Dog Community

My little Dachshund ran away.

_D

Posted : 4/15/2006 12:38:23 AM

Hello all,

    Let me start off by apologizing for the long post.

    My 6 year old miniature Dachshund (Isabelle) ran away 2.5 weeks ago and I am at my wits end. I have posted signs and flyers and I am going back and replacing any of them that get faded or worn out with different colored ones so they look new and different. I have posted in the papers and have alerted the shelters and vets in the area. I visit the shelters as much as possible.

    I have received a few calls from people who say they have “just” seen her while they were out walking or jogging. Sadly these have been at times when I was about 45 minutes away from the area. By the time I get there, there is no trace. When I get a call I put up more flyers and pass out postcards in the area of the sighting. I also go there and call her name for a while, but no luck. I got one of these calls just a day or so ago, not too far from home. I am hoping that she will just decide to come home and I will see her come popping in thru the doggy door.

    This whole experience feels more like 2 months rather then 2 weeks. I am in a holding pattern at the moment, waiting for someone to call and basically abusing my fingernails. I was hoping that someone could give me some fresh ideas on what to do and where to search.

    She is very wary of strangers and a bit of a loner, so I think it would be impossible for some one to catch her. She is also amazingly stubborn. The words "Come here" or "Come on" usually make her stop dead in her tracks and refuse to go any farther. I think her previous owners would make her "come" to them to be punished and now she refuses to respond to those particular commands. I think anyone trying to pick her up would say “come here” and instantly kill any chance of getting her. She is also afraid of thunder, loud music and loud noises in general. The day she ran away, there was a lot of thunder. I had left for a short while and gave her access to the back yard thru the doggy door. I think when the thunder started she decided to come looking for me and she dug out of the back yard.

    I did get a good idea about leaving a small piece of an old t-shirt with treats in it in the areas where she is seen. This is to try to get her to stay in the area by letting her know that I am there. Now I just need to wait for another sighting.

    Like I said, any other ideas you can come up with, please let me know what they are. Oh and I did walk along all the main roads looking for any little bodies, and I did not see any, so I am fairly certain she#%92s still out and about.

Thanks,

forpaws

Posted : 4/15/2006 7:12:49 AM

D, first of all let me say how sorry I am that you are going through such a stressfull time with looking for your fur child. I know how hard these times can be on a person.
On your flyers, have you posted REWARD and not the amount, never put the amount on them?
Are there any rescue's or kennels in your area? Contact the and provide them a flyer also.
Do you have a local radio station? Ask them to make an anouncement.
Do you have cable TV? Most cable companies have an advertisment channel. Post her information on there. It may cost you something but worth the effort.
Post flyers on your car and friends, relatives any one that will let you post her information on their car. Moving billboard.
Give flyers to your postal person, anyone that provides a service on your property, realitors, cab drivers, police departments. These people see more stray and loose dogs every place they go.
You can also post her information on [linkost>http://www.lostpetsfoundpets.com]www.lostpetsfoundpets.com[/link]

ost info free
[linkost>http://www.fidofinder.com]www.fidofinder.com[/link]

ost info free
[linkost>http://www.petfinder.org]www.petfinder.org[/link]

ost info free
[linkost>http://www.1888pets911.com]www.1888pets911.com[/link]

ost info free
[linkhttp://www.petshelter.org]www.petshelter.org[/link] Will give you all shelters in your area and surrounding area's in case she was picked up.
[linkhttp://www.pgaa.com]www.pgaa.com[/link] Will give you all the rescue (breed) in the area and surrounding area's.
[linkhttp://www.pmia.com]www.pmia.com[/link] Pets missing in action will let you post the information too. And allows photo's.
Never give up and keep looking.
Have you made your flyer just a little white lie? By that I mean saying something that will play on the heart strings of people, like needs heart medication or has Addison's Disease, etc.
That is all I can think of at this time.
I will keep her in my prayers and lite a candle in hopes she finds or you find her soon.
Big hugs to you.

glenmar

Posted : 4/15/2006 7:31:47 AM

I too am sorry that you are going through this. I can totally relate.

In January I placed one of my older fosters with someone I knew would give her a wonderful home. Unfortunately, Sadie felt differently. We had met 1/2 way between our two homes, and when she arrived home with new mom, she managed to step on the seat belt release for her harness and bolted. This poor gal spent most of the nite out looking for her, we drove done in the middle of the nite to look, and to call, knowing she would come to us...well, she wouldn't.

I got online, being 4 hours away, and on the phone and notified EVERY shelter and EVERY rescue in the state. The ones that I could email got her picture. Sadie disappeared on Saturday. On Thursday I got an email from one of the rescues telling me she was at X shelter. Now new mom had BEEN there, every day. This gal insisted tho, and said she had SEEN her that morning in the Monday section. I CALLED and the kennel worker flat out insisted that she was NOT there. New mom went at lunchtime, and lo and behold, there she was! Now, some rocket scientist had stuck a 60 plus pound gsd in a TOP cage, so maybe new mom missed her, but I suspect that someone at the shelter had her hidden from view...either to punish someone for letting her get loose, or because they wanted to take her home themselves.

My advice is to contact EVERY rescue...they often get to see more animals than the public does...be at the shelters EVERY day and never, ever give up.

garrettandpaul

Posted : 4/15/2006 8:10:08 AM

I am sorry that your baby is missing and we will be praying for her safe return to you. Like others have said DO NOT Give Up!

Dana

Posted : 4/15/2006 12:17:29 PM

I am so sorry! Like you my dachshund is close to my heart. Your post has brought me to tears. Please know that you are in my thoughts prayers.

Dana

Posted : 4/15/2006 12:24:27 PM

Also I am not sure where you are located but this company does offer lost pet consultation

http://www.barkattheworld.com/PetSearch.html

http://www.barkattheworld.com/Free.html

forpaws

Posted : 4/15/2006 12:32:46 PM

I also meant to mention if you are not doing it already as Glenda reminded me of it.

Go to the AC/ HS daily to check the critters out yourself. Please do not rely on the employees to tell you if the dog is there or not. Go look in person yourself.

huskymom

Posted : 4/15/2006 9:38:48 PM

Oh your baby is in my prayers. I hope she finds you soon!

_D

Posted : 4/16/2006 1:47:55 AM

Thank you everyone for the websites and tips.

I do have "reward" and "needs medicine" on the flyers and post cards I am handing out. I am also visiting the shelters as often as I can and I have contacted the rescue groups in the area.

This is just so frustrating because I feel like I am doing everything right, but things still are not falling into place. I have even gone so far as to contact a pet intuitive I know. She says that Isabelle is still in the area and knows her way home, but is choosing not to return home right now. Not overly helpful, but at least its something for me to hold onto. My last resort is a woman who has a pet tracking dog. She was out of town for a while, but should be back Monday.

Like I said, I feel like I should be doing more, but maybe I am supposed to be learning patience from this experience.

glenmar

Posted : 4/16/2006 6:24:29 AM

Hang on to Sadies story. It's sad to say that many of the folks working at the shelters don't know breeds.

When Sadie was missing there were THREE idogger dogs missing at the same time......guess we need to do a candle lit prayer vigil....guys?? Tonite at 9???

spiritdogs

Posted : 4/16/2006 8:00:51 AM

With a dog that is frightened of humans, flyers on phone poles are not going to be your best friend. Engage your local animal control officer to bait a humane dog trap to catch her once she gets hungry. If she is very scared, she may have traveled farther than you think. Call the ACO's at shelters in a wider area and tell them she is afraid of people. If she had no collar on when she escaped, a person who does find her may try to keep her, thinking you are a bad owner. So, be sure to circulate flyers at veterinary offices for a wide area around where she disappeared. Check all shelters every other day, and try to go in person. I remember one idogger who was told that her dog was not in the shelter and she found her by going there.
Other hints:
[linkhttp://www.lostapet.org]www.lostapet.org[/link] Kat Albrecht's site - one of the best pet detectives in the country.

glenmar

Posted : 4/16/2006 8:12:42 AM

There are likely others that this happened to, but Sadies new mom physically WENT to the shelters every day. When I got an email from one of the rescues I called the shelter and the guy swore up and down that she was NOT there. Well, yes she was. Now how one can mistake a gsd.....well, I have my doubts about that whole situation, but I SENT Lori anyhow, and when she called me she was in tears because Sadie WAS there and had been there all freaking week.

tacran

Posted : 4/16/2006 2:28:58 PM

I'm so sorry to hear about your pup - my heart goes out to you. I can't imagine the agony of waiting and wondering. As the others have posted, happy endings can occur even after a long period of time, so keep the faith. Sending good thoughts your way. Go home, Isabelle - Mom misses you!!!

huskymom

Posted : 4/16/2006 2:40:38 PM

Yup Glenda. I think the candle thing is in order. 9 sounds good to me! Mine will stay lit as long as it takes. _D Best of Luck to you. The idog candle hasn't failed yet as far as I know.

_D

Posted : 4/16/2006 4:27:31 PM

Hello everyone,

No news yet. I am a bit more worried now. We seem to be having a serious heat wave. It's gotten up to 101 here today. That's about 15 to 20 above normal and we blew the record away by about 7 degrees. I sure hope she is able to stay cool and well hydrated. I live in the Leander, Texas area. That's about 15 miles north of Austin.

I know Isabelle is a smart little bugger. I just hope she is smart enough to survive on her own this long. She's not really afraid of people, it's more that she is indifferent to them. It would be rare for her to just go right up to some one, especially if I am not there. I will talk with animal control tomorrow about other options for finding her, like the live trap that was mentioned. I also don't trust the shelters to call me even if they find her with her tags still attached, so I am definitely checking as often as I can.

I am currently printing up about 1000 note cards to pass out door to door in the other neighborhoods around mine. Hopefully this will get most of the people who haven't noticed my signs yet.

A candle light vigil sounds like a good idea. There are a lot of people who know about Isabelle's disappearance and all of them are praying and hoping. The more positive and happy thoughts the better.

If this picture thingy works, here are some photos of her.