12/05/2025
BATAVIA, OH (Clermont County)
So I’m sure some people will see this as a rant—because that’s what tends to happen when we speak honestly. When we tell people bluntly how things are, we’re suddenly “jerks” or “unprofessional.” That’s because being direct doesn’t play into anyone’s ego or make them feel warm and fuzzy.
People want to be praised as heroes for leaving food out for a dog, even when that food keeps the dog from being hungry enough to enter our trap so we can get it safely off the streets and on the path to a loving home. It should be obvious: the longer a dog stays uncontained, the higher the chance something tragic could happen.
People also love the idea that “it takes a village,” and that crowds of people chasing a dog is the kindest and most effective approach. Many truly believe this. And they get very angry when we tell them what not to do. The Dunning–Kruger effect is alive and well—people with no practical experience sit in lost-and-found pet groups and give advice simply because they’ve seen others repeat it. Much of that information is flat-out wrong, yet it spreads thanks to the illusory truth effect. And once the mob mentality kicks in, we’re suddenly the villains. Meanwhile, our small team consistently helps around 500–600 dogs home safely each year, using proven techniques refined over thousands of recoveries—even ones other groups, wardens, and the general public couldn’t catch.
But many don’t want to hear about the “boring,” time-tested methods that actually work. They’d rather repeat claims about drone services having high success rates—yet those services rarely recover more than a handful of dogs a year, despite charging for it. We are the ones who receive message after message saying, “We hired a drone service multiple times and they never even saw our dog.” Or we hear endless advice about putting dirty laundry on the porch, as if a dog’s sense of smell requires a pair of socks to guide it home—despite thousands of real-world cases showing otherwise. Somehow, people with no boots-on-the-ground experience still feel they’re the most qualified to instruct others.
And heaven forbid we don’t get a dog safe immediately—especially a difficult one avoiding traps and other recovery tools. In those cases, we’re told how much we “suck” while we’re sacrificing time with our families, running on no sleep, eating drive-through meals, and trapping out in the freezing cold. Thank goodness the Pyrenees in Batavia was ultimately a quick, easy trap—despite predictions that it wouldn’t be.
If you want to blame us for taking a week to get a volunteer there with a trap big enough for a giant-breed dog, go ahead. Here, I’ll even help: How dare that volunteer spend time with her family the week before. How dare she, once back in town, prioritize dogs in more desperate situations. How dare she rescue dogs on the highway first. How dare there be multiple dogs at once large enough to require one of our limited number of XL traps.
But if, instead of blaming us, you genuinely want to know how to help get these dogs safe as efficiently as possible, then please—listen to us and work with us. We truly appreciate your determination and your good intentions. And when we tell you not to feed, it’s because controlling food is essential for a safe, timely recovery. No dog has ever starved because we withheld food to make it willing to enter a trap, and no dog ever will. The line “everyone has different methods and no one way is more right” is just more Dunning–Kruger logic. When you don’t know what you’re doing, every method looks equally valid. When you’ve done this thousands of times, you know exactly what works.
Also keep in mind that our resources are limited. We urgently need more trapping equipment. If our XL traps weren’t all currently in use across the state, we could get one to the next giant-breed dog much faster. And while I risk sounding ungrateful—which couldn’t be further from the truth—we have to be real: our GivingTuesday fundraiser sits at $134. Historically, GT donations helped sustain us for a while but these as well as donations across the board have dried up. An XL trap costs well over $500–600. It’s just math.
Honestly, we’re struggling, and have been for a while. I don’t know how much more my team can take. They are the most dedicated people I know when it comes to helping animals. But dealing with constant disrespect from entitled, unappreciative owners, as well as the general public, and the emotional toll of watching well-meaning people hurt recovery efforts is exhausting. Our track record is unmatched by any paid “pet recovery service,” but we couldn’t switch to a paid model without hurting the very animals we’re trying to help. No one on our team would be able to turn away an owner who couldn’t afford help. That’s just not who we are.
I don’t know what the solution is, but I wish someone did. For now, at least, the Ghost of Glendale is safe. We hope Clermont County or whichever rescue pulls him places him with someone who can keep him safe—someone who understands how to prevent those fence-jumping escapes. We’re sorry we couldn’t come sooner, big guy, but we’re so glad you cooperated and hopped right into Kim’s trap within minutes. Months running loose, caught safely in moments thanks to her expertise. ❤️❤️❤️
Lost Pet Recovery is run entirely on donations and is 100% volunteer-based. We’re a 501(c)(3) nonprofit in Columbus, OH. To support our mission:
— The “donate” button on our page: https://www.facebook.com/lostpetrecovery
— Venmo:
— PayPal Giving Fund: https://paypal.com/us/fundraiser/charity/2369747
— PayPal: [email protected]
— CharityNavigator.org to become a monthly sustainer
— Checks: Lost Pet Recovery, PO Box 16383, Columbus, OH 43216
💟 THANK YOU!! 💟
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