ADOPTERS & RESCUES
As of this week of November 15, 2024; Waggintails SAR has offered guidance and boots on the ground to successfully reunite/recover over 950 dogs since January 2019.
Almost half of these dogs were newly adopted, in a foster home or being transported.
These dogs are scared and will take any opportunity to escape. They need time to acclimate to their new homes as well as trust & feel safe with their new family.
WagginTails has some preventative steps to take for all new adoptive dog parents and foster parents to hopefully prevent this from happening to your family.
▪️PLEASE SECURE when transporting:-smaller dogs in crate carried into home- larger dogs seat belt or tether to their harness or in crate carried into home
▪️PLEASE USE MARTINGALE COLLARS with a leash and a slip lead or carabiner attached to martingale collar & harness with leash and slip lead
▪️Only out for potty breaks leashed & slip lead for at least 1 to 2 weeks - NO WALKS OR ADVENTURES!
▪️No retractable leashes
▪️Leash even in backyard until dog is acclimated; long leash or training lead
▪️Escape proof yards; they can & will find the one place that you didn’t know about; they can dig or push through small openings or climb fences - 6ft is nothing to some dogs
▪️Make sure gates are secure; notify landscapers & delivery people about making sure gates are locked
▪️Do not leave unattended in a yard
▪️Baby gates to prevent bolting when exterior doors are open
▪️Note on inside of exterior doors “WHERE IS DOG??; make sure dog is secured either behind closed interior door or in a crate before exterior door is opened
▪️GPS COLLAR - Fi or The Whistle
▪️AppleTag w/collar holder are better than nothing in a highly populated area, inexpensive but not reliable
▪️Seat belts to secure in case of accident or from bolting when vehicle door is open or jumping out vehicle window
▪️Microchip & keep contact info current
▪️Collar with id tag or phone number on collar
🐾💕PLEASE HELP KEEP YOUR NEW FAMILY MEMBER SAFE
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GPS Dog Tracker & Activity Monitor | Fi Smart DogCollar
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WILDERNESS/AUTO ACCIDENTS
✅TO HELP RECOVER YOUR DOG: Lost in the Wilderness or Auto Accident:
🔺DO NOT LEAVE - Stay where you were last together. Allow yourself to be the single beacon of scent to find. If needed set up camp & take turns with family or friends so that someone is always at lost location.Have family or friends hang posters & help spread the word while you stay put.
🔺SCENT ITEMS - Knowing wind direction and using it to your advantage is critical whether in rural or urban environments. Scent items should be placed up as high as possible at lost location, make sure placement is where the wind can blow in direction they left.
🔺DO NOT LEAVE FOOD - this will bring in unwanted animals to the area and put your dog at risk.
🔺DO NOT ACTIVELY SEARCH-Your initial instinct response of what to do is often the exact opposite of what you SHOULD do. If your dog doesn't come back immediately DON'T go looking for them. When walking around looking, you're spreading your scent which will be very confusing as they won't know where you started or what direction you went, which may cause them to go wrong direction looking for you. Unfamiliar people or other dogs can be perceived by your dog as being pursued by a predator, pushing them out of area or into danger.
🔺FERAL/SURVIVAL MODE- Dogs are resilient! Control emotions and don’t panic, be present and forget what you think you know about your dog as this is not a controlled situation. To a lost dog, this is chaos and their brain quickly goes into a survival mode which can create a temporary disconnect to all known comforts..even owners! Ignore them and allow time for them to downshift mentally while processing what or who they're seeing/smelling.
Please remember:
🔸NO EYE CONTACT
🔸NO CALLING OUT THEIR NAME
🔸NO DIRECT APPROACH: let them come to you, be PATIENT
🟡Reach out to a lost dog recovery team or individual for guidance and to help you avoid making critical mistakes, many are volunteer based at no cost. (Do your research on who you are trusting, make sure they are experienced and legit)
🟡These are the first steps that should be modified and tweaked based on each individual scenario and recovery plan of action.
HELP GET THEM HOME SAFE
Do you know that most dogs that run into traffic is because well meaning people were trying to help them. It is human instinct to want to rush after and help an animal headed in to danger. But it is animal instinct to run from danger, which typically is a human chasing them (following, pursuing, "stalking"). The human is the perceived/greater threat to them, not cars, and they can not navigate both threats at once. If you see a dog in "flight", running, DO NOT FOLLOW. Doing so also causes them to end up further from home. If a dog is stationary, read the body language before trying to approach, if dog is not interested or immediately turns away or prepares to run, turn and walk away, then watch from a distance & take a picture if possible. Make a post of sighting, if it is a dog that has been posted already with a known owner CALL number on flyer/post, do not put it in comments. Give the owner a chance to get there before being scared off. If the dog is in the road try to manage traffic, not the dog. A dog in survival mode is also very aware when they are being followed on foot or by car. They notice when a car is circling, or going back and forth. A dog in flight/ survival mode needs to be able to feel safe and unseen in order to settle.
GET THE WORD OUT
"GET THE WORD OUT" that your dog is missing.
▪️SOCIAL MEDIA: Post on local Facebook lost/found pages, your personal Facebook & Instagram, Nextdoor, Ring Neighbors, Pawboost (be aware of scammers)
▪️NEON POSTERS: Posters should be hung 1-2 miles around lost location to start and expand area as needed.
▪️YARD SIGNS: some cities have sign ordinances that won't allow posters, so ask private property owners if you can place a sign on their property
▪️MAILBOXES : in rural areas where there are few stop signs or other places for posters use low tack tape to attach to mailboxes. (Do not put inside mailboxes)▪️MOVING BILLBOARD: decorate your vehicles with window pens, neon posters or pictures of your dog ▪️CANDY/DELIVERY: tape small flyers to Halloween candy or pizza/food delivery attached to boxes etc
▪️LARGE GATHERINGS: hand out small flyers at local sporting events or concert's or on mass transit
DONT GIVE UP!!
