When Gary and Susan Englund's cavalier King Charles spaniel, Max,
slipped out of the side gate of their yard and ran away, they were
devastated.
"Susan was hysterical," Gary recalls. "Max had become part of the
family."
After an unsuccessful search through their neighborhood, the first
thing the Englunds did was to create fliers to put up in the area
and drop off at local veterinary clinics, bank drive-through windows
and ATMs.
According to Miami-Dade (Fla.) Animal Services, one of the largest
pet rescue groups in the country, this is one of the most effective
ways to find a lost animal.
Post Your Fliers!
The flier should be brightly colored to attract attention, contain a
color photograph and a brief description of your pet. Post these
fliers in your neighborhood, at stores, in veterinary offices and in
any other location that will allow you hang to them. Include a phone
number and offer a reward. Studies show that rewards bring home more
pets.
The agency suggests you tell neighbors that your pet is missing.
Call nearby schools and ask them to include your pet's photograph on
their bulletin boards. Ask your postal carrier and sanitation
workers to keep an eye out as well.
Many shelters and local animal rescue groups maintain lists of lost
and found pets on their Web sites.
"Susan also went to the Humane Society and animal control every day,
hoping someone had dropped him off. We just wanted to get as much
exposure as possible."
Englund even sent an e-mail to the one of the local television
stations asking if they could do a story to help find him Max. It
was a long shot, but a small mention was published on the station's
Web site. There was no response.
But the Englunds continued to be proactive. They filed reports with
all the police stations around the area and continued to rally their
neighbors. After three weeks of searching, Susan says, she thought
she might never see him again.
"The worst part was not knowing if he was safe," Gary says. "We
hoped that someone had picked him up and was taking care of him but
feared finding out he had been hit by a car."
Gary, however, never gave up hope. Experts agree that hope and
persistence, combined with a little bit of good luck and timing, are
the recipe for bringing your lost pet back home. That was the case
with Max.
Almost four weeks after he had run out of the yard, a woman who
lives nearby called the Englunds to say she had read Max's story
online. She said a friend in a development several miles away had
found a dog that looked just like Max.
That same night, the Englunds picked up their beloved Max and
brought him home.
Prevent Escapes
While the odds are good that a lost animal will be found, prevention
is the best medicine.
According to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to
Animals, a lost pet is most likely in the hands of someone who wants
to return it. A collar with a tag that easily identifies where an
animal belongs is the first line of protection. The tag should have
a full address and at least two telephone numbers, including area
codes. Pets should wear their collars at all times.
"If Max had been wearing his collar the day he escaped, we probably
would have had him back the same day," Englund said. "He now has a
brand-new collar with a tag, and we never take it off.”
Owners also should check fences, gates and doors to make sure an
animal can't get through.
"We rarely use the gate where Max got out, but it only took one time
forgetting to latch it for him to get away," Gary says. "One of the
first things I did after getting Max back was to put springs on both
of our side gates so that they close and latch automatically."
Microchips Aid Returns
Also, you can have a pet microchip with your contact information
implanted in your pet.
Gary also has advice to anyone who finds a pet and takes it to a
local vet.
"Insist that the animal be scanned for a microchip. Max has a chip
implanted in him, so he could have easily been identified if he had
been scanned. The woman who found Max took him to a vet, but he was
not scanned. We might have had him back two or three weeks earlier
if he had been," he said.
Don't Stop Searching
Look hard for at least three months before you stop searching for
your pet, experts suggest. Remember -- if your pet doesn't come
back, it is most likely because he can't find his way home.
"Don't give up," Gary says.
Max is living proof that lost animals do find their way back home.
Original article:
www.local6.com
