MISSING FROM GARDEN

Gracie went missing from her garden, went on the hunt (typical of her breed) and returned home 22 hours later following a trail of turkey to her garden gate and porch

Post it on social media, some people leave it hours before they post and this can reduce the chance of you being reunited. But be careful to tell people not to call out for your dog or give chase. They must search silently and send sightings only to the owner or people who are bonded with the dog so that they can retrieve them. We found that setting up a Whatsapp group to co-ordinate might help. See below.

  • Our strategy on Dog Friendly Dorset to help find Gracie was this:

    1. Contacted Gracie’s mum and got the details of what happened, last time spotted, whether she had a collar on, if she was dog & human friendly, owner’s contact details

    2. Put an appeal on our Dog Friendly Dorset facebook group with a link to a whatsapp group called FIND GRACIE. Included: map of last sighting, pictures of her facing front and the side body, images (see below) of professional advice on how to search

    3. Set up a WhatsApp group and link for people to join with live updates to coordinate (you can get the public link to join the group from Whatsapp settings). Set-up a meeting spot and time for everyone to spread out in pairs

    4. Gave clear instructions to not shout her name when searching. Work silently. Only send sightings to owner’s mum to come and retrieve her and not the whole group.


    5. Create a poster (Dog Lost can help) that can be shared to the following:

    Vets

    Supermarkets

    Convenience stores

    Schools

    Online groups

    Please share with Dog Walkers, Delivery drivers and children (children spread news like wild fire)


Read the posters below

It’s also worth sharing a post with as much description as possible to your local dog friendly Facebook groups (such as Dog Friendly Dorset. Dog Friendly Dorset Facebook group is a community page so we will help you. Ask us to come out to help you search, to distribute neighbourhood leaflets, whatever you need. We are here for you.

After a few hours:

Your dog may have gone into panic and there is a real danger of chasing them away. DO NOT call name, set up treat stations, seek help from Drone support.

DRONE SAR UK https://www.facebook.com/groups/134125720518945

If it comes to the early hours of the morning:

Tracy Story offered this advice: “one thing I would definitely do is go out to the sighted area about 4 am with a camping gas burner a small pan with bacon sit quietly only two people and keep sightings a secret”

Contacts

If you lose your dog in Dorset, this list of contacts will be useful.

Contact DogLost*

  • Register with www.doglost.co.uk, it’s free and they will create a printable poster for you and send email alerts to local helpers.

If you create your own poster, make sure to include

  • A selection of up-to-date photos of your dog from several angles

    1. Your dog’s name

    2. Your contact numbers

    3. Where and when your dog went missing, with a map

    4. Description

    5. Include tear-off tags at the bottom with your contact number

    6. Where to display posters

      • Supermarket notice boards

      • Launderettes

      • Pet stores

      • Give to postmen/women and delivery persons like DFD and UPS to include in their run

Try and engage local children in the search, they will remind adults and keep the search going

Contact local dog walkers and trainers. If your dog has been rehomed the new owners may seek out training. Also, dog walkers will be covering your area frequently throughout the day.

Call the local Dog Warden if you lose your dog in Dorset.

  • Bournemouth 01202 45 13 06

    1. Christchurch 08451 30 76 87

    2. East Dorset 01202 63 90 30

    3. North Dorset 01258 45 41 11

    4. Poole 01202 26 17 00

    5. Purbeck 01929 55 72 77

    6. West Dorset 01305 25 10 10

    7. Weymouth & Portland 01305 83 84 68

Get in touch with your vet/microchipping company if your dog is chipped. Make sure they have the most up to date contact information for you.

Contact other local vets in case anyone takes your dog there to be scanned. You can find contact numbers here: www.any-uk-vet.co.uk

Contact DRONE SAR UK

Get in touch with local rescue centres

  • Margaret Green, Blandford 01929 471 340

    1. Margaret Green, Church Knowle 01929 480 474

    2. RSPCA, Dorchester 01305 259 672

    3. RSPCA, Ashley Heath 0300 123 0749