What to Do if You've Lost a Dog

The old saying I always heard was ‘Dogs run away, Cats leave.’ Well, Wednesday night my dog ran away. She isn’t an old friend but a new one. I thought I’d take part in a dog rescue, and my new friend Faust arrived in Columbus Wednesday afternoon. A few hours later, she slipped her leash and was gone in a flash. Yes, I suck, but this isn’t about me. If you lose a pet, the knee-jerk response is to blame yourself and panic, but the pet doesn’t need that. It needs to be found. I did the stupid thing and chased her at first. Everyone I’ve talked to says, ‘don’t chase the dog.’ They are super super fast and have more legs than you do. Chances are, they will feel threatened or think you’re playing.

As you know, there are a lot of busy streets in Columbus, and pedestrians have to worry about getting hit by a driver who is talking on their phone or otherwise not paying much attention. A dog that’s a foot tall is in even more danger. I’ve been lost on my way home from the bar and was pretty stressed out, so I can’t even imagine what might be going on in the mind of a dog. So please learn from my mistake and be prepared. I thought I was, but the last four days of looking have truly opened my eyes in more ways than loss of sleep.

Getting your hands on the dog all depend on the dog, so most other rules are hard to tell you about. But if you have completely lost your dog as I have, here are some things you should check out to maximize your chances.

1) Flyers with color pictures and as much information as possible. Make sure to use a good picture that shows more than just a face.

2) If you have your pet micro-chipped, make sure that your contact information is up-to-date. We college students change phones and addresses so often. It wouldn’t hurt to check.

3) Post alerts on free sites like the Franklin County auditor lost dogs bulletin board. They have both lost and found postings. Pet FBI is another Ohio-specific site that pretty much everyone said to use. They also have a database with mostly still active numbers and addresses of shelters and rescues, even the place that you don’t want to think about that you call to check on a dead animal. there are a lot out there, and make sure to check to see if anyone has posted that they found your dog.

4) More flyers, both digital and analog. Attention spans are short, but people tend to stay focused on a lost animal if it is on their mind. Twitter, Facebook, and even Reddit are massive networks for help, supplies, and donations. Try to ignore the Trolls — they are of no use and are just sad people that want to make you feel sad with them. You’re probably being harder on yourself than you should be already anyway.

5) Check the shelters every other day if you can. Dogs wearing a current Franklin County dog license will be held at the Shelter for up to fourteen days  and by law, unlicensed dogs are only held for three days. The primary dog shelter in Columbus is the Franklin County Shelter where ALL dogs picked up by Animal Control, The Dog Warden, and Capital Area Humane Society are supposed to be filtered. However, the County Shelter has such a high turnover. I was there Thursday and Saturday and only half of the same dogs were there the second time.  (Cats  stay at C.A.H.S., so if you are looking for one, you should check there first). File a report with the shelter because you are looking for your pet, not them, and you can’t count on someone to care or remember one animal from another. Call area Vets and the OSU Veterinary Hospital. Your pet may have been injured or brought in for an exam by a finder.

6) Try to get some rest and still live your life as best you can. It’s midterms week and wow, is it hard to write that paper on adaptations of Romeo and Juliet or study for that exam, but that has to be done too. Also, you are no use to anyone, including the dog, if you are  drooling on yourself and babbling incoherently.

7) Good luck. That seems to be half of it.