may show the following signs: shaking, drooling, howling or barking, finding a place in the house to hide, and loss of bladder or bowel control.

Lost Dogs Illinois/Lost Dogs Of Wisconsin offers the following tips to keep pets feeling safe and secure when during fireworks or thunderstorms.

Take your pet for a walk or play date before the fireworks start. This allows your dog to exercise, release energy and, of course, go “potty”.
Keep pets indoors. They may even feel safer if they are placed in a smaller interior room with a radio/tv playing.
Close your windows. Dogs, in particular, can try and get out of the house by pushing out the screen. Dogs have been known to bolt through screen doors so keep your inside door closed.
Resist the urge to take your dog to the local Independence parade and festivities. Loud, crowded activities are no fun for your pets.
Check your fence line for loose boards or openings that your dog could slip through or dig out of. We suggest during these activities, you even keep a leash on your dog and walk him/her in the fenced yard.
Make sure your pet has a license and a readable, up to date identification tag on his/her properly fitted collar and consider having a microchip identification inserted into your pet.

If your dog does accidentally escapes, please follow our 5 Things to Do if You Have Lost Your Dog.

LDI/LDOW wishes everyone a safe holiday!

Beware of Scammers!

Photo credit: angel_shark / Foter.com / CC BY-NC-SA

Even though most people are good-hearted and honest, there is the possibility that you will be contacted by dishonest reward-seekers and scammers when your dog is missing. Just last week, an owner of a lost dog emailed Lost Dogs Illinois (LDI) saying someone had contacted them from out of state, using a disposable calling card, leaving no address or name and ask to be paid a reward. The owner was distraught. Did we think they had their dog? What can they do? Losing a dog is a heartbreaking and we, at LDI, cannot understand why people would be so cruel to defraud lost dog owners. In an article last year, Better Business Bureau (BBB) published the most common scans and how to prevent them.

The Pay-Me-First Scam: The lost pet owner receives a phone call from a person claiming that they have the lost pet in their possession. This person asks that the reward money be sent to them before they return the pet. If the pet owner refuses, they will often threaten to hurt the pet in order to pressure the pet owner into sending money. Once the scammer receives the money, they are never heard from again.

The Truck Driver Scam: Someone claiming to be a long-haul truck driver tells you that he came across your pet while on his route. He then asks you to send him money so that he can send your pet back to you, or he may ask you to wire him money to board your pet until he can send your pet back with another truck driver who’s heading your way.

The Tag Team Scam: You receive a call from someone who says that they think they have your pet. After talking to you for a while and getting information about your pet, they apologize and say that they’re sorry, but it turns out that it’s not your pet after all. They then give all the information about your pet to a partner. This is a set-up — in a short time, the scammer uses the information received about your pet only to have a second person call and claim to have found your pet who will try collect any reward money in advance..

The Airline Ticket Scam: Someone calls and claims that your pet somehow ended up in another state. They ask you to send money for a kennel and an airline ticket in order for them to ship your pet back to you. Once the pet owner sends the money, the scammer walks away with it, leaving the owner without their pet and with less money in their bank account.

BBB provides the following tips to keep from falling victim to a pet loss scam:

1. If you get a call from someone who claims to be out-of-state, ask them for a phone number where you can call them back.

2. If a caller claims to have your pet in their possession, ask them to describe something about the pet that wouldn’t be visible in pictures which may have been posted.

3. Never wire money to anyone you don’t know.

4. Report the scam to your local police.

So, we bet you are wondering if the family found their dog? Yes, they did. A Good Samaritan had picked their dog up. Because of the family’s heavy flyering in the area, they were reunited with their dog. A Very Happy Reunion!

Probability VS. Possibility

Photo courtesy of ponsuwan/Freedigitalphotos.net

At Lost Dogs Illinois, we never say never. We have had too many surprises and unlikely scenarios play out in the last few years. But, that being said, we have learned a few things from the thousands of successful reunions that our organization and those of our sister sites have been involved with.

An owner that focuses the majority of their effort on what “probably” happened to their dog; rather than worrying about what “possibly” happened, is far more likely to have a quicker, more successful recovery.

Consider the weather. Is it possible for it to snow on any given day of the year in Illinois? Yes. Is it probable? No. So you can probably safely leave your parka at home in August.

Some examples pertaining to dogs:

A dog lost from a car accident that is not being pursued will probably stay within a 1/2 mile radius of where the accident occurred.
A small friendly dog lost in a populated area has probably been picked up, often very close to where they went missing from. They can be taken to a shelter, stray holding facility or rescue; or kept, or rehomed.
A shy, fearful dog is probably still “out there” learning to live on their own and avoiding people.
A “dandelion”; common dogs that all look alike (eg. labrador retrievers) are easily lost in the animal control/shelter system.

We have broken down our website articles to try to help you quickly “profile” your dog so that you can focus your efforts on probability. First; determine whether your dog has the risk factors of an elusive dog or an opportunistic dog.

Then read the corresponding articles from the Shy or Friendly categories on our website. Click on the categories on the right side of our webpage.

Our most likely “prediction” – most dogs are recovered because somebody that saw or knows something, saw a flyer or sign for the missing dog. Go door to door in the area that your dog was last seen and ask everybody if they have seen your dog. Use intersection signs to attract the attention of passing motorists.

Don’t delay! Your lost dog is depending on YOU to bring him safely home.