Problems Created by Dog Owners & Rescuers

Despite our great intentions to find our lost pets, sometimes we, as owners and rescuers, get in our own way and make matters worse. Human animals can cause problems when it comes to retrieving their pets! Here are some behaviors that owners and rescuers exhibit that hinder their progress… 

Owner behaviors that create problems 

Owners often ruin their chances of recovering their lost dogs by behaving in the wrong way. Some develop “wait and see” tactics and by the time they start looking the critical first few hours to locate the dog are gone. Others become laser focused on bad theories. For example, it might be hasty to think that a lost dog was “sold to research” when in actuality it was rescued and put up for adoption through a local adoption event. In believing they’ll never see their dog again, they go through grief avoidance and give up their search efforts. When feeling helpless and alone they become the victims of others who rebuke them and tell them “it was just a dog” or “you’ll never find your dog.” In addition, the level of human-animal bond will influence the recovery efforts of a lost dog. People with a strong human-animal bond will go to extremes to find their lost pet. They’ll post flyers, visit shelters, and contact rescue groups while holding full-time job and family responsibilities. On the other hand, people with a weak human-animal bond, assuming they’ll never see their dog again, stop searching after becoming discouraged. 

Rescuer behaviors that create problems 

People who find stray dogs often mistake their behavior. They assume that a fearful dog was mistreated when in reality the dog has a naturally fearful personality and has been shy and fearful since it was a very young. Dogs found in “far out” country areas are often believed to be homeless after being dumped by a terrible owner. Believe it or not, many rescuers never believe a dog found wandering in a country area could be lost. If a dog doesn’t have a collar, some people think it’s homeless and will stop trying to find the dog’s owner and start working to place the dog in a shelter. Well-meaning people also avoid placing dogs in shelters because they fear a shelter will euthanize a dog after a given number of days. This is unfortunate because the first place an owner of a lost dog will search is indeed a shelter.

The point is to stop over-thinking and go with a gut instinct. Don’t get in your own way or anyone else’s when it comes to finding lost pets.

Pet Loss Grief

There are many aspects to dealing with the loss of a pet. Let’s examine a few here. 

Ambiguous Loss

What is mean by ambiguous loss? Basically it’s grief without closure and is considered the most stressful loss people can face. It occurs when an animal is lost and never found. The owners then suffer never knowing whether their pet will be seen again. 

Disenfranchised Grief

This happens when someone is denied the opportunity to grieve. Mourning the death of a dog or cat is socially unacceptable grief. It’s the most cruel and difficult grief to bear. While most people are surrounded by supporting family and friends when a child dies, for example, the owners of lost pets carry their burden alone, often forced to hide and suppress their feelings and emotions. Pet owners often hear “It’s only a cat” or “just go to the pound and get another one.” 

Often the HAB (human-animal bond) is what influences grief. People can have strong HAB’s for anything from rats to dogs. The “odder” the pet, such as a mouse or iguana, the less socially acceptable the grief. 

Common Emotions Associated with Lost Pets

1. Fear – a raw panic in which people think they’ll never see the pet again or that it will be killed or it will suffer.

2. Sorrow – at the thought of not being there for their pet for the rest of its life

3. Guilt – the person responsible for the incident feels guilty for letting the animal escape or not being more careful

4. Blame – pet owners sometimes blame other for the loss of their pet.

5. Anger – at anyone who caused the incident or at themselves for allowing the pet to become lost.

So what should you do if you know someone who’s lost a pet?

DO be sympathetic with the owner

DO say you’re sorry for their grief

DO offer to listen, but don’t give advice when the person needs to just vent emotions.

DO NOT claim you “know how you feel” or “have walked in their shoes.”

DO NOT make judgments such as saying the person should have never declawed their cat, should have had their dog neutered, or should have kept the cat inside.

The Pros and Cons of Microchipping

Microchips are basically tiny transponders about the size of a grain of rice. They are made up of a memory circuit and a miniaturized coil inside of a glass and can be injected with a hypodermic syringe because of their small size. Your veterinarian or other technician implants the microchip just under the skin between the shoulder blades, and the whole procedure takes only a minute or so. The chip’s memory circuit contains a unique number registered to your pet, which can be read by special scanners found in many veterinary offices and shelters. 

Here are some Pros and Cons of getting your pet microchipped: 

• The microchip is permanent. It can’t be dislodged once it’s been implanted and has a lifetime of 75 years.
• Implanting a microchip takes less than a minute with no anesthetic required
• Once implanted, the animal doesn’t even know it’s there.
• Microchips are a way of deterring theft of the pet or make theft easy to prove if the culprit is caught with the animal.
• Implanted chips are tamper-proof
• Microchips don’t disfigure a pet like tattoos.
• Microchips are, however, more expensive
• Because the technology is somewhat new, people still don’t think to take a found animal to a vet or shelter to have them scanned.
• Chips are becoming standardized, but there are still a couple of registries which can cause confusion. 

Microchipping is a great tool to help reunite pets with owners but they’re not foolproof. When a lost pet is picked up by an animal control officer or is taken to an animal shelter or human society, the workers there will use a handheld scanner, scan the animal, and determine if a microchip has been implanted. Microchips implanted before 2003 can be scanned and read by shelters and vets. Microchips that came into use in late 2003 are not readable by most shelters and vets because the chips require different kinds of scanners. So there is not yet one universal scanner than can read all different types of chips. 

While each owner must decide for himself or herself which method might be best, after researching this article, I am personally inclined to take a “shotgun approach” with a combination of microchipping and collar with tags. The microchip would be the source of a permanent record and the tags would give the owner’s name, phone number, and the fact that the animal is chipped.

 

  

 

  

Is Someone Lying To You About Your Pet?

Research has found that 55% of our communication is through body language. Tone of voice is 38% and only 7% of our communication is verbal content.

How can you tell if someone is being truthful? Here are a few signs a person is:

• Cooperative
• Direct answers
• Open posture
• Composed
• Spontaneous

Deceptive behavior also has its own cues. Here are signs a person is trying to be deceptive:

• Overly polite
• Evasive
• Defensive
• Anxious
• Rationalizing
• Guarded
• Uncooperative
• Mixed messages

Other clues of deception include:

1. A liar might repeat your question (to buy time to think of how to answer)

2. Truthful subjects will often look at you longer than deceptive subjects

3. Liars fidget more often

4. Truthful subjects generally answer questions directly and spontaneously

5. Liars often stall time in order to make decisions about how to answer

6. A liar will use qualifying statements like “As far as I know” or “As God is my

witness.”

7. A liar will use language that distances themselves from the incident such as

“There’s not one minute that goes by that I don’t think about those boys.”

 

Trapping Techniques Part 4

What areas of my area is my cat hiding?

The favorite place for a hiding cat is an area with no other animals, but with access to food and water.  Indoor cats are often found within a 5-house radius of their own home.  They might change locations if threatened by a dog or cat, but once they spend some time in an area, they’ll most likely stay put.  If your cat is a skittish outdoor car, there is a greater chance it will b e found within its territory which can range in size from several acres to a couple of yards or less for a city cat.  If you know the area your cat spends time, concentrate your search in this area, then move out from there.  

Is it ok to trap on a neighbor’s property?

Ask permission before trapping on anyone’s property.  On the day that you trap, remember to leave your contact information in case they need to reach you 

How can I get my neighbor to allow me to trap?

Some neighbors won’t be sympathetic to your dilemma.  Be respectful of your neighbor’s privacy.  Ask them which times are best to set up and pick up the trap.  Express appreciation for their cooperation.  If a family is resistant to trapping, they can still be helpful in other ways.  Some neighbors won’t allow trapping, but might allow searches on foot. 

How often should I check the trap?

If you leave your trap out overnight, check it early the next morning, especially if it’s in a hot area.  Set it late so any trapped animal is confined for only a short time.  When trapping on your own property, leave your windows open at night or try setting up a baby monitor so that you can hear if the trap closes. 

How often should I move the trap?

If you’re getting opossums or raccoons for 3 nights in a row inside your trap, keep trapping in the same spot until you catch nothing at all.  Then move your trap to a new spot and repeat the process.  Once you’ve completed trapping in the area of interest, you may have to retrap the came circuit, or decide to widen the search ara.  Early on, your cat will be less hungry and more careful about entering a trap.

Factors That Influence How Far A Dog Travels

The ways in which a dog escapes are as many as the potential factors that influence how far they’ll go. Travel factors can be broken down into six major sub types. 

Temperament

Dogs behave in vastly different ways towards people they don’t know. This behavior can be classified into 3 categories           

            Gregarious – Very friendly dogs inclined to go directly up to the first person

                        who calls them. These dogs can be found, in general, close to home

                        or will be picked up by someone close to the escape point.

            Aloof – Dogs with aloof temperaments will initially try to avoid human contact.

                        After they become hungry and lose their fear they’ll become more

                        friendly. These dogs can travel a great distance.

            Xenophobic – These are very fearful dogs that can travel far. They have a

                        “darting” behavior that makes them a high risk for being hit by a car.

                        These dogs will run from just about anyone!

Circumstances

These could include everything from a scent that a dog finds interesting to fireworks that could frighten a dog into running away.

Weather

Obviously, a dog can travel farther on a nice spring day than it could in a snow storm. Extreme conditions like hail, rain, and heat will decrease distances traveled. 

Terrain

Dogs living in residential areas won’t travel as far as dogs from mountainous areas due tobarriers like fences. In the wilds, barriers to travel can include heavy brush, steep cliffs, and cacti. 

Appearance of the Dog

A Pit bull that people perceive as aggressive might not be rescued as fast as a friendly Labrador Retriever. Smaller dogs have a higher chance of being picked up than larger dogs because they look vulnerable. A purebred also has a higher chance of being rescued because it’s not believed to be a stray. 

Population Density

A dog that escapes in a big city will travel a shorter distance than one that escapes in rural farmland because there are more people to intervene and help. By this rationale, a dog that runs away at night will travel farther before being seen than one that escapes during a parade.

How Media Messages Influence Our Behavior

The barrage of messages that enter our minds through TV ads, billboard advertising, and other places make their way into our thought processes and eventually influence actions we take. Malcolm Gladwell, author of BLINK: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking, believes that most of our decision making comes from an “other than conscious” level. He says that we make unconscious associations that influence our decisions which then influence our behavior. These associations are opinions we’ve developed based on the things we’ve seen or heard in the past. 

According to Gladwell, people make connections between ideas in their heads based on information that’s already there and not as much from new information. The unconscious mind works from all the experiences a person has had and these experiences can also come in the form of books, movies, people, lessons from school, TV, etc. It’s the unconscious within us that helps form our opinions. The “homeless pet” message is no different. The animal welfare industry, although meaning very well, has sent out the messages of “homeless,” “abandoned,” “dumped,” and “feral.” People who have heard messages that millions of “homeless” animals are “abandoned” and “dumped” every year can jump to the conclusion that the lost dog they find was purposely dumped and is homeless rather than giving thought to the possibility that it could be a lost pet. 

Someone who believes that a dog was dumped is more likely to adopt it themselves instead of trying to find its owner. It’s true that some dogs are indeed abandoned. However, most are not! Think about it…in order for most of the loose dogs out there to be unwanted there would be, statistically, bunches of people lining up every day just to dump all of these dogs! In reality, many people contact animal shelters daily to report that their dog is missing. The number of loose dogs that end up in pounds, rescue organizations, or that are adopted by their “finders” are much less compared with the number of people who abandon them.

 

The Basics Of Forensic Testing

Want to try your hand at being a CSI? If you live too far from a pet detective, you still can help yourself find your lost pet. If you find blood or fur in the area and want to determine if it’s your lost animal, there are several identification tests that you can run. 

If you locate a stain but are not positive whether or not it’s blood, you can run a quick and easy analysis by running what is called a Hemident test. Basically, it’s an ampoule which when broken turns blue/green if positive. The Hemident test will verify that the sample is blood but that’s where it ends. You won’t know if it’s animal or human blood. 

The Hexagon test takes things a step further and verifies whether or not the blood is human blood. The problem with this test is that you need to keep in mind that just because the test results indicate that the stain is non-human blood doesn’t necessarily mean it’s animal blood. The test results will show one blue stripe if the stain is anything that is not human blood like catsup or motor oil. So, you would first need to run a Hemident test in order to verify that it’s blood before you run a Hexagon test to verify that the stain is not human. 

The most definitive test that could be run would be a DNA analysis. A DNA test can be used in lost pet investigations in 2 ways. First, it can be used to help make a positive identification. The is done by running a test to see if there’s an identical match between the DNA that was extracted from a sample of the missing pet which is then compared with the suspected stain containing DNA. The limitations of this test are that if you don’t have a control sample of the missing pet’s DNA then you can’t run a comparison. 

The second DNA test that can be done is simply an analysis of one DNA sample that can determine the species of the animal. It’s not recommended to start with a DNA test on a suspected stain because you might swab and send off to the DNA lab something like motor oil by mistake! Mistakes can be expensive, so that’s why it’s recommended to first verify that the stain is indeed blood with a Hemident test. So always conduct a Hemident test followed by the Hexagon test and then a DNA test.

Where Do Lost Cats Go?

Cats, due to their size, curiosity, and flexibility, can end up in many places, some of which are unexpected. 

• Trapped

Trapped cats can be found in sheds, basements, inside RV’s or used and unused cars, and neighbor’s homes. They also find their way into chimney’s, walls, underground pipes, under homes, and up poles and trees. Keep an eye open for wires and branches that point inwards towards good hiding places. 

• Displaced

Believe it or not, many cats escape from facilities such as the vet’s office, pet sitters, boarding facilities, airports, and car accidents. 

• Injured, ill, or deceased

A cat that’s in unfamiliar territory is subject to many risks. These include being hit by cars, natural causes like illnesses, and wildlife. Wildlife predators that can put a cat at risk are coyotes, hawks and owls, bobcats, raccoons, large snakes, and cougars. It’s unlikely that all of these predators are in your area and sometimes none of them will be. Other physical risks to cats include rat poison and antifreeze. Also, when a cat is injured or sick, it will often become silent as a protective measure. 

• Stolen

Yes – people steal pets and especially cats. Many purebred and exotic species are targets mainly because they can be resold at a profit. Stealing a pet for revenge against someone is another common motive. 

• Fireworks, storms, and gunshots

During incidents of loud sounds dogs will run but cats will hide. 

• Unintentional transport

Cats can find their way into open moving vans, inside transported furniture, service vehicles of plumbers and roofers, and any other open vehicle. 

• Intentional transport

People will remove cats for many reasons. Cat-hating neighbors that have birds as pets could be the culprits. Apartment and condo managers have been known to do this also.

What’s The Probability That Your Pet’s In A Certain Area?

You’ll never have enough time to search an area for you pet inch by inch. You’ll need to target your energies into the areas where the missing animal is most likely to be. This is called determining a Probability of Area (POA) and is determined by various factors: 

• The type of animal that’s missing 
• The patterns of behavior in that particular species
• The environment of the animal 
• The temperament of the individual animal 
• The motivation of the animal 
• The terrain of the search area 
• The weather 

Let’s say you suspect your animal is missing in one particular yard. Try breaking the yard up into 4 equal areas. If you search one part completely, then the probability increases that the animal will be found in one of the other three parts. In simple math terms, each of the 4 areas of a yard is 25% of the total. If you search one area then the chances go up higher (33%) that the animal is in one of the other 3 areas. 

It’s rare that an area can be searched with a 100% POD. Therefore a search is forced to be undertaken in a given area at under 100%. This means that is an area is searched and the missing animal isn’t found, even with a 95% POD, there’s the possibility (5% chance) that the missing animal might have been missed or that the missing animal wasn’t in the search area to begin with. This is ok as you can now cross off your list a potential place to look!

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