Catching Flynne

She ran for miles before UBS volunteers were able to calm her down.

Today, Useless Bay Sanctuary volunteers captured a sweet young dog. I named her Flynne, after a favorite character, but I don’t know her actual name. A676167 is what they are calling her at the King County shelter. She ran at least 9 miles from the point where she was originally seen a week ago. When I came out to help this afternoon, she was limping, walking gingerly. I imagine the pads of her feet had been worn raw from all that running. LaVonne and Judy and other volunteers had been trying to get her to safety. She would eat out of the hands of some people, and she liked to visit with dogs. She had resisted going into a humane trap for several days. The plan was that I would come and relieve Judy, and keep an eye on Flynne, while Judy went and got the kennel trap. The kennel trap is very large, 10 feet by 6 feet by 5 feet. It takes a truck to transport it, so Judy was going to go home and get her truck and get the trap.

When I got there, I talked to Judy and a couple of residents. Flynne had been approaching their dogs, wagging her tail. Before we went to all the trouble of getting the giant trap and setting it up, I wanted to try a few things with the regular humane trap. One thing that has worked on other dogs is to let the stray dog see another dog going into the trap to get treats, demonstrating that it is safe. While Flynne was lying on the grass near the rhododendron, she watched a couple of dogs on leashes go into the trap to get treats while the door was held open with a bungee cord. She seemed to be watching and learning, and I felt like we could still give the humane trap a chance before getting the big trap.

As we were working with Flynne, getting her acclimated to the trap, an animal control officer drove up and asked if we needed help. I gave her my business card, identifying me as being with Useless Bay Sanctuary. I told her that it looked like we would be able to catch Flynne soon, but she was welcome to stay and watch or help. I was actually hoping she would leave because, in my experience, most animal control officers don’t use the methods most likely to capture a stray dog. I love animal control officers. Although I don’t know any of them personally, every one I’ve met has been friendly and courteous, professional and knowledgeable. I am thankful that they have chosen to do this job. If it were up to me, there would be three times as many animal control officers in the area, and they would get paid more (although I don’t actually know what they get paid). I would never want to step on the toes of an animal control officer or give the impression that I don’t want their help. However….

There have been dozens of instances where UBS volunteers have caught stray dogs that ACOs were unable to catch after weeks of trying. Why are we able to catch dogs that others can’t? It’s not a secret. I would be happy to show ACO’s how they can improve their techniques in order to help more stray dogs. There seems to be quite a bit of resistance, as if they are the professionals and they aren’t really open to taking advice from an amateur. If it were possible, if they were open to it, I would love to teach ACOs the techniques and tools I have found to be most effective. I didn’t invent any of these methods. It’s nothing exotic or complicated. The main thing I do is listen to the dog. Stray dogs will tell you what they like and dislike. If you read their behavior, you can use the tools that have the highest chance of success and the lowest chance of making things worse. Essentially, the best way to catch most stray dogs is to use Calming Signals, humane traps, magnet dogs, and Vienna sausage. Any and all ACOs are welcome to read these guides to the techniques, and I would be happy to come and give a presentation in person if desired. Every ACO I have met seemed to genuinely care about the safety and wellbeing of the dogs, and I think they would be very happy to have these tools and techniques at their disposal so they could help more dogs.

After observing us for a while, this ACO got out of her truck and lured the stray dog over with treats. She squatted down, which is not the best way to lure a stray. It puts all the tension in your legs like you are a predator, ready to pounce. Ironically, the business card I had handed her had the bullet points of calming signals printed on the back, one of which is that you should sit down on the ground so that the dog can see you aren’t going anywhere suddenly and you can’t lunge at her. I guess this ACO didn’t look at the back of my card. Flynne was hanging around near her in spite of her not using the best technique. Then, the ACO got out her catch pole. I could see what was going to happen next. She was going to try to put the loop over Flynne’s head, and Flynn would spook, and then she would run possibly another ten miles before she would settle again. It’s possible the catch pole could have worked, but an overarching principal in catching a stray is that you should first use the techniques and tools that won’t spook a dog if they fail. Catch poles, snappy snares, and slip leads all run the risk of scaring a dog away if you miss. A humane trap almost always works, and if it doesn’t work, you aren’t any worse off. You can try it again, or move on to another method. As the ACO was about to try the snappy snare, I asked Judy to go over and talk to her and gently and diplomatically suggest that the catch pole might not be the best method. I didn’t want to go over and say that myself because I was sure I would say the wrong thing and make her feel like she had to use the catch pole to prove a point. Apparently Judy said it the right way because the ACO packed up her tools and left. I did not want to hurt her feelings at all, or make it seem like we didn’t appreciate her help. I just didn’t want the ACO to try, and miss, and spook Flynne, and undo days of effort we had invested in building trust with her.

After the ACO left, Flynne did go in the trap pretty quickly. It turned out that she happened to step over the trip plate instead of stepping on it. She ate her fill, and then went back to take a nap by the rhododendron. This wasn’t a failure, though. Flynne had learned that the trap was not dangerous, and it was okay to go in and get a snack. Judy and I retreated to our cars and watched from a distance. After about a half hour nap, Flynne decided she might like more snacks. She got up, walked right in the trap, and hardly even flinched when the door closed behind her. She was caught in a very safe way, which is also the least traumatic way. If Flynne had been caught by the catch pole, chances are that she would have reacted negatively, and the whole experience of being caught could have been traumatizing for her, making her less likely to appear adoptable later on. Being caught gently in the humane trap made the experience as calm as possible. We were able to get the trap loaded in my car, and then I scanned her for a chip. She didn’t have one. She let me pet her, and she relaxed and slept as I drove her to the shelter.

Once we were at the shelter, one of the employees helped me carry the trap into the shelter. I opened the door to the trap, and Flynne did not want to come out. I asked if I could try, and they said yes. I used Calming Signals to get her to come out to me. She held up her paw to me, and I put my hand out, and she placed her paw in my hand. It seemed we had built a bond. She let me pet her all over. She is a sweet girl, and I’m so glad UBS volunteers were able to help her using the best tools and techniques.

I would never discourage anyone from calling animal control or working with them. All of the ACOs I have dealt with seemed like great people who only want to help. If you see a stray dog in the Greater Seattle area, it wouldn’t hurt to contact UBS to see if we are available. We can’t help all of the strays, but we will help if we can. We are always looking for more volunteers so we can help more strays. Also, if any animal control agency happens to read this and would be open to receiving training, Useless Bay Sanctuary would be happy to provide resources or give a presentation if desired. Please contact us at UselessBaySanctuary@gmail.com.