Don’t take a trip without your pets unless you have taken these precautions.
Knowing they are safe can help you relax and enjoy your travels.
Many cats and dogs go missing while their owners are away on a trip. Because so many of the people requesting our help have had their pets disappear while they were on vacation or travelling, I have not been on a trip away from my dogs for the past 14 years. I could not travel and try to relax and enjoy myself while I was constantly waiting for the phone to ring with someone calling to say my dogs were lost. I’m sure I’m overreacting, but because of the number of times I’ve seen that pets go missing while the owners are away, I just think it’s too risky. Also, I am inordinately fond of my dogs, and a trip without them wouldn’t be any fun anyway. Before your next vacation or business trip, be sure to take these simple precautions so that you won’t have to worry about your pet while you are away.
My dogs are trained to find lost cats and dogs. Many of the requests we get are from people who are out of town. Their cat or dog was in the care of a pet sitter, family member, or boarding facility, and somehow managed to escape. This can happen for a number of reasons. With outdoor access cats, who are being looked after by a pet sitter, it seems that the change in routine can somehow lead to the cat going missing. We don’t know why it happens, only that outdoor access cats go missing at a higher rate when their owners are out of town, according to 14 years of records. With indoor-only cats, a pet sitter may not be familiar with the cat’s behavior, or the cat may act differently when his people are away. Also, a homeowner may be aware that the back door needs a little extra nudge to make sure it is latched, for example, and the pet sitter only thinks it’s latched, and the door is blown open by the wind. With dogs, when their owner is away, they may feel stressed, and they can back out of a collar or harness, or squeeze through the door when it is first opened a crack. Pets escape from boarding facilities much less often, but it still happens from time to time. Whatever the reason, dogs and cats go missing more frequently when their owners are away on a trip.
Compounding the problem, the owner is out of town and unable to help in the search right away. Many escaped cats and dogs could have been recovered right away if the owner was around to help, but when a relative stranger is trying to catch the cat or dog, it can actually make things worse. Coordinating a search effort long distance can be difficult and frustrating.
Before you go on your next trip, take these precautions so that you won’t have to worry about your pet so much.
Make sure your pet has a microchip, and make sure the microchip company has up-to-date information on file. Check that the alternate contact number is for someone who will be available locally, 24 hours a day. If your vet is one of the contact numbers, that won’t be as helpful if your pet goes missing after business hours. If possible, have the vet scan your pet’s microchip to make sure it is where it is supposed to be, and working correctly. Microchips can migrate under the skin and end up in unexpected places. Of course, if your cat or dog does not have a chip, be sure to get that done before you leave.
Make sure your dog or cat is wearing a collar with an ID tag, if at all possible. Some people take their dog’s collar off in the house. Unless their is some specific safety reason that your dog can’t wear a collar at home, instruct the caretaker to leave the collar on the entire time you are away. Please be aware that you can get a break-away collar for your dog if there is a safety concern. If your cat can tolerate a collar, then put on a break-away collar with current contact information. If your cat is indoor only, you can give your cat an orange collar, which identifies that cat as indoor only. If anyone sees a cat with an orange collar outside, they know that cat is not supposed to be out, and needs help. Check the ID tags on your cat or dog, to make sure the phone number is current and legible. You can also get an embroidered collar, in case the tag falls off accidentally.
Consider getting security cameras to keep watch inside and outside your home. Compared to the cost of the average vacation, security cameras are not too expensive, and may give you peace of mind about your pets. In the event of an escape or someone breaking into your house while you are away, the cameras may give you vital clues about what happened to your missing pet. If your cat or dog is lost, a camera could tell you if they have come back to the house in the middle of the night when no one was watching.
Make sure that whoever is watching your pet knows that they need to contact you right away if the pet goes missing. Some people may not want to contact the pet’s owner because they hope they can find the cat or dog before the owner finds out what happened, or because they don’t want to spoil a vacation with bad news. Make sure the caregiver understands that you need to be notified right away. Give alternate contact numbers in case you can’t be reached.
Before you go on a trip, take a few clear, simple pictures of your pet, in case a photo is needed for lost pet fliers, or to post on social media. Unlike those photos of your cat or dog doing something cute or funny, or in a dramatic setting, these photos should be simple and straightforward, with a plain, uncluttered background. Try to get pictures that show any distinguishing marks or patterns that would differentiate your pet from similar looking pets. After you get several clear pictures, with good lighting, where the image of the pet fills most of the picture, share those pictures with friends and family so that they can make the pictures available if you can’t send them from your location for some reason.
If your dog will be taken for a walk, please outfit your dog with a collar and a harness, and a leash for each, so that your dog can be walked with two leashes. While you might not think it is necessary for your dog, they can change their behavior when you are away. Even if it’s not necessary, it is best to take this precaution just in case. Dogs have backed out of collars and harnesses, but I’ve never heard of a case of a dog backing out of both a harness and a collar when a leash is attached to each.
Make sure the person watching your cat or dog knows that, if the pet escapes, they Must Not Chase the pet, and they must not call the pet’s name. Both of these can be triggers to make the cat or dog run farther away. If a cat or dog escapes, the best approach is to remain calm, sit down, talk in a normal tone of voice, and let the pet come back to you when he or she is ready. Chasing a cat or dog almost never works, and almost always pushes the pet farther from home.
In the Seattle area, and in many other cities, you may have the option of using a search dog to try to find your lost cat or dog. Dogs can be trained to follow the scent trails of pets, the way they look for lost humans. In order to have the best chance of success, the search dog should be brought in within 24 hours if possible, or 48 hours if there is some delay. A scent trail can still be followed after two days, possibly for as long as two weeks, but the odds of the search dog successfully finding your pet are much higher if they start sooner. Another factor affecting the success of the search dog is having a distinct item with the scent of just the missing pet, and not other pets in the house. To make unique scent articles for each pet in your house, you can take a sterile gauze pad and rub it on a cat or dog, and put in in a plastic bag. Write that pet’s name on the bag with a permanent marker, and store it in the freezer. Do this for each pet in the house, so there is an uncontaminated scent article for each cat or dog, just in case it is needed.
Have a plan in place just in case your pet should go missing. The Three Retrievers web page has free guides, one for finding lost cats and one for finding lost dogs. You can share these guides with anyone watching your pets while you are away, or with anyone who is searching for your pets if lost. Simply send them the link, and they can be taking the best approach to finding your lost cat or dog while you are away. Critically, there are many things you should Not do if your cat or dog is missing, so it would be best to read these guides before they are actually needed. The Three Retrievers web page has many other articles about loss prevention, the behavior of lost pets, how to make the best signs, dealing with predators, and other topics. Take some basic precautions before your next trip so that you won’t have to worry about your pets while you are gone. Or, just stay home with your cats and dogs.
Three Retrievers Guide to Finding Your Lost Dog.
Three Retrievers Guide to Finding Your Lost Cat.
If you know a pet owner that is planning a trip, please send them a link to this article so they can be prepared.