If the dog ran away taking advantage of a moment of distraction and you can’t find him, the most important thing is not to panic: here’s how to find Fido again.
It can happen in a few terrible moments: a moment of distraction, you turn around and your dog has run away!
The dogs go away to chase something that intrigues them, to follow a track with their sense of smell, because something scares them: everything happens in a moment, maybe while you are distracted.
If Fido goes away and you can’t see him nearby, the main thing is to stay calm as much as possible to avoid making the situation worse. The first reaction, in fact, is usually to start screaming his name in despair: the dog, hearing himself called with panic in his voice, may become even more frightened, with the consequence that he will go further away.
So what should you do when the dog runs away? And what not to do, to prevent a lost dog from being frightened and never coming back?
Did the dog run away? That’s why you shouldn’t call it out loud
What to do and what not to do in the unfortunate circumstance in which the dog moves away and gets lost? If the dog ran away, as previously said, one must be rational and keep calm. Some typical reactions, in fact, can only make the situation worse. Let’s see a list of potential mistakes to avoid and ideal solutions to put into practice when the dog has run away:
1st mistake: chasing the dog
The first wrong thing that everyone tends to do when the dog gets lost is to try to chase him and track him down. In reality, most dogs simply go back when they lose interest in what had made them go away: that’s why it’s much better if you stay where you are waiting, because if Fido returns to the starting point without finding you he could really be scared and it would be trouble.
2nd mistake: doing everything yourself
Asking for someone’s help is essential: in this way, one person can go in search of the dog and the other can wait for him in the place where he was last seen before leaving. If you move to find the lost dog, be careful to identify possible hiding places: Fido may have been frightened for some reason and in this case it is likely that he has chosen a safe place and he will hardly come out alone.
3rd mistake: shouting his name
As mentioned in the opening, it is a dangerous habit to start calling out the dog that escaped to return him: dogs perceive the mood of humans and it is likely that your fear of having lost him filters strong and clear from your voice. If the dog feels that you are calling him in panic, he will be frightened and it is plausible that you will run even further.
What if the dog doesn’t come back?
Ultimately, if in spite of everything Fido did not go back, it is important to implement a reasoned plan to find it. The first thing to do is to try to see if he has taken refuge (or was welcomed) in the houses or shops in the area.
Once you have made the first round of reconnaissance in the surrounding area, you must ring the door of shelters, kennels, associations, veterinary clinics: they may have noticed your dog lost and scared on the street and picked it up and then looked for its family.
Finally, if the dog ran away and you can’t find him, prepare flyers with a recent photo of the animal, the description and your contacts: distribute and post them around the neighborhood and surrounding areas, so that anyone who has news of him can track you down instantly.