How to find a lost dog using a chip
Microchipping a dog is one of the most common medical procedures for doggies. Its essence lies in the fact that a small capsule is injected under the animal’s skin, in which all information about the pet is stored. A separate profile is created for him in the database, and the owner is given an individual code by which he can find the pet’s profile.
The most important thing in searching for a dog is not to hesitate and not to be lazy and look everywhere.
The procedure greatly simplifies the process of finding your pet if it gets lost. Since the microchip contains all the information about the animal, thanks to it it is possible to recognize its owners. If a dog runs away, the finder can always find out about it through the database and contact the owner.
Note! Implantation of the chip is painless, the capsule is safe for dogs.
How to find a dog if it has run away: procedure
How to find a dog by chip and check it in the database
The main thing an owner needs to do if his animal has disappeared is to calm down. In this situation, it is important to pull yourself together and think carefully about how to look for the dog. In order for the effect to be maximum and the pet to return home, you need to perform several steps.
Start searching immediately
You can’t put it off until later or wait for the animal to get some exercise, come to its senses and come home on its own. The first thing to do if you have lost your dog is to go searching as soon as the loss is noticed.
If the pet gets off the leash, the owner should follow him as far as possible. You shouldn’t despair even in a situation when your pet has turned a corner and disappeared from sight. It is important to do everything to find his trace, even if you have to go around the area several times in different directions.
When a dog living in a private home disappears, it is necessary to carefully examine the surrounding area. If the pet is really dear to the owner, it is important not to be lazy and explore your entire dacha, and if possible, look at the neighbors.
If your dog is lost in your summer cottage, it is important to search not only your own territory, but also your neighbor’s.
Explore the surrounding area by car
Walking while searching for a pet is often tiring for owners, since the territory is not always limited to a small area. If the owner cannot find the animal that has escaped from him, you can use a car. The machine allows you to cover long distances and explore many places where your dog might be.
For your information! The advantage is also that the car moves faster than the dog, so the chance of finding it somewhere is much higher.
Posting an ad on the Internet
Modern owners have a much higher chance of finding their pets thanks to the Internet. Today you can place advertisements not only on the streets of your area, but also on the World Wide Web.
Various groups and communities are being created on social networks, the purpose of which is to help owners who have lost their animals. Here people can post an ad about their missing pet or its discovery. Not knowing what to do if your dog goes missing and the search turns out to be futile, you should write here.
You can also find many special sites that post news about lost and found pets. A similar function is performed by databases of chipped animals, which provide an answer to the question of how to find a dog if it has run away. The owner can put his pet on the wanted list and this will be done by both other users and special authorities.
Search for "Dog found" ads
If you have not been able to find the animal yourself, despite a long search, there is a possibility that it has already been discovered. It's worth walking around the city and checking out the notice boards.
It would also be a good idea to look on the Internet. One option is to register on a social network or log into an existing account and find a group dedicated to missing pets in a certain city. News about dogs found that have run away from home appears here every day, so it’s worth keeping an eye on them.
You should regularly look through advertisements both on the city streets and online.
If the pet has a chip, the owner can log into his personal account on the database website. Announcements about the location of a dog are regularly published here with its detailed description and personal identification number.
Print advertisements
Despite the widespread use of information technology, the good old method of posting sheets with a message about a missing pet does not lose its effectiveness. Advertisements significantly increase the chances that one of the local residents who saw the pet will come to the rescue and bring it back home.
In the ad, it is important to try to describe the dog in as much detail as possible. It is recommended not to be limited solely by gender, color and breed. It is worth mentioning any distinctive features that will make finding the animal much easier.
Important! It is advisable to include a color photograph in the ad so that people know exactly what the lost pet looks like.
How to find a runaway dog
The first thing you need to do when you discover that the dog has run away is to try to take control of the situation, putting aside your emotions, and under no circumstances give in to panic. The most important thing is to start looking for your pet as soon as possible, before he has time to go far. It is best to take action in two directions at once - bypassing the nearby area and informing as many people as possible about the loss of the animal.
Call your family and friends, ask them to help with a direct search in the neighborhood where you live, or in disseminating information about the loss. So that you personally do not waste precious time, let them create leaflets with the text about the missing dog, its photo, contact phone number, and then print them out in as large a quantity as possible.
Together with your helpers (preferably those whom the dog recognizes), walk around the area, covering as much territory as possible. In this case, someone must remain on duty in the place where the dog left the owner: it happens that the animal returns exactly there.
The helpers should split up. Let everyone call the dog by name as loudly as possible and show passers-by its photographs on a leaflet or mobile phone screen. It is important to carefully examine every meter, because a frightened dog can hide anywhere: under a car, in the bushes, in an open basement - a flashlight will come in handy in this case. In your search, try to simulate the situation, because you should know in what places your dog usually hides when he is afraid.
Post missing dog notices in public places. These could be transport stops, house entrances, tree trunks, notice boards near shops, schools, hospitals, post offices.
Tell about your situation to people working in the search location - sellers, loaders, janitors, security guards in institutions and stores, and the local police officer. Ask mothers walking with strollers, elderly people sitting on benches, if they have met your dog. Leave your contact information to everyone, because people can’t always immediately figure out whether they’ve seen your dog or not, but after thinking about it, maybe they’ll remember. Children can provide help - they often notice things that adults do not pay attention to, and, as a rule, children are responsive and not indifferent to animals.
Search for all the phone numbers and addresses of dog shelters, animal control services, and veterinary clinics where someone could have given your lost pet. Call these agencies or, preferably, go there in person. If you don’t find your dog there, you will establish contacts with employees who will call you back if it appears there.
If all your efforts are in vain, proceed to remotely search for the runaway dog. Report the loss on social networks, giving priority to thematic animal search groups, chats of neighboring areas or houses: perhaps someone has already found your fugitive. Many believe that reposting on social networks, along with posting advertisements, seem to be the most effective ways to find a runaway dog.
Please note that when looking for your pet, you may encounter fraud, especially if you express a desire to reward the person who finds your pet in a missing person's report. To avoid becoming a victim of crooks, do not indicate absolutely all the dog’s special features in the leaflet. Subsequently, by asking a clarifying question regarding the missed nuances, you can easily determine whether you are being deceived or not.
What are the statistics
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According to research, owners have the best chance of finding a dog in the first day of its escape. The longer an animal goes missing away from home, the less likely it is to be found. That is why you should go in search of your pet as soon as it runs away, otherwise with each subsequent hour it will become more and more difficult to find it.
Note! Most of the dogs left on the street, if they do not get hit by cars, are simply unable to find adequate food for themselves.
As for the survival rate of pets, the statistics are sad. The very first week of adventures away from their owners and homes ends for more than 80% of dogs with either death or finding a new family. In winter, the chances of surviving outside the home are significantly reduced due to the cold weather. In the summer, when the weather is warmer and there are more opportunities for food, dogs are able to survive for a long time.
In winter, it is important to be even more active, since domestic dogs can freeze
Some of the pets that services perceive as strays are taken to shelters. If you do not return for them within 10 days, the animal will be sterilized. Therefore, if you do not find your pet on the city streets, it is also important to study local shelters.
What to do if your dog is lost?
In order for the search result to be most effective and not keep you waiting, the situation must be taken under control. Follow our instructions - it will help you not get confused in this difficult situation.
- Try to calm down. In the first hours after losing a dog, every minute counts, and stress will only distract from the main thing - the first steps towards returning your beloved dog home.
- Call your friends and family - anyone who can quickly come and help with the search, and those who have the opportunity to make announcements, print and distribute them.
- Wait for help to arrive. The dog may return to the place where you parted, so there must be a familiar person there.
- Together, immediately go look for your pet. Split up. Don't be shy about calling your dog as loudly as possible. Show passersby a photo of your pet on printed advertisements and on your mobile phone screen.
- Carefully inspect every meter. A frightened animal could hide under a car, behind stairs or garages, in bushes, or run into an open basement. Shine a flashlight into dark corners.
- Try to talk to people who work in the area. Employees of stores, restaurants, banks, janitors - everyone who spends some time on the street every day and can notice your dog will be useful in this difficult task.
- Tell the locals about the loss. Children and accompanying adults, women with strollers, elderly people, and dog owners are usually more likely than others to be in the fresh air and watch what is happening around them. They will definitely notice if an unfamiliar dog is running nearby.
- Return home if after several hours the search is unsuccessful. You must rest and gain strength for further work. Your cheerfulness, attentiveness and determination are the main tools of the search operation.
- Use the Internet. Today, the most effective work takes place on social networks. Write to groups dedicated to your city or area where the dog was last seen, and to groups in neighboring areas. Perhaps someone has already picked up a lost pet and is trying to find you.
- Find the addresses and contacts of all dog shelters and government animal control services in your city (or, if you live in a small town, the closest ones). Call them or write. Be sure to include your dog's brand number (the tattooed number usually located inside the dog's ear or belly).
- Print out missing notices with information about your pet and your contact information. The ad must be bright, clear, understandable and noticeable. The font should be large and readable so that it can be distinguished from a great distance. The pet's photo must be of high quality. Remember, the more advertisements you post and hand out, the greater your chances of finding a dog.
- Post notices not only in the place where the dog was lost, but also within a radius of several kilometers. Use trees, fences, house walls. Pay special attention to playgrounds, schools, clinics, pet stores, and veterinary clinics.
- While your assistants are walking around the neighborhood and calling out to the dog, personally visit shelters and points where stray animals are taken (“catchers” do not transfer dogs to shelters!). Talking one-on-one with shelter workers will increase the chances that your dog will be recognized and returned if he ends up there.
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If you find a dog on the street that is clearly domestic and lost, and you were able to catch it, don’t get lost and use our tips:
- Many people want to help get their pet back, but don’t know how. Finding a chipped dog if it gets lost is easier. If you have a purebred dog in front of you, it most likely has a microchip. She needs to be taken to a veterinary clinic (it is better to find out in advance about the presence of a scanner that will allow this chip to be read). After a simple procedure, you will receive the owner’s information and be able to contact him.
- Check for a token. Perhaps the animal has a tag - usually it indicates the owner’s contacts and address.
- Find the stamp with the number and call RKF. Federation staff will check it against the database and will be able to help with contacts of the owner or breeder.
Many people wonder how to find a lost dog in a city where there are thousands of people, houses and cars. Repeat these steps daily, look at news on social networks, call services, and you will succeed.
Photos: Collection/iStock
What to do if you find a dog: checking the brand and chip
When to feed your dog: before or after a walk
As a rule, animals walking on their own for a long time look exhausted, weak, and intimidated. Before giving the dog back to the owners, you need to take it in for a while, put it in order, and ensure comfort. First of all, she needs to be fed and also take care of her hygiene.
It is important to pay attention to the following things:
- collar (a piece of paper with the owner’s phone number may be attached to it);
- address book (on the back there is information about the owner and the animal’s name);
- NFC tag if the pet is chipped (contains a QR code that leads to the dog’s profile);
- brand (a combination of numbers and letters on the inside of the ear or in the groin area).
Often they are the ones who help identify the owner and return the pet to him.
Where to look for a dog's old owners
If the dog was wearing a collar with a note or address attached to it, you can easily determine who it ran away from. All you need to do is call the number provided and arrange a meeting with the owner of the animal.
An NFC tag is also considered one of the easiest ways to find the owner. It can only be seen in microchipped animals. On the back of the token there is a QR code, by scanning which you can see everything about the dog, from its pedigree to its medical history. The owner's phone number and name are also indicated here.
Using an NFC tag, you can find out everything about your pet by simply scanning a QR code
The brand is placed on an animal in a kennel or a special club and is a code that also encrypts certain data about the dog.
Note! To identify the owner of a pet, it is enough to find the code in the database of branded animals, for example, on the website of the RKF and other organizations.
To prevent the dog from getting lost in the forest
A large open space can scare even an adult dog. If you have a teenage puppy who is not used to the forest, then it is easy to keep track of him. Succumbing to fright, dogs often get lost in the forest.
In order for the lost one to return to you, take the following measures:
- put a tag with your contact information on your dog’s collar, preferably a metal one;
- If your budget allows, buy a GPS tracker and use it to track your pet’s location.
If the dog is still lost, then you need to look for it correctly. Do not run randomly through the forest so as not to confuse your pet. Stay where you are and call your dog loudly. Perhaps he will hear or find his way to you by smell. Wait as long as possible. If waiting is unsuccessful, then slowly retrace your steps. If it is no longer possible to wait for your lost pet, then leave your thing in the forest so that the dog can wait for its owner. Come back as soon as you can and call the dog.
In the villages that are located near the forest, they can help you. Prepare missing dog notices to post and personally ask local residents.
In some breeds of dogs, the hunting instinct awakens in the forest, and they fly headlong into the thicket. If the dog is busy hunting, it will not respond to the owner’s call. Don't panic, don't stop calling your pet. Soon he will get tired of hunting and will return.
How to recognize old owners
Before giving your dog to other people, it is important to make sure that they really are its owners. This may be especially necessary if the specific owner of a purebred pet has not been identified, so the search for him took place through advertisements.
First of all, it is worth asking the person to send several photographs of the dog, in which the features of its appearance and signs are clearly visible. If the pictures are blurry and the animal itself is visible somewhere in the distance, most likely they are scammers.
Also, the owners will know exactly the name of their pet, and he should respond to it. It is advisable to visit these people at home and see if they have a bed, toys, bowls and other things that confirm that they really think about how to find a dog. Owners of a purebred dog can also show documents for it. If a dog was found with an NFC tag, the owner must know the animal's number.
Amazing cases of dogs returning home
An incredible story happened to a pet named Corky. He escaped from home in 2009. The owners were desperate to find their pet. Only in 2021, the dog was found on the side of the road and identified by chip. He returned to his family along with a friend he had acquired on the street.
Airedale terrier Max hid from his owner in the forest when he had an accident. The search for the dog was in vain, despite the fact that it lasted almost two weeks. One day, returning home, a man found his dog in the yard, which had walked more than 70 km in a month.
Some dogs become so attached to their owners that they are willing to travel hundreds of kilometers for them.
An amazing incident occurred in 1979. The dog named Jimp was taken to a village that was located 3,200 km from the pet’s former home. However, the desire to reunite with his family inspired him to go on a long journey. Jimp walked for 14 months and still managed to return to his native land. There was no magic - the dog just loved his owner very much.
Every pet owner needs to know what to do if he has lost his dog, as this will help not only return the pet to the family, but also save his life. The main thing when looking for pets is to remain calm and not give in to panic and despair.
The dog is lost in the forest - what to do?
Victoria Solup |
09.13.2015 | 4077 Victoria Solup 09/13/2015 4077
Did your dog go missing while walking in the woods? Follow our advice and you will be able to find your favorite pet.
In autumn, many people like to go to the forest to pick mushrooms. And when accompanied by a four-legged friend, doing quiet hunting is doubly pleasant. But no one is safe from trouble: a dog can run far away from its owner and get lost. What to do in such a situation?
Don't panic and stay put
First of all, calm down, do not be led by emotions and think about what could have caused the loss of your pet. Dogs usually don’t just run away from their owner for a long distance. If the dog has disappeared from sight, perhaps something has frightened him greatly, or he has sensed an animal nearby (if the dog is a hunting breed) or an individual of the opposite sex.
In this case, stay in place and wait for the pet to find its way to you following its own tracks. At the same time, call the dog loudly.
If the dog is still gone, and it’s already dark in the forest, leave your item (preferably clothes on which your scent is well preserved) in the place where you last saw it and go home. In the morning, return to the forest to the same place - perhaps the pet is already waiting for you near the object you left.
If the dog is trained in tracking work, then when it comes across your item, it will find you. By the way, some untrained but smart pets figure this out on their own, or rather, instinct tells them that in such a situation it is necessary to “connect” their sense of smell.
If the dog is not found the next morning, go in search. It is advisable to involve your family and friends in this and divide the territory that you will patrol.
Comb the area
Wander through the forest and call your dog loudly. Go out onto paths, highways, into residential villages. Dogs instinctively look for well-trodden roads in the forest and follow them, so it is possible that your pet has already come to the neighboring village to get food.
Talk to local residents of the settlements closest to the forest: maybe someone has seen your dog. And leave them your contact information in case the dog shows up there.
At the same time, continue to come to the place in the forest where you left your item at least once a day. You should pick it up every time so that it absorbs your scent again.
How do dogs find their way home?
You can often come across information that supposedly dogs by nature have the gift of excellent spatial orientation, and therefore can easily find their way home. In fact, these abilities are highly exaggerated.
A hunting husky, which has more than once gone with its owner into the forest to hunt a bear, can actually get out of it and come home on its own, especially if it is not the first time it has been in this area. And, for example, a Yorkshire terrier who finds himself in the forest for the first time is unlikely to be able to find the right path.
Dogs search for home and owner by smell. Therefore, we can only hope that the dog has not moved too far and that the wind carries the odor molecules in the right direction, allowing him to smell them.
Train your dog not to wander too far
Before you go into the forest, train your dog to always keep you in sight. To do this, while walking, unexpectedly hide from your pet behind trees or buildings and wait for him to find you. In this case, there is no need to call the dog: the dog itself must realize that it needs to look for the owner.
After several such games of hide and seek, the dog will begin to follow your movements.
Don't lose your true friends! And let joint walks through the forest bring you both a sea of positive emotions.
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