AKC Gazette Articles

February 2007

Road Trip Nightmare – Lost Dog!

Remember Vivi the Whippet, who dashed out of her crate at JFK airport a year ago and is still missing? Among all the kibble, chew toys, leashes, blankets, medicines, etc that you pack for shows and performance events, what should you take to help find a dog it were to be lost away from home?

Precisely this – a Lost Dog Kit. You may never need it, but if you do, you will most likely need it badly. Here is how to make one.

Step 1: Create your own “Lost Dog” poster template with contact info in place but details of the dog’s name, gender, color/markings, and last known location left blank. List cell phone numbers and also the home number if there is an answering machine. Leave space for a photograph or two. Offer a reward but don’t specify the amount.

Step 2: Gather a couple of good pictures of your traveling dogs – preferably a stacked side shot (cropped to dog only) and a front view to better show the face. These need only be black & white and should be sized to fit the space on your poster. Show as much dog as possible – and if you don’t have a good picture, illustrate your poster with a photo from a breed magazine or book (the average person will not know what a Saluki or other unusual breed looks like – much less be able to make distinctions between individuals or types).

Step 3: Keep a list of microchip and tattoo numbers, and any identifying marks or scars. Include rabies certificates, and the phone numbers of friends, relatives, and regional dog club members along the route.

Step 4: Put the poster template, photos, and pertinent information into a stout envelope and label it plainly “Lost Dog Kit.” Put it in a safe place in your luggage or vehicle and let your fellow travelers know its location.

Now that you have prepared for the worst, should a dog go missing, dash to the nearest photocopy machine to make posters and flyers for immediate distribution. Imagine the precious time that would be lost if you had to call home and have a friend or breeder rummage for photos to be faxed or emailed to you?

For the technically minded, all this information could be brought along on CD-ROM, USB flash drive, or laptop, (or even downloaded from your web site) – but this adds the extra steps of getting it downloaded and printed before you can make posters. Needless to say, the kit can also be used for a lost dog search at home.

The time to learn about how to successfully search for a missing dog is before it happens, not afterwards, when strong emotions cloud the mind. To tap into over thirty years experience of finding lost dogs take a look at John Keane’s “Sherlock Bones” website http://sherlockbones.com for excellent ideas and resources. Louis Pasteur believed firmly that, “Fortune favors the prepared mind,” and your chances of finding a dog lost on the road or at home will be greatly increased with the small amount of work needed to make a Lost Dog Kit. The peace of mind is worth the effort.

Brian Patrick Duggan
P.O. Box 998
Delhi, CA 95315

kyzylkum@jps.net