Advice & help!

Pet gone missing? We’re here to help. Here’s a summary of the first steps to take if your pet goes missing:

  • Register your pet as missing with your pet’s microchip database.
  • Post on social media for your local area and check for any posts of pets which have been found.
  • For lost dogs, contact the local dog warden or the Police as the dog may have been handed in.
  • For lost cats, contact Cats Protection as the cat may have been found and reported to them.

Once you’ve taken these steps, there are practical things that you can do to help your pet home which we explain below.

What to do if your dog goes missing

When a dog runs away from its owner, it’s usually because it has been spooked or has caught a wonderful scent and simply was far too interested in that than coming back to its owner.

If you’re out walking with your dog and it runs off:

STAY WHERE YOU ARE

  • Most dogs will return to the last place they saw their owner fairly quickly.  If you leave the area, they will become confused and may then go into ‘flight mode’.  See below for an explanation ‘flight mode’  
  • Your dog has an amazing sense of smell and should be able to find their way back by sniffing you out.

DON’T SHOUT FOR YOUR DOG

  • When your dog first wanders off, calling and whistling is fine.  But, if your dog does not come back within a normal amount of time for your dog, stop calling.
  • It might seem wrong to stop calling but there are a few reasons why it’s vital you don’t shout:
    • Your dog will sense the stress in your voice and may think something is wrong so won’t come back to you.
    • Your dog might be in ‘flight mode’ (see below) and loud shouting or calling will just frighten it even more.
  • What you can do is walk around the area slowly and quietly talk to yourself.  Your dog also has amazing hearing, and hearing a gentle quiet voice may give them the confidence to approach.  Only the owner should do this.  Any one else who is helping you search should remain quiet and search with as little noise as possible!

ASK AROUND

  • Ask passers-by if they have seen your dog.  Early sightings are important to understand which direction the dog may have taken and can help in searching.

ASK FOR HELP

  • If you’re by yourself when your dog goes missing, call in help from people who know your dog.  You may need to leave the area to go home to get supplies, phone chargers etc and it helps if someone can remain in the area to spot your dog.

LEAVE YOUR DOG SOMETHING TO COME BACK TO

  • If you have some bedding with you or something with your scent on it, leave it out and retreat  a fair way away to see if the dog approaches.  
  • Leave out your dog’s favourite treats, ideally something smelly
  • Have a BBQ!  The smell of cooking meat can tempt a hungry dog into approaching but PLEASE do not light a BBQ when the fire risk is high!  You could cause a wildfire which is even more dangerous for your dog.

IF YOUR DOG IS MISSING FOR MORE THAN A FEW HOURS

  • This is the time to call in more expert help.  Contact us as we can assist with initial advice and with on the ground searches.
  • Be aware that some organisations charge a fee for searching for a missing dog (we do not).
  • Be aware that there are a lot of scammers who will take advantage of you at a time when they know you’re vulnerable so be careful who you ask for help.  
  • Here are some more steps you can take:
    • Put up posters.  We have a template you can use (see link – dogs)
    • Preserve some of your dog’s scent.  It may be possible to use trained search dogs to look for your dog and they will need uncontaminated items with your dog’s scent.  We would recommend taking a few items and putting them into a zip-lock freezer bag and freezing it.  Only provide these items to trained and qualified dog search teams as they will know how to handle the items to prevent cross-contamination.  They may cut the items into smaller pieces for use over several searches.
    • Put down a scent trail for your dog.  Using very small bits of bedding (chop up a blanket or bedding into very small pieces) and make a trail for your dog from the last place seen to where you are.

IF YOU OR A SEARCHER SEES YOUR DOG WHEN IT’S BEEN MISSING FOR A LONG TIME

  • DON’T CALL IT!!  Resist the urge to shout, it may spook the dog even more.  
  • Lower yourself slowly to the ground – that way you are less of a threat to the dog.
  • Try not to look directly at your dog – it can see this as a threat.
  • Sit quietly on the ground and wait for your dog to approach.  This could take minutes or hours.
  • Have some treats with you and place them on the ground away from you, to give your dog something to approach you for.  If your dog moves towards them, just let your dog take them and then retreat.  Don’t spook the dog.
  • Keep working on the dog approaching you, until they are close enough to carefully slip a lead on or they feel confident to sit with you.

WHAT’S FLIGHT MODE AND WHY IT MATTERS WHEN LOOKING FOR A MISSING DOG?

‘Flight mode’ is the ‘fight or flight’ response where a dog senses extreme danger and they focus only on fleeing. 

It’s not known at what stage a lost dog goes into ‘flight mode’, for some it can be immediate and for others it can be hours.  Always assume that your dog went into flight mode immediately, that way you won’t frighten it further.  

If you, or other people, call for your dog, it will frighten them even more.  Even the most friendly of dogs won’t approach anyone, even its owner, because the stress hormones flooding its brain will have taken over and it will become a ‘wild’ animal (in that it ceases to act in a normal domesticated way).

We’ve seen instances where a dog has smelled its owner, knows they are there, but will stay hidden until they don’t sense any danger.  This can sometimes take hours and needs a lot of patience to convince the dog they are safe.  

What to do if your cat goes missing

Cats can disappear for many reasons – they are wanderers but usually return home for food and company!  If your cat does go missing, here are some things you can do:

  • Look around your home and garden. Cats like hiding!  They like small, warm places so could be in a cupboard, in a shed, behind curtains, they might even have climbed into a warm washing machine or tumble dryer or under a blanket or duvet.  Also think about your home’s structure – could your cat be under a floorboard or made its way to a warm attic?
  • Call for your cat. Cats tend to be more active late at night or early morning so if you go out and call for your cat, they may hear you.
  • Use treats. Try leaving out a bowl of your cat’s favourite food or treats.  Because cats have a string sense of smell, use very smelly ones (sardines are a good one!).  
  • Leave out some items they know.  A favourite toy, their litter tray, some of your clothing, or bedding all smell familiar to your cat and will help them approach.
  • Ask around. See if anyone has spotted your cat – the easiest way to do this might be on social media for your local area such as a town or village page.  Ask people to check their homes, sheds, garages and vehicles. Use a good quality photo of your cat and include details such as whether it has been chipped, whether it’s wearing a collar and any other features that might help people identify it.
  • Contact Cats Protection. For the Perth area the contact number is 01738 700 070.  Alternatively, pop your postcode into https://www.cats.org.uk/find-us/ for your local contact.  Your cat may have already been handed in and they scan every cat for a microchip.
  • Use posters. We have a template you can use (see link – cats)