Anchorage Pet Detective

04/30/2022

This lady does amazing work! Please participate if you have ever lost & found a dog!

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07/12/2021

🐈 There are so many lost cats and I’m so overwhelmed and wondering if anybody would be interested in helping out people who have lost cats with feeding stations and traps and checking them etc.
Maybe the person who lost the animal is overwhelmed and doesn’t know where to begin or maybe they don’t have a lot of time or maybe they have a physical issue that doesn’t allow for them to get out and about.
I have few potential projects in mind and I don’t have enough time whatsoever to work any of them consistently right now which is killing me and I’m wondering if anyone would want to get together next Saturday or Sunday at one of the spots (student housing at UAA would probably be one of them) and go over the dynamics of that case and talk stations and hopefully 1-2 people would commit to working that one and then talk about what other cases need help and if anyone can commit to one of those, etc. And maybe also how we can organize to provide this sort of support long-term. (Yes, I can start a non-profit but am curious as to interest level before committing more time that I already feel short on.)
I can help provide any equipment needed which is extremely minimal.
If you have game cams those are invaluable and would be appreciated.
If you already know what you’re doing and feel you want to jump in on an existing case by yourself I could recommend one probably.
If you already know what you’re doing please show up anyway if possible and share what you know.
If you’re interested in meeting up next Saturday or Sunday comment with a time or time range you would be available and I’ll find a common denominator and then post where & when for both days if applicable. If you can’t make this one we can do it again or maybe we could video this meeting and then share it.
I have one commitment midday Saturday & Sunday but but can be flexible as to time.
Maybe we could do 11 or 11:30ish...?
Saturday and Sunday meetings would be different cases at different locations.
As the days get closer I’ll add where to meet and any other details to this post.
I’d really like to grow the boots-on-the-ground community in regards to help with humane trapping and would love to meet you in person and see you there! 😻

04/28/2021

I thought I’d write up the Mr. Pickles the Corgi capture as 1) so many people were emotionally invested in this story and 2) the key to capture was not chasing the dog. (Chasing includes following in general and “tracking”, both of which are chasing in slow motion. If the dog moves away from you stop whatever you are doing that makes it move away from you, even if that means you leave the scene.)
It’s really important to be mentally prepared to behave this way because, yes, every cell in your body is telling you to move towards the dog. But the dog is not a pet right now, it’s a wild animal and since when do you walk up to a moose or a bear?
So here’s a video of where we were. There’s the Seward Highway and then you turn into the parking lot at the bottom of Rainbow Valley Road (adjacent to Rainbow trailhead parking lot) and then you see a group of people and the mailboxes and the road goes up from there.
We heard the dog was seen coming down Rainbow Valley Road (RVR) the day it went missing (lost on Thursday, caught on Sunday) but no exact location so Heather picked three spots to make scent stations. Given the season and location we didn’t want to use food which makes it pretty challenging; that is usually what will anchor an animal to an area and then a humane trap goes where the food (again, traditionally) is eaten from.
Our scent items consisted of fur cut off of Annabel (Annabelle lives with Mr. Pickles) cloths soaked in Annabel’s p*e, clothing items from owners. Said items were both on the ground and higher up so the smell carries on the wind. Heather also had the kennel Pickles sleeps in and put that at the yellow x, which was the first of the three stations heading up the road. Game cams were left looking at all of the stations Friday night.
Saturday morning there wasn’t anything on the game cams.
Saturday midday the dog was seen on the railroad tracks roughly across from the Rainbow trailhead. Ultimately about 6 people staggered themselves along the highway in pullouts and then walked towards each other along the tracks. Collectively we covered about 5 miles and didn’t see the dog. The cameras were checked about 5 Saturday evening and nothing. More scent items were left after that where the dog had been seen walking.
This morning I started walking the tracks early and nothing. And then Heather checked the cameras and saw our little friend! So I went home to get some traps and our Lost And Found Pets Alaska admin Shelley volunteered to bring more cameras out to us and Heather walked Annabelle up around that space to leave scent and ran into her friend Tracy which made Annabelle start barking which was a good noise to have going (vs. calling - that’s a no no). Then we all rendezvoused in the parking lot to wait for Shelley.
As we hung out Heather and I were facing the highway and Tracy was facing the mountain when she said she saw Pickles coming down the hill past the house you see in the video. I said let’s get Annabelle out of the car and we sat down on the ground and I swapped her regular leash for a retractable leash so she could get as close to Pickles as possible while I stayed as far away as possible. Pickles sat and watched from the hill.
I had my back to Pickles and ahold of Annabelle and was probably a bit past of the front of my car towards the hill while Heather was in front of me and Tracy was maybe a little past the end of my car, both were turned to the side so as to show trust and didn’t look directly at the dog.
Subconsciously I’m pretty sure that we were all well aware that we were the only things between Pickles and the highway but that was left unspoken. I scooted backwards a bit towards the hill to get closer so that Annabelle could get closer but what was interesting was that instead of running up to Pickles, Annabelle laid down almost pressed next to me and with her head on her paws so I stopped moving. I had really only moved a few inches it seems like - if remember correctly she whined a bit and barked briefly and then I don’t think it was even a minute before Pickles started towards us. Heather narrated as he got closer and closer and it’s funny to think now that I was a bit disconcerted at how fast Pickles was actually advancing! And it was probably not even another minute before he was touching noses with Annabelle who was still laying down but had lifted her head up and I’ll tell you, a handle on a harness has never come in so handy!! I didn’t move a muscle until he was right next to me for fear of spooking him and I am flattered to say I don’t think he even flinched.
I didn’t think of it til now replaying everything but I’m so glad that no one else in the parking lot saw the dog and called or made any moves. I do kind of humor myself to think that at this point given his little legs having covered rough terrain over the last few days and not much if anything to eat that I’d be able to catch him had he made a break across the parking lot but I’m so, so glad I didn’t have to find out.
Kudos to Heather and Wade for being super on it and doing everything that was asked of them to get Pickles home. That first station at the x that Heather set up was based on gut instinct which gets my respect given she’s never done this before. We all could not have done it without each other and I’m so glad we did.
Also a very heartfelt shoutout to the people that called with sightings and returned calls about said sightings and posted sightings and shared info about posts of sightings. You’re the best. ♥️

04/28/2021

01/21/2021

Going through some old photos and found this series from a game cam - this guy would flick or pull the blanket to bring the food closer to him so he wouldn’t have to go all the way to the back of the trap - and in doing so avoided stepping on the trip plate so the door didn’t close. Once I figured him out I tied the blanket down and voilà - one caught doggo!

10/10/2020

10/10/20 So glad for such a quick turnaround on this one. He was just adopted yesterday and super skittishand this is how they got the dog:

“Brenda's dad sat there all day he had 2 vehicles, 1 he left the door open, he sat in the other, he finally put his food bowls in other vehicle, Joey jumped in that vehicle while he sat in his truck behind.”

Thanks for helping, Rita!

10/05/2020

I loaned a trap out 6-ish weeks ago and the day after the owner brought the trap back (which always kills me if it didn’t work out) someone called and said they found her!! Woo-hoo!!!! 🥳🥳🥳

10/04/2020

Found last night!

10/1/2020 Loaned a trap for this guy. Nothing yet 😕

09/28/2020

9/28. Printed more handbills for Sister’s family. Missing since July 18th from 9th & Gambell.

09/27/2020

9/26/20 Advised via text this morning and got the good news this evening! Returned home via the back door. 😻🥳

09/26/2020

9/26/20 Loaned a second trap.

9/24/20. Loaned a trap to hopefully catch this guy.

09/26/2020

This was just sent to me if anyone wants to
run with it...

“We were at the back of Holiday on Old Seward and OMalley and a tiny black kitten came out from under the chain link fence from the lot behind it. It was pretty skittish when I walked toward and took off...”

09/26/2020

9/23/20 Loaned two traps for a cat at Merganser and Pintail that had been hanging around and being fed for quite a while by the person that contacted me. The cat was trapped overnight and taken to Anchorage Animal Care and Control this morning. It does not have a microchip. It has a very nasty, deep wound on its neck. It has a nylon pink collar, no tags. ID # at Animal Control is A259241.

09/26/2020

9/28/20 Humanely trapped!

9/23/20 started working this one:

I don’t have a great photo but will post one when it happens. A dog has been roaming the general area pictured on the map and for sure hitting Commercial, Viking, and Reeve for the last few days.
A few food stations were started last night but we are trying to gather all available info in order to decide where to best set up a humane trap.
Please comment with exact locations seen and if possible do a pin drop on like Google maps, take a screenshot and post that.
Do not chase, follow or track this dog. If you have a photo that is great but please do make any special efforts to get a photo.
If the dog is somewhat regularly coming onto your property would you mind starting a feeding station which could consist of basically anything that is not harmful to a dog and holler if you get a hit.
Any and all info appreciated.

09/26/2020

Sun 9/20/20. Loaned out two traps for a cat named Onza that had been missing fora day. He was found later the same day well-hidden outside his home.

09/26/2020

Sat 9/19/20. Loaned out three traps for a cat that had been missing three days. Cat was found later that afternoon in a spot that had been checked multiple times already. Perfect timing as the owners were about to move in a few days!

09/14/2020

After, excuse the pun, 'pawing' through social media the past week reading some of the vile and hateful stuff circulating regarding the upcoming presidential election and the crime in Anchorage, I came away feeling exhau...