We’re all familiar with the change of seasons and the animal activity that comes with it. Bears are known to become voracious eaters in the fall to prepare for winter hibernation. At the same time, squirrels seem to amp-up their activity when it comes to finding and burying nuts. Even insects behave more erratically when they sense a temperature change is coming. 

This so called “circle of life” doesn’t only happen when the seasons change. It happens on a much smaller scale as well. Every single day the sun sets and rises and with this comes a flurry of animal activity. As the sun starts to set, you’ll notice more deer come out on the edges of fields and on the sides of roads. Maybe you’ll see a raccoon run across the street. In the evening the animal day-shift is turning in and the night-shift is just beginning. With it comes an abundance of activity and you can literally see it if you’re open to it. There’s more drama in wild areas during sunrise and sunset than you’ll ever see on your daily soap opera!

Domestic animals that have become accustomed to living in a wild situation after being displaced surprisingly start to take on these daily rhythms. If you’ve lost a pet and it’s been gone for a long period of time, try searching for it before dusk or at dawn. There’s calmness in the world during these times and the noise of the modern world is at less of a peak. This means that the sounds of the natural world are more likely to come through and be more noticeable. 

I live on the East Coast. At 4 PM (from about April to October) on the nose and with amazing consistency I can literally see the changes start to take place. Animals are active at this time and making preparations for the night. The same happens before 8 AM the next morning. Pay attention to these times when doing a search for a lost animal or simply observing nature in general. Have heightened awareness during these times and you’ll raise your chances of finding your lost pet.

I’m often asked about predators when a cat has disappeared for an extended period of time. People in wooded urban or suburban areas first believe their cat was stolen by someone or chased off by a dog. Another question on the list is “What about a large predatory bird?” Believe it or not, it’s a strong possibility that a bird of prey can swoop down and fly off with a cat. It’s not one of the more common scenarios, but it does happen. One such bird of prey that’s been implicated in a lot of cat disappearances is the Great Horned Owl.

The Great Horned Owl is one of the most impressive birds in our country. It stands 19 to 24 inches tall with a wingspan of up to 60 inches (yes, that’s about 5 feet!). It’s a fearless bird of prey. It has long feather tufts, large bright yellow eyes, and a white “collar” around the throat. Its deep-pitched call, repeated up to eight times, can be heard for miles on a still night. The Great Horned Owl is primarily a woodland species, but is occasionally found in parks and orchards. It is non-migratory and occurs throughout the state in good numbers year round. 

They have great vision allowing them to see in low light conditions. The eyes of Great Horned Owls are similar in size to those of humans. Like humans, an owl’s vision is binocular as well. The eyes can’t move like we can move our eyes and owls instead just turn their heads to see. It can turn its neck to a full 270 degrees in order to see in other directions without moving its entire body. 

An owl’s hearing is probably better than its vision. They even have better depth perception and better perception of sound elevation than humans. Owl ears are not placed in the same position on either side of their head so they are better at hearing sounds at particular elevations better than most animals. The right ear is set higher in the skull and at a slightly different angle. By turning its head until the sound is the same in each ear, an owl can pinpoint sound coming from any direction. 

Now for the bad news. These birds hunt at night by waiting and watching patiently and then swooping down on prey. Prey is varied. Great Horned Owls are fearless, voracious, eating machines with wings. They’ve been known to swoop down and grab a small, toy sized dog even if it’s attached to a leash. Unfortunately, a tug-of-war match between a strong owl and a dog owner will often be won by the owl. They even kill other birds of prey.

Yesterday I noticed an eggshell on my yard. This isn’t unusual as there are many birds nesting this time of year. What was unusual was that, on closer inspection, a live baby bird was actually still inside the shell. Stranger still was that no trees were in the area that could contain a nest from which an egg could potentially fall from.

American robins begin breeding in April. The eggs are blue and about an inch in length. Only about 40 percent of all nests produce healthy robins. So, there’s a good chance that all of the eggs won’t develop into healthy young birds. Of course, if a predator should disrupt the nest in any way a robin can usually sense this and not return to the nest or dispose of the eggs.

Robins also have a great sense for knowing when their offspring are healthy or not. They’ll dispose of the eggs in some way so that the eggs don’t go rotten. Egg disposal is common, but usually this happens before the young begin hatching. So the mystery remains as to why a mother bird would give up on a bird attempting to emerge from its shell.

As a Pet Detective, I’ve dealt with people who will do anything to get their pet back. Often, the owners will resort to trying anything. 

One such example was a person who had lost her Sheltie. The Sheltie was in the area and for several days she actually came within several yards of it but just couldn’t get her hands on the dog. Her solution? She wanted to drug the dog and then track it until it “dropped”. Not a good idea! 

This particular person is not alone in her thinking. Many people believe that drugging a dog, either by placing something in its food or using a tranquilizer gun is a good idea. There are, however, numerous reasons why a dog shouldn’t be retrieved in this way. 

Using drugs to sedate an animal can be complicated. As with people, an animal won’t necessarily behave the way you expect it to when it’s under the influence. Maybe a normally calm dog will dart into the path of danger? Perhaps it’s personality could change and it will become more aggressive? Or maybe the dosages are incorrect and the dog could be poisoned immediately.  Also, what’s to say that tainted food is never touched by your dog and a different animal eats it instead? You never know. 

As for tranquilizer guns, there are major dangers involved.  The technique of using traquilizer guns to capture dogs is typically handled by animal control officers, and they receive training in this. It is called chemical capture or chemical tranquilization. 

With a little patience and smarts, you can get your dog back without resorting to drug methods. After all, you know your dog best and that’s the best weapon you have in finding it safely and bringing it home.

Do you have a cat in your neighborhood or yard that appears to be a stray or is too fearful to actually approach?  Here’s a method that will likely work every time… 

Attach a string to a stick and use the stick to prop up a laundry basket.  Place a plate underneath the basket that contains something a cat would like to eat.  Tuna works great since it has an odor that carries for long distances.  The string should be long enough that it can extend to somewhere where you’ll be watching in secrecy out of view of the skittish cat. 

The cat will approach your setup cautiously.  It will be attracted to the tuna and will likely begin eating.  Allow the cat time to become comfortable eating the tuna.  After a minute or so it will feel safe and let it’s guard down.  This is the time where you can pull the string and the basket will come down over the cat, trapping it inside.

 Once the cat is trapped inside the basket, it’s important to quickly run to the basket and put something heavy on it so that a frantic cat that’s bouncing around won’t escape or knock over the light laundry basket and run away.  A large book such as a dictionary works well.  

You’ll get one shot at this.  If the cat escapes it will likely avoid a similar trap in the future. The success rate for this kind of capture is very high.  Also, it’s a lot of fun!  The cat is completely unharmed and once it’s under the laundry basket you can call animal control to have the cat humanely removed.

Recently, my friend’s Boxer died.  This wasn’t a death of old age as this dog was less than 2 years old.  Sadie was a lovable puppy and a lot of fun.  So why did she stop eating?  Why did she have serious genetic internal problems with her organs?  Well, Sadie was originally purchased from a breeder with ties to a puppy mill. 

 Althouth my friend was able to see the dog in person before bringing it home, scammers often work long distance and try to sell animals that potential owners never meet first.

 So how can you protect yourself from scammers?  Well, of course, never buy a dog you haven’t seen or preferably met in person.  Actually, adoption is still the best option.  There are thousands of dogs waiting for a good home.  Remember, adoption doesn’t mean you have to give up on your hope of having a purebred dog as there are many purebreds at local shelters in need of new owners.  Purebreds find their way to shelters more often than you think, so keep your eyes open.

 Rescue groups for specific breeds are also very passionate about finding homes for abandoned purebreds that have been abused or given to shelters.  Use the internet to find breeders and rescue groups in your geographic area.  Be careful when searching for a puppy online and follow these rules:

•  Check references and try to get in touch with others who have purchased pets from a breeder you’re interested in. 
  
•  Don’t send money order payments
  
•  Good breeders actually want you to come and visit your future pet so take them up on it
  
•  Be wary of breeders that won’t give refunds should your new puppy become ill.  A reputable breeder will always take a dog back no matter what the reason.
  
•  For your own safety and the safety of your dog, pick up your new puppy at a kennel and don’t have the animal shipped or pick it up at a random location.

 Have any disastrous experiences of your own?  Maybe we can learn from you!  Please leave a comment.

When a person gets lost, 911 is contacted and the person’s family receives sympathy and support. Assistance is offered whether it’s asked for or not! When it comes to losing pets, things seem different. Here’s some of what happens when a pet is lost. How do you think each examples compares to lost people? 

1. There is no “911”. Instead there are locations like pounds, rescue groups, or humane societies where a found pet could end up. 

2. Pet owners usually experience a form of grief that’s unacceptable to others. In other words they can be shunned by friends and family who don’t care that much about animals and tell the pet owner to “get over it.” 

3. Typically, the pet owner is blamed and considered irresponsible for their pet running lose even if it was an accident beyond their control. 

4. When a lost dog is found, it’s common that the rescuer self-adopts the pet or turns it over to an organization that will find the dog a new home without making effort to find the original owner. 

5. When a pet is lost, there’s no one to call or to assist in the search effort. 

6. Burden is on the pet owner to take action to find their lost pet and relying on people who are untrained in lost pet behavior or in the differences of how to search for a missing dog vs. a missing cat is a major contributing factor to the homeless pet population. 

7. Assistance is usually refused when a pet owner calls and asks someone to come out and help them search for their missing pets. 

8. No nonprofit has existed for the purpose of missing pet education or in developing lost pet services. 

9. Reasoning is rarely used when searching for lost pets. Untrained owners follow gut instincts and use no reasoning and do everything from stapling dirty underwear to trees to leaving a scent trail for their pet to follow. Basically they use acts of desperation. 

10. Microchip systems are in place that could be used to identify pets but only a small amount of pet owners use them. 

11. Animal Control Officers do NOT scan a carcass they find on the road for microchips and neither do road crews. 

12. The problem of “homeless pets” is only being addressed through aggressive spay/neuter education for unwanted dogs and cats. However, there are many reasons why pets become homeless, including lost pets that are never found.

There are a number of methods that cat owners can use to identify their beloved pets, from collars and harnesses with engraved tags to more permanent solutions such as tattoos. There are pros and cons to each so we’ll take a look!

Collars and Tags 

Collars come in a wide variety of colors, materials, and styles as do the identification tags they hold. In towns requiring registration, collars and tags are sometimes mandatory just like some places that require rabies vaccinations for cats. ID tags should contain the owner’s name, phone number, and the veterinarian’s phone number. 

Pros and Cons:

• Inexpensive, easily available, and do not have to be installed by a professional.
• The information you can put on an ID tag is limited because of the small size.
• Can easily be removed by someone who wants to steal your cat.
• Must be replaced as the collar wears out.
• Some cats just don’t like collars.
• Collars can cause issues in the fur of long-haired cats. 

Tattooing 

Tattoos can be placed either on the inner leg of the cat or inside of the outer portion of the ear. Both methods will require shaving. Tattooing is usually associated with a registry which assigns a number and keeps the information on file for the cat associated with the number. There are several registries so the finder of a lost cat may be confused as to which registry to call. Tattoos should be administered by a trained specialist. 

Pros and Cons:

• Permanent but may fade over time and become illegible.
• Doesn’t take a long time to administer to the cat.
• The tattoo registries themselves don’t move but there are multiple registries which make locating an owner more difficult.
• May lessen the possibility of theft
• Can be altered by someone that really intends to steal the cat.
• A tattooed kitten will grow and so will the tattoo so it might become disfigured over time
• Many people don’t even think to look for a tattoo on a lost cat.
• Anesthesia is required to administer a tattoo – this could be dangerous to an older or sick cat. 

Whatever you choose, it’s important to choose something. All pets need an identity. It does no good for a stranger to find your cat only to be unable to locate you. Proper identification of cats can greatly increase their odds of going home.

Trailing dogs are trained to track the scent trail of lost dogs. In their training they are often cross-trained to track the scent of other animals that can travel great distances such as horses, ferrets, and even cats under certain circumstances. 

Many different breeds can be trained in the method of trailing. Trailing dogs are trained to follow scent trails left by a missing animal that’s moved out of the area. This will be scent that has become airborne, settled on the ground, or attached itself to plants. The scent also can be concentrated in certain areas if the animal remained in one area long enough and created a “scent pool.” 

Trailing dogs don’t usually make “walk-up finds.” Yet they often provide critical information such as a direction of travel that can result in other resources making the actual find. Trailing dogs can find the path of a missing dog and help in developing witnesses who can provide more information as to the direction of travel. They can provide a direction of travel and help the pet owner know which direction their dog initially went, thus helping them know where to place their missing pet posters. Only in cases where they are called out within hours will they likely catch up to a lost dog.

There are two instances where a trailing dog is used to search for a lost cat. One, the cat is an indoor-only cat that escaped outdoors or tow, is an outdoor-access cat that was lost in unfamiliar territory. Trailing dog shouldn’t be used to search for an outdoor cat that goes missing in its own home area is that the cat will have created one giant scent pool, making it very difficult and confusing for a trailing dog to pick up a trail. Cat scent pools are usually easy for detection or specific scent dogs to work, but it’s too overwhelming of a task for a trailing dog. But when a cat is lost in an unfamiliar spot, a trailing dog can usually pick up a single scent trail.

 The best dogs chosen to train as trailing dogs are dogs that love to play with other dogs. A dog that takes an intense interest in other dogs, has a curiosity to use its nose on the ground and follow ground scent, and goes crazy when another dog runs away and hides are the best candidates.

Probability of detection (POD) is the chance that the missing animal could be detected by searchers if it was indeed within the search area. Searchers should not focus on looking for the missing animal, but rather they should look for clues such as physical evidence. This will ensure that any evidence is not missed during the search for a missing animal. 

There are various factors that will raise or lower a POD. These factors include the size of the search are, rugged terrain vs. flat ground, and heavy brush vs. groomed lawns. 

In traditional search and rescue when searching for missing persons, an average grid search team (which is when searchers space out in a line and conduct a systematic sweep of an area) takes 3.5 hours to cover one mile. Under these conditions, the POD is: 

• 90% if the searchers are spaced 20 feet apart
• 70% if the searchers are spaced 60 feet apart
• 50% if the searchers are spaced 100 feet apart 

In a grid search, the more space allowed between the searchers, the higher the probability that the searchers will NOT be able to find what they’re looking for, and so the POD will be low. 

In relation to missing animal searches, the POD will be dictated by the specific behavior of the animal being sought, the accessibility of the search area, and the resources available. 

A POD is used for missing animals where an area search is conducted. This is mot often conducted on animals such as cats, reptiles, and ferrets which are often found within a close proximity of the “place last seen.” For animals that are likely to travel, such as dogs, birds, and horses, other search methods would be used.