By Debbie Schumacher
Get Toby Home Team
HOBART – When someone gets a pet they take on the responsibility to love, house, feed and protect them.
The sad truth is sometimes pets go missing even with the best precautions in place due to accidental releases by children, visitors, or service providers.
Dog tags, ID chips are inexpensive ways to assist in getting lost pets home, and should always be one of the first things to do when getting a pet.
Fencing to keep dogs in yards is extremely helpful, but not foolproof. Recall training and keeping dogs well socialized will also will help.
But what to do if the family dog is no longer in sight?
While friends and family continue to look, have a good picture of the dog and hit social media.
Someone should first post on their own personal Facebook page, tagging neighbors.
Then go to Lost Dogs of Wisconsin, lostdogsofwisconsin.org/report/lost-dog-report/ and file a missing pet report.
A poster can also be created and that can used to create fliers and signs. LDOW is a free service.
Also post on Pawboost pawboost.com/lost-found-pets/green-bay-wi-54303/all-lost-found-stray-pets/ and Fidofinder.com.
Post on any neighborhood or association site in the area.
Reach out to Get Toby Home on Facebook, it is a wonderful group of experienced volunteers that have a large reach that can assist with lost dogs.
Call the local humane departments.
In Hobart/Lawrence it is Packerland Vet, 920-498-2808.
And because dogs can travel quickly, the owner will also need to call neighboring humane departments.
Howard and Green Bay use Wisconsin Humane Society, Green Bay Campus, 920-469-3110. The town of Oneida uses The Fox Valley Humane Association, 920-733-1717.
Pets often find their way home on their own. Put out food, water and bedding, and keep the garage open slightly so they can quickly gain shelter if they return on their own.
Next make fliers using the poster you made on LDOW.
Ask friends to get the fliers to all homes in the area.
Never open mailboxes, or impede mail delivery service with the fliers.
Talk to everyone, including walkers, service providers like delivery, garbage, police or public works workers.
Post in high traffic businesses that have bulletin boards.
Children make excellent helpers looking for lost pets while on buses and cars to and from school.
Also, make large yard signs using the poster from LDOW. They need to be large enough to be seen from vehicle traffic.
Always have the land owner’s permission to place the signs and stay out of the right of way.
The goal is for people in their normal day-to-day activities to provide sightings.
Ask friends to sit in their vehicles and look while blending in with the neighborhood.
Avoid creating additional traffic or commotion in the area, dogs will sense it and will leave the area.
Ask if they see the missing dog, and remind them to not chase or call the pet’s name. The animal will likely panic, and could run into traffic.
Ask them to sit or get low, and not look directly at the dog. Let the dog make the first move, but have a leash ready.
Keep a cell phone, paper and pen close at hand for when anyone reports a sighting.
Write down the day, time, location and direction the dog went.
Don’t post the sightings on social media, as too many helpers brought to the sighting area will just scare the dog away from the area, or into hiding.
When the area a pet is in is determined, use live traps along with trail cameras to safely catch them.
Keep the faith, some pets in our area have been missing for months, and still safely made it home.
Pets are resilient, and want to survive.
Don’t be afraid to ask for help from any of the groups listed above, and let’s get your pet home.