Linda Lou here to talk about something no pet owner wants to experience – a missing pet.
What would be the first thing you would do if you discovered a gate left open and your beloved pup missing from the yard? Unfortunately, many people will face this reality, as statistics show that 1 in 3 pets will go missing in their lifetime. Last month, one of my sisters went missing. Today I want to share her story, so that all of you can learn from our experience and hopefully prevent this from ever happening to your own pets!
Connie, my chihuahua sister, went missing on Sunday July 10th around 10pm. Our papa let her out to go potty and then went back into the house to get my lazy butt out of bed. While he was collecting me and my other two sisters, we heard some neighbors fire off a few fireworks. My papa brought the rest of us outside, and Connie was gone. Part of our little fence was under repairs, and she must have run through it. She was nowhere to be found.
My parents scoured the backyard, looking under the deck, in the woods behind the house and in the flower beds. Then they went out and walked the streets for over an hour yelling for Connie. Nothing.
My mom then tried to calm down. She and I had been researching what to do when a pet goes missing earlier in the month, in anticipation of the 4th of July. Luckily, she had a game plan.
Waiting was the hardest part. Someone was always home, peering out the windows hoping to see Connie’s little melon pop around the corner, looking to get in. Monday came and went, as did Tuesday. Monday was sweltering, but thankfully the weather cooled a bit on Tuesday. But there was no rain and we were worried that Connie was getting thirsty. My parents followed every lead that came in but did not see my sister anywhere. I think I saw the same street corner several times a day as we were driving around.
Wednesday morning my parents had to go to work, but my grandma took me out for another cruise around the neighborhood. On a whim, she decided to try to cross a really busy street. Maybe Connie had been brave enough to cross that street when she was looking for home. We turned down a few random roads, not following any pattern. Suddenly there on the steps of an enclosed patio was Connie!! She was there for a split second, then gone. Grandma got out of the car and softly called Connie’s name. The rescue group cautioned not to YELL the pet’s name, just call quietly. Connie came running! Grandma opened a can of Connie’s special food and she ate and ate. I was a bit miffed that grandma did not give me any but I understood that Connie was probably pretty hungry. After we were all safe in the car, Grandma sent a text to my mom and dad with a picture of Connie eating.
When we got home, all my sister wanted to do was sleep. I don’t blame her… I mean after eating half of a can of food I would be sleepy too. Connie had a good tubbie when mom got home and then slept for the better part of two days.
In the following days, we went around to all of the places where we had signs and thanked the store owners for helping, called the Police and took Connie’s name off of the Most Wanted list, and thanked our lucky stars that we had my sister back. Connie isn’t talking about her time away, but I bet she’ll have some stories to tell if she does….
Later,
Linda, the ‘Thankful to Have my Sister Home’ Blog Dog
My parents scoured the backyard, looking under the deck, in the woods behind the house and in the flower beds. Then they went out and walked the streets for over an hour yelling for Connie. Nothing.
My mom then tried to calm down. She and I had been researching what to do when a pet goes missing earlier in the month, in anticipation of the 4th of July. Luckily, she had a game plan.
- She contacted the microchip company first, to make sure that they had all of the current information.
- A few posts on neighborhood groups on Facebook were next in line. Immediately someone posted that they had seen a little dog on the lam a few blocks away. Looking back, the Facebook neighborhood groups proved to be the most helpful. The community really gets involved when there are missing pets. There were multiple other sightings of Connie over the next several days that helped narrow a search area.
- The following morning my mom, dad and grandma all split up and looked for Connie, stopping at the Police station to make a report. After places started opening, calls to animal control and local vet clinics followed.
- Then my mom contacted a volunteer group that helps find lost pets, and they dropped off some sign holders. We printed lots of signs with Connie’s picture and our contact information. The rest of Monday was spent hanging signs and driving up and down streets.
- We put out a bed, some blankies and a bowl of water on our front step before we went to bed, just in case Connie found her way home overnight. Mom also hung her t-shirt outside, hoping that the scent would help Connie find her way home.
Waiting was the hardest part. Someone was always home, peering out the windows hoping to see Connie’s little melon pop around the corner, looking to get in. Monday came and went, as did Tuesday. Monday was sweltering, but thankfully the weather cooled a bit on Tuesday. But there was no rain and we were worried that Connie was getting thirsty. My parents followed every lead that came in but did not see my sister anywhere. I think I saw the same street corner several times a day as we were driving around.
Wednesday morning my parents had to go to work, but my grandma took me out for another cruise around the neighborhood. On a whim, she decided to try to cross a really busy street. Maybe Connie had been brave enough to cross that street when she was looking for home. We turned down a few random roads, not following any pattern. Suddenly there on the steps of an enclosed patio was Connie!! She was there for a split second, then gone. Grandma got out of the car and softly called Connie’s name. The rescue group cautioned not to YELL the pet’s name, just call quietly. Connie came running! Grandma opened a can of Connie’s special food and she ate and ate. I was a bit miffed that grandma did not give me any but I understood that Connie was probably pretty hungry. After we were all safe in the car, Grandma sent a text to my mom and dad with a picture of Connie eating.
When we got home, all my sister wanted to do was sleep. I don’t blame her… I mean after eating half of a can of food I would be sleepy too. Connie had a good tubbie when mom got home and then slept for the better part of two days.
In the following days, we went around to all of the places where we had signs and thanked the store owners for helping, called the Police and took Connie’s name off of the Most Wanted list, and thanked our lucky stars that we had my sister back. Connie isn’t talking about her time away, but I bet she’ll have some stories to tell if she does….
Later,
Linda, the ‘Thankful to Have my Sister Home’ Blog Dog
