Loading ...If you’ve been involved in rescue for any length of time at all, you’ve encountered the problem of finding lost dogs. Barbara and I have dealt with this problem a bunch of times, so far with 100% success (knock wood). We’ve developed a number of strategies and tactics that have served us very well, learning from rescue groups all over the country, especially from Darla Duffey, Jacksonville (FL) Sheltie Rescue, who’s literally written the book on it. (If I’d get off my duff, no pun intended, you’d be able to get a copy of the book from our web store, SheltieRescueMall.com.)
Well, in one of those blog-for-pay opportunities that I sometimes accept if it seems relevant to this blog’s purpose, I learned about a new service offered by a company called Find Toto. This company takes a very pro-active approach to recovering a lost dog or returning a found dog to his or her family. Instead of merely listing lost, stolen, or found dogs on their web site, this company actually telephones people in your neighborhood or town to tell them about the situation and request them to respond if they have seen the missing dog or if they know an owner who has lost a dog.
Of course, this service is performed for a fee. I don’t know about you, but if one of my dogs were missing, I’d be willing to pay a fee for serious help in recovering him or her. Now, not everybody will agree with Find Toto’s claim that the fee is “low cost”, but I don’t think it’s outlandish, either. They will telephone 250 people in a rural area for a fee of $65, and up to 5,000 people in a major city for $425. That last number might induce sticker shock, but you have to ask “How much is a member of my family worth to me?” Heck, we’ve spent a considerable fraction of that amount searching for lost pets ourselves, by the time we count photocopying, gasoline, food for volunteers, supplies, etc.
Full disclosure: I have not tried this service, so I cannot speak to how effective it is. But the idea seems sound. It just might be another tool to keep ready for use when you need it. Check it out if you have a mind to do so.
Loading ...
![[Valid RSS]](http://sheltietales.com/wp-content/images/valid-rss.png "Validate my RSS feed")
7 users has commented on " Recovering a Lost Dog "
Follow-up comment rss or Leave a TrackbackI think I would pay just about anything to get my dog back. The problem is that many criminals also know this so purposely steal dogs for a ransom.
lol… I love the pic on the upper left part… the dog is so cute and innocent… lol
That service does sound interesting, I wonder how effective it would be although. I think most people (I hope) when they see a stray or lost dog would call the local humane society right away to pick up the dog.
It would be interesting to see stats on dogs recovered back to their owners and how it came about.
Sounds like a good idea to begin with but i think if a stolen dog is the problem then there is little you can do.
But for a small cost then i suppose anything is worth a try if it helps only a little towards finding your dog.
A lost pet causes loads of stress and anxiety. The service sounds like a good thing to ADD to all that one would do on their own in a tough situation.
My neighbor has a dog that constantly runs off. They are having a heck of a time getting the dog under control. High strung sporting breed. The last time we were there, one of the kids left the door opne. This dog bolted faster than I ever seen. They jumped in the car and the only reason the dog stopped running was because it saw another dog. This was 1.5miles away down the road. I told them to get a chip in that dog for identification
I think its ok to pay for the search of a lost dog. Money cannot equate the friendship i created with my pet.
Leave A Reply