Online Training
Starting soon.
I want to help every lost cat or dog that I see posted. In Western Washington, more than 50,000 dogs go missing every year, and probably as many cats. I try to help as many as I can with search dogs and with advice, but I’m barely scratching the surface. More help is needed. Importantly, better help is needed. Every time I see a post for a lost cat or dog, someone is giving wrong advice. The best ways to help a lost pet are often counterintuitive. Experience and expertise can make a huge difference in the outcomes of lost pet searches.
This summer will be the third time I have taught this course. I have written a handbook that covers the course materials, and I have hours of video that illustrate the ideas and techniques. When I first learned that people and dogs could be trained to find lost pets, 15 years ago, I knew right away that that’s what I wanted to do with my dog, Kelsy. What I learned in that course allowed me to work with her for 8 years, finding dozens of lost dogs. My training and experience allowed me to capture a stray dog in the wilderness, and she gave birth to my current search dog, Tino. Although I wish there was less of a need for lost pet rescue, I love my work, and I love working with my dogs, including Mu, the cat-detection dog that I have worked with for 11 years.
Since I first started working with Kelsy, I have had experience with helping thousands of lost cats and dogs, providing advice in most cases, and working the search dogs on over 1,500 searches. I have trapped more than 1,000 dogs and cats in humane traps. I tend to do things a bit differently than the way I was taught, emphasizing certain techniques that have proven more useful, and modifying other principles and methods based on gathered wisdom. Although I wouldn’t say anything I was taught was wrong, I have found, through experience, that some ways yield better results. I am still learning, and trying to improve all the time.
If you have a passion for helping lost pets, and you want to maximize your positive results, we can help you avoid the mistakes most people make. (If your dog or cat is missing right now, I don’t recommend you take this 8 week course, as it would really be a distraction from your search efforts. You should rely on the Guide to Finding Your Lost Dog and the Guide to Finding Your Lost Cat.)
If you are interested in taking the course, which has a tuition fee of $350, please join this Facebook group about the course, and comment there. (As stated in previous newsletters, I am not a fan of Facebook, but it has proven to be useful for some things.) Or you can comment on this article, or email me at jim@3retrievers.com. Please let me know if you have any questions. If you took the course previously, and would like to refresh your training, the course is free to those who already paid for previous years.
At the end of the course, I will offer an exam, and those who pass the test will receive a certificate. Below are some quiz questions, so you can test your knowledge of Lost Pet Rescue.
What single, simple, easy technology would get millions of dogs and cats returned home safely and keep the shelters almost empty?
What percentage of pets will go missing at some point in their lives?
What should you do if you see a stray dog? A. Call to him? B. Chase him? C. Take his picture? D. Observe him for a few minutes and see what he does?
What should you do if you see a cat in someone’s yard or strolling down the sidewalk?
What precautions should you take before you go on a trip and leave your pets behind?
Should you call the name of your lost dog?
Why should you run away from a dog if you see one near a freeway exit or entrance?
If your dog is lost, you should urinate into a spray bottle, and spray urine around your neighborhood to lead your dog back home. True or false?
How would a doorbell camera help protect your dog or cat?
Is it okay to let your small dog out into your yard off-leash as long as you have a fence?