Never give up hope. Pets have been reunited with their pet parents after years of separation. Keep reading to see 9 tips to help prevent your pet from being lost and what to do if he/she is lost
July is National Lost Pet Prevention Month.
When my newly- adopted well-groomed, introverted white miniature poodle, Buddy snuck out of my dad’s front door when answering it while he was dog sitting for me on a warm New Year’s eve, I had a deep sinking feeling I would never see him again. I adopted Buddy a month before his sudden departure. Whoever had him took excellent care of him as he was impeccably groomed and his manners were outstanding.
But , no one claimed him at the shelter where I visited him every day which was shocking to me. When that final day came and no one was there to say he was theirs, I was outside of the door anxiously waiting to adopt him. When he was mine, I was so exhilarated especially since the apartment building I lived in didn’t allow pets. My crotchety, elderly landlady had a sweet spot and said yes to Buddy! I never saw her the same way after what she did.
When Buddy was adopted, he was given a microchip with my information on it so anyone with a scanner would be able to contact me if he was ever lost. Microchips are invaluable in saving pets’ lives. Just remember to register your information with a reputable microchip organization; otherwise, the chip will contain no information. Microchips rock!
We searched immediately after my dad called me to let me know what happened. We knew one area where he was seen and we placed personal items of his and ours for him to have a sense of familiarity. Doing this may comfort your pet and entice them to stay in that spot until you return.
Since there were no signs of Buddy, we made up flyers and posted them everywhere in the area where he was lost. Always mention a reward for the return of your pet. Money talks and people can be more inclined to help. Still, no sign of Buddy………
New Year’s Eve came and went. It wasn’t a happy new year for me. We put out a plea on a local radio station. I spoke with the radio personality on air who made fun of my situation. He said I called in the wrong hour and it’s raining poodles (puddles.) Not funny! He chuckled. What an insensitive jerk. Buddy was missing from our lives and I was sitting there devastated and this dj made a joke out of my pain. I felt like a fool.
Despite what transpired over the radio, someone called in to say they had seen Buddy! A white poodle matching Buddy’s description was walking back and forth at a shooting range while men were actively shooting at targets! He had to be petrified. After the shots subsided, he walked across the quiet country road where this gentle couple tried to coax Buddy to come to them. He wouldn’t. He was too shy. They were unable to look at his collar with his ID on it. He did drink from a bowl of water they put out for him. At least, my baby was alive! They told us they would continue to help if Buddy returned.
License your pet 
A license has also proven to be very helpful to reunite pets and their owners. There is no national law that requires dogs to be licensed. Local and state governments make that decision. Rhode Island is the only state which requires cats to have licenses. If you don’t have a license , at least have some form of ID with your phone number and/or address on it.
We drove everywhere in the rural area where Buddy was last seen. We placed flyers in everyone’s mailbox. We stopped and talked with people. No one else saw him. When we drove up this grassy hill near the couple, I just lost it. I cried and admitting I’m never going to see Buddy again. I felt someone kept him or he was run over by a car. My heart sank so low. I lost all hope.
And those fears were realized as we drove on a major highway. Traveling slowly on this much-traveled road looking for Buddy, I saw a furry, white object on the shoulder. So did my boyfriend. He pulled over but parked the car at a distance so I wouldn’t see Buddy up close. He, too, was certain this flattened carcass was indeed our Buddy. To our amazement and much relief, it was a synthetic sheepskin car seat! A wave of relief and cold sweat poured out of me.
During one of our searches, we saw an off-white male poodle and thought maybe Buddy was there. The owner of the dog was friendly and even asked us if we wanted to take his dog off of his hands. We kindly said no but wondered why someone wanted to hand his dog over to complete strangers. Another time and I probably would’ve accepted his offer.
As hope diminished after no more sightings, I checked my voicemail messages as we were putting up more flyers and was in shock to hear a man’s voice saying he had Buddy!! Is this for real? Was I dreaming? He said he had Buddy for over a day before calling. He saw our flyers and felt compelled to return my sweet, lovable Buddy. Were my prayers answered or was this a look-a-like dog?
Flyers should be placed everywhere with all pertinent information on it along with a photo.
Buddy relaxing at home after his ordeal
Tina Evangelista-Eppenstein
When we arrived at this man’s home, we witnessed a hunched over, wet , filthy dog who was full of stickers. He wasn’t white anymore. He was so tired that he walked into this garage and collapsed from exhaustion. They kept him warm and fed him. The man refused the reward. We gave it to one of his children. We couldn’t walk away without showing our gratitude. I never imagined Buddy would be found or returned to us. I gave up hope that he would be living with us again. And that was wrong!
When pets are newly adopted, they are more apt to run away and perhaps try to run back to their original owners. It’s what they knew. They didn’t ask to be lost or abandoned or given to new people. It was a tough lesson to learn but I am beyond thankful that this man did the right thing!
However, I feel certain in saying this man and his family intended to keep Buddy. He admitted they looked at his ID on his collar but made no phone calls including the shelter’s number that was on it. They had him over a full day before making contact with me. It was only when he saw the flyers at a local store he frequented that he felt coerced to call. Thank God for the flyers!
There are many lost/found pet groups on social media but if someone isn’t aware of them or doesn’t use social media, they won’t be seen. Flyers are still relevant and needed to find your pet.
A big lesson I learned for Buddy is that he always wanted to sneak out of a person’s door if the opportunity presented itself. And it did. So we no longer had anyone else watch him. I didn’t want to put that responsibility on anyone else. When Buddy was with me, he never attempted to run away. And he never did run away again.
9 Tips for lost pet prevention and what to do if they do become lost
Have your pet microchipped and licensed.
Have an ID tag with all pertinent information
Put up flyers / Post on social media / Offer reward
Watch your pet when outside. Be aware of what they’re doing
Keep your pets leashed if they are prone to running especially when taking them for walks
Spay and neuter your pet. Neutered males will become calmer and not have the great urge to run
Have a fenced-in yard
Teach them to stay and come on command – Buddy tried to run away from my sister as he snuck out her door when she dogsat him. She yelled at him to stop and he did!
Never give up hope! Some pets have been reunited after years of separation from their pet parents
Tina Evangelista-Eppenstein is a television talk show host, speaker, writer, and an unabashed animal advocate. Her love for animals and quest for the hard truth is what drives her passion for all things animals. She hosts the television show, “A Close Up Look at Animal Welfare Issues.” She adores her tripawd, Brody, who was a formerly abused pup who lost his leg because of cruelty inflicted upon him. If you’d like Tina to talk to your group or have a story, please email her at tevangelistaepp@yahoo.com. Like https:www.facebook.com/ACloseUpLookatAnimalWelfareIssues and be sure to check out AnimalWelfareIssues.com.
First that “dj” was a loser to poke fun at a serious situation. He or is it she obviously never had or loved a pet to be so cavalier about Buddy. All that mattered is that someone heard you. I’d be out of mind if my puppy went missing. It does sound like they were going to keep your dog. At least they did the right thing. Buddy is so cute.🥰