The Boring Story of Lily and Lola

Caught quickly and easily, reunited fast.

The Boring Story of Lily and Lola

Two dogs escaped their yard and wandered a couple of blocks.  A Good Samaritan saw them and wanted to help, so he posted to the local group for lost pets.  The admin of the group notified local volunteers, and two people responded quickly.  They were able to get leashes on the dogs right away, using Calming Signals, and because they had a microchip scanner, the dogs were identified and reunited with their owners in about 30 minutes.  No dramatic rescue or difficult trapping story.  No need to take them to the shelter and put them through all that.  Four volunteers and a microchip scanner got Lily and Lola home quick and safe. Vienna sausage wasn’t even needed, although these girls weren’t the sort to say no to a treat.

The volunteers of Useless Bay Sanctuary and Lost Dogs of King County quietly and safely reunite lost dogs every day.  Over the past couple of weeks, I have seen so many random citizens with a strong desire to rescue a stray dog.  Recently, I was prevented from safely capturing a stray dog because many people without the equipment or experience went chasing after the dog in dramatic fashion.  They obviously wanted to help, and they made things worse.  They may have taken away the dog’s one chance at survival, although I will return to the area in hopes of finding him again.  A lot of rescue work is done quickly and quietly, without much of a story to tell, because volunteers have experience and equipment, and work together.

If you want to help stray dogs in your neighborhood, there is certainly a need.  During this week surrounding the Fourth of July, there were more posts for lost dogs than I have ever seen before.  If your community already has a lost pet group on Facebook or NextDoor or Twitter, you can join and learn how it is usually done, and there will also be plenty of examples of rescues gone wrong.  If you live in or near King County, Washington, you can join the group Lost Dogs of King County, and also like the Facebook page of the nonprofit Useless Bay Sanctuary.  That group and that page have all the details of the best ways to help lost dogs.  Especially, reading this article from UBS will get you started on the best ways to help a lost dog, and, most importantly, not hurt their chances of being helped.

If you want to acquire some of the tools that a volunteer could use to help a lot of lost dogs, you could equip your car with a basic kit:

2 leashes or slip leads.

Several cans of Vienna sausage in the glove box.

1 microchip scanner.

A Tru Catch 48 F folding trap.

I have used my microchip scanner for hundreds of lost dogs and cats, including deceased pets found on the freeway.  Although the scanner is a little expensive, at about $350, it really only cost about 50 cents per life saved. Of course, you could always take a found pet to a nearby veterinary office, but if you can scan the pet right there, it save a lot of time and possibly saves the dog or cat some trauma.  If you have a humane trap, such as the 48 F, you have a means of catching a dog that doesn’t require you to chase.  With the trap, you can set it and move away, letting the dog relax.  You don’t need to approach the dog too close, which often triggers their flight response.  I bought my 48 F about ten years ago, and it has worked perfectly every time, catching hundreds of dogs.  You can order one now for about $450, and if used properly, the cost will work out to about 50 cents per life saved.

If you want to help lost dogs, which I see that so many people clearly want to, some basic knowledge and tools could make you so much more effective than just doing what the average person does when they see a stray, which usually makes the situation worse.

I will be offering a course in Lost Pet Rescue, probably starting in August, which will train you in how to find lost pets, with or without using a trained search dog.  If you find that you are constantly going out and helping lost pets, proper training can make it easier for you, and make you more effective.  Even if you don’t take the course, you could still learn a lot from LDKC and UBS.  If you don’t want to spend money on equipment or take the time to get the training, you could still benefit lost pets immensely by learning what NOT to do, at a minimum.  So many of the dramatic rescue stories of lost pets have their beginnings with someone who has good intentions, but takes the wrong approach.  Help us have more boring stories, like Lily and Lola going home quickly.  The boring rescues are the best.