Lost Shelties

No matter how hard we work to protect our pets, they sometimes escape or are stolen from our yards. If you have lost your beloved Sheltie anywhere in Texas, please Contact HSS Coordinators: we will post the description on our web site and alert rescuers; our members will help in the search and post your dog’s description and picture at work and in churches. Other search activities: walk the neighborhood several times a day and at night; expand your search each day by a mile or two; confused and disoriented dogs can wander many miles from home. Your dog may be scared or injured and needs to hear your voice; however, don’t be surprised or hurt if your dog does not seem to recognize you at first; this is common in lost dogs because they’ve become so disoriented and may be in shock. One thing we’ve learned is that lost dogs will sometimes follow a railroad track or a row of utility poles that seem like a road to them; always search utility easements as well. Pay very close attention to barking dogs — this is for both finders and searchers as well as neighborhood residents: barking dogs may be trying to signal an alert for a lost dog needing help. Call the veterinarians and shelters in your area; post an ad in your community newspaper; put up flyers in plastic protectors in your neighborhood, area vet clinics, groomers’ shops, and pet stores; offer a reward, but don’t say how much; contact other rescue networks linked from our main page. Do not place ‘no questions asked’ on your flyers/ads; this phrase might be regarded as threatening if the dog is being kept, but the finder might be willing to return. Let UPS drivers and mail carriers know so they can be on the alert. Also contact the breeders where you purchased your dog to alert them about the loss; and if he or she is intact, call all the breeders in the area, as your dog may have landed in a breeding program. Because Shelties, especially well-trained and/or breedable, are so popular, the dog may have been stolen and transported, possibly even out of state, which is why we always alert the national rescue teams. If someone calls to say he or she has your dog, meet the finder in a public place and take a friend with you–do not go to the finder’s home or meet the person by yourself; some ‘finders’ are actually cranks. If you think you see your dog with someone else in the neighborhood, don’t go onto the property: call police or constable to intervene and assist you.

To prevent theft or accidental loss, we strongly recommend the following: 5-6 foot fences with locked gates (check the fence often for loose boards), collars and ID tags on at all times (don’t forget to put the collar back on after the dog’s bath), tattooing with the dog’s birth date, and most especially, the implanting of a microchip that identifies the dog on a national ID program most vets and many shelters participate in (all pets, including birds, can be microchipped). As we all know, sometimes meter readers leave gates open: call your utility companies and request special notice on your records to close and lock your gate. If the problems persist, padlock the gate! Also, be sure your dog is spayed or neutered for all the obvious reasons for health and preventing accidental breeding. But also, some backyard breeders finding an intact dog will keep him or her and add to the breeding ‘program,’ in which case, you may never see your dog again. To improve chances of recovering your lost pet, post a notice on the Internet: call PetFinders at 800-666-5678; web site is Pet Club; also Pet Finder and http://www.1888pets911.org/. Never leave your dog alone in the backyard while you are out of town or visiting friends and relatives; this is how many dogs are lost: they become scared and manage to dig out or jump over a fence; and, tragically, some dogs left in backyards have been poisoned. It is better to board your dog, making sure that in addition to her regular vaccinations, she also has the bordetella vaccination for kennel cough; or hire a pet sitter. If you use a pet sitter, leave phone number where you can be reached, and call the sitter regularly to check on your dog.

Good luck! And if you find your precious Sheltie, we’d love to post that happy story for you and others who need some encouragement in their own searches.

[If you have found a lost dog, please see our Guidelines for Finders.]

Warning to anyone in possession of Lost Shelties and keeping them: to say nothing of the grief you are causing both the owners and their dogs, you have broken the law and can be prosecuted. Any lost dog wrongfully in a third party’s possession must be returned immediately.