Lost dog! Please help us find her! (apartment, safe)

[taybabes32]

I'm pretty sure we saw her!! went down to a street where she was sighed, talked to one neighbor and he said he saw a very skittish, small lab with a lil white on it's face!!!!!!!! we were at a top of a hill, and at the intersection at the end of the hill, there it was..it ran really fast ( a bit like sadie when shes spooked ) past the intersection..we stayed around the area for a few hours and couldn't find her...even though we yelled for her quite a bit. Hope its just because she hasn't had any of her ear medication in the last week and a half, and her ears are getting affected..making it harder to hear us.... strange that if it was her, she didn't turn around and run back to us? Not sure what to do now, anyone have any ideas on how to catch her? would the local dog officer help us?

[kmann-sherborn]

When we lost our cat Casey we heard that sometimes when animals are lost they won't come when they're called because they get skittish and scared and that being out there with familiar things like their pet bed or an item of clothing you recently wore can help them come back to you.

This site has some tips:
PetRescue.com - How To Find A Lost Cat Or Dog

I so hope you find her!!

[kmann-sherborn]

And more sites:
Home | Missing Pet Partnership

[brightdoglover]

It's her, it's got to be her! Where were you, how far from home?
I once had a new adoptee, very shy/skittish, get loose from the house. She finally got in the car after I slammed the doors several times, called "Let's go for a ride," and stood a good distance from the car.

[taybabes32]

Not far from home. Its only a few streets over but this street is MASSIVE. it leads to a ALOT of alot of other streets. No idea if shes staying the in area, or if shes already moved on...

[Valerie C]

If she's in a totally unfamiliar area, she has no idea how to find her way home, and being skittish, she is probably totally freaked, and may panic and run even if you do spot her and call her.

Dogs have an incredible sense of smell, and in addition to walking (not driving) up and down each of those streets, you might want to lay a scent, similar to what we would do when training a dog for tracking. Sounds gross, but you have a unique scent that your dog will recognize and respond to--take an article of clothing that you (or the person that the dog is most bonded to) has worn for at least several hours, and tie it to the end of a rope. DRAG the article along the street, giving her something familiar. Scent is a primal sense, and if she comes across your scent, she WILL recognize it. With the upcoming dry weather, this could be the perfect opportunity to give her some sense of calm, and realization that "My pack was here".

Still hoping that you all find each other soon!!

[Valerie C]

It's horrifying when a skittish new adoptee gets loose! This happened with our newest rescue just a few days after coming to our family. I had her on a flexi-lead, and foolishly stuck it under my arm while trying to do something else. I dropped the flexi (an old one, so heavy) and the noise spooked her when it hit the ground. She bolted--and of course the flexi bolted after her, which freaked her even more. Funny now when we talk about it, but if the leash hadn't been caught up in some bramble bushes in the yard, I think she'd still be running now!

One thing that sometimes works for the dog that that get loose (this is commonly the dog who is tied up when outside). You know, the one who doesn't run away, but has no intention of getting 'caught' and going back to being chained up. If the dog is running around the yard/neighborhood, DO NOT CHASE. He has twice as many legs as you, and can run more than twice as fast as you The answer is to lie down on the lawn or the driveway, and call the dog in a high/playful voice. Flop around if you must, to get the dog's attention! Most dogs love a good playtime, and this is probably something that you do in the house with them. Try it. Other than looking silly to your neighbors, what do you have to lose?

These shy/nervous dogs are a challenge, but so worth every minute we spend with them. Raised her first 3 years 24/7 in an outdoor kennel (puppymill) with very little human interaction, our Jordi (the dog above) had been in a foster home for over a year, but failed to bond with the family (but did bond with their 8-pack of standard poodles Today she's trustworthy off leash and knows verbal commands as well as hand signals. Love these rescue pups

Originally Posted by brightdoglover

I once had a new adoptee, very shy/skittish, get loose from the house. She finally got in the car after I slammed the doors several times, called "Let's go for a ride," and stood a good distance from the car.

[Summering]

Wondering if a trap with delicious food in it would work as easy as it does with feral cats.
It would take a pretty big trap but they must have them?????
I had to capture many feral cats to get them fixed and I was amazed how easy it turned out to be. Especially if the cats are hungry and the dog should be very hungry by now.

[taybabes32]

not sure if it was her or not.....my husband said he saw it again tonight while looking, but as soon as we got up the road to where it crossed it vanished (which didn't even take 60 seconds!!). Sadie knows us..she wouldn't of ran...or would she? Loosing hope.....My family misses her so much and its breaking my children's heart with each passing day. We are going on fifteen days tommorow..

[kmann-sherborn]

Have you talked to anyone who has experience catching lost dogs? Have you tried using materials with the dog and/or your scent on them? Please don't give up hope!