Lost Pet Recovery

06/27/2025

Richmond, Ky

Black lab from Exit 97 in Richmond has been safely and humanely trapped!
(I’ll add a video in comments where he was trapped, since it won’t allow me to add pictures and a video)

This boy had been running, crossing and living along I75 for about 7-8 weeks, maybe longer. ?
I started seeing a lot of posts about him on the interstate and near the exit ramp. I saw where people in the area were trying to secure him and hoped to soon see that he was safe, but later I see a post that he had been hit by a truck crossing the interstate and seen running into a tree line or bushes after he was hit. He was spotted there shortly after, but they weren’t able to secure him at that time and he was gone when they returned. Everyone assumed he had probably succumbed to his injuries. There was no sighting for weeks.
A few days ago (6 weeks after being hit) he was posted again, almost getting hit (again) crossing the interstate, but still around the same area. There had been a few other sightings a few miles south between exit 95- 90. After some talk with my team and mapping the area of sightings and figuring out a probable route he takes with crossing back and forth, I took a camera up there and baited the area well, just hoping we were correct on his path and could lure him in. It worked and he showed up on camera just a couple hours later. He had a good meal there and even slept in the area for the rest of the night, until daylight.
I went back up late yesterday afternoon to get a trap out, knowing they usually return to where they find food.
He was back and in the trap around 5am this morning and finally safe!

Thank you to everyone that took the time to make a post about him or share the post. That’s often such an important part and the start to getting a dog safe. He sure looks grateful for everyone’s help don’t you think?

This very lucky and very sweet boy now needs a Name and a Home or Rescue commitment.

Donations to help with vetting and care for him or any of the other multiple dogs that our team works so hard to get safe are ALWAYS very welcomed and sooo greatly appreciated!

— The “donate” button on our page https://www.facebook.com/lostpetrecovery
— Venmo (Be careful to use this exact Venmo as there are fraudsters with similar addresses.)
— PayPal Giving Fund at https://paypal.com/us/fundraiser/charity/2369747
— PayPal [email protected]
— CharityNavigator.org
to be a monthly sustainer
— Checks to Lost Pet Recovery, PO Box 16383, Columbus, OH 43216
💟 THANK YOU!! 💟

06/17/2025

06/16/2025

XENIA (Greene County), OH: After 3 months on the run, Olive is safe in Xenia, going into our humane trap to which we have been conditioning her for the last month.

This is the third time we have trapped Olive. In her foster life in 2022 when she was known as “Bambi,” we trapped her twice—first in a box trap (like last night) and again in a panel trap (a modified dog kennel with an auto closer) that we had to build around her piece by piece over the course of 4.5 months, such was her sensitivity to any change.

For the last two years, Olive has been the beloved dog of a man named Bill, who was given our business card by the shelter in the event that Olive ever got out. Bill called us on March 18, three months ago, with the distressing news that his girl, terrified by the unexpected dropping of a load of wooden planks at the Lowe’s parking lot, pushed past him out of his vehicle and was on the run. As soon as we realized that Olive was Bambi from three years ago, we knew what we were up against.

We were able to identify two sighting locations where we, with the generous help of the residents (thank you, Kristina, Kyle, Kathleen, and JCL), were able to get her coming back for food periodically—maybe once a week. Over time, we narrowed to one location where Olive was coming back reliably several times a week. We decided to put out one of our largest box traps and see how she would respond. Would she leave the area? Would she approach and engage with the trap?

Using a method where we bait in a progression of small bowls, over time weighting the amount of food offered in each bowl as she shows her willingness to advance in the trap, we were able over the course of the last month to get her eating out of the bowl behind the trip plate. (In order for the trap to safely close behind a dog, the dog must step on that trip plate, and food is offered in this “jackpot” area to incentivize the dog stepping on the plate.)

Observing her carefully on two cell cams watching the trap, we saw the same Olympic stretches and bowl “stealing” that Olive exhibited three years ago—trying to get the food without having to get her body in the trap or going in quickly to grab the bowl and eat outside of the trap. But incrementally through a careful baiting strategy that used the bowls as a cue but also required her to have to stay at the back of the trap long enough to get the other goodies that were in the jackpot, we finally felt that her body language was comfortable enough in the trap to set it, which we did last night.

Cautiously hopeful but never underestimating this dog and her acute sensitivity to any change (which, in fact, keeps her alive when on the run), we weren’t sure what to expect. But it worked. She arrived at the trap a little later than usual, but she went in to eat from the jackpot and managed to step on that trip plate.

As Father’s Day was drawing to a close, dad Bill, who never gave up on his girl over the last three months, has Olive home again.

If you value this work and can, please consider supporting our all-volunteer, completely donation-driven mission. Here’s how:

— The “donate” button on our page https://www.facebook.com/lostpetrecovery
— Venmo
— PayPal Giving Fund at https://paypal.com/us/fundraiser/charity/2369747
— PayPal [email protected]
— CharityNavigator.org
to be a monthly sustainer
— Checks to Lost Pet Recovery, PO Box 16383, Columbus, OH 43216
THANK YOU!!

05/25/2025

GREENVILLE (Darke County), OH: Two lost souls in Greenville are SAFE this morning, both finding their way into the traps set by our volunteer in the area, Lori Miller.

Buttercup is a newly adopted little nugget who went missing earlier this week with her leash attached. She started to show herself last night about 500 feet from where she went missing (another instance of a displaced dog staying close or tracking back to the missing location). Lori was able to get a trap down on the fly upon seeing her, and an Egg McMuffin and 15 minutes were enough for Buttercup to find safety.

Within two hours later, a stray pup who has been seen out near Culbertson Rd & Sebring Warner Rd for the last week went into a trap Lori set last night. A local man concerned about this stray dog has been feeding him since last Sunday, keeping him close to one small area, and setting up a humane trapping opportunity. He also is trying to set up the best possible outcome for this pup going forward. Thank you, David.

You, our community of kindred spirits, also have our thanks. It is your support that allows us to have professional Tomahawk and Tru Catch humane traps, cellular trail cameras, and the monthly fees associated, in addition to the other operational costs that underpin our volunteer efforts. You come through big for us when we have urgent veterinary needs, but the daily operating costs are foundational to what we do, and we cannot do it without you.

Lost Pet Recovery runs completely on donations and is all volunteer. We are a 501(c)(3) non profit organization. To support our mission:
— The “donate” button on our page https://www.facebook.com/lostpetrecovery
— Venmo
— PayPal Giving Fund at https://paypal.com/us/fundraiser/charity/2369747
— PayPal [email protected]
— CharityNavigator.org
to be a monthly sustainer
— Checks to Lost Pet Recovery, PO Box 16383, Columbus, OH 43216
💟 THANK YOU!! 💟

05/18/2025

UPDATE 6/16/25: No owner came forward for this pup, now called Charlotte. She still is in our care and was spayed, vaccinated, microchipped, and heart worm/tick-borne-disease tested at The Great Life in Kent, Ohio. Once she is healed and ready, she will be going up for adoption. This care and vetting is part of where your donations to LPR go, so THANK YOU!

Painesville (Lake County), OH: STRAY FOUND SAFE! Please SHARE to find owner!

This little (maybe 20 pounds), scared munchkin was jetting around Painesville in the neighborhoods around Bank St & S State St (zip code 44077) since at least April 30. A local woman championed the effort to get this stray safe (thank you, Cassie!), and the pup eventually was contained in an enclosed back porch when the resident had the presence of mind to shut the door behind the dog when he saw it sleeping on the outside couch (thank you, Eric!).

The dog is not microchipped and has no collar.

If you have any information about this dog or know a family trying to locate this pup, please contact us at 614.377.1777. Thank you!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Lost Pet Recovery runs completely on donations and is all volunteer. We are a 501(c)(3) non profit organization. To support our mission:
— The “donate” button on our page https://www.facebook.com/lostpetrecovery
— Venmo
— PayPal Giving Fund at https://paypal.com/us/fundraiser/charity/2369747
— PayPal [email protected]
— CharityNavigator.org
to be a monthly sustainer
— Checks to Lost Pet Recovery, PO Box 16383, Columbus, OH 43216
💟 THANK YOU!! 💟

05/03/2025

Pre-Steve Kuklica days of Whitehall AC. 😂

We were asked yesterday by Whitehall AC to assist in trapping this girl in Whitehall near the senior center. She had been roaming the area for over a week. Within a few hours we were able to humanely trap her and bring her to safety. She will be vetted and fostered until we are able to find her humans. Here she is with Don from Lost Pet Recovery.

05/01/2025

PAINESVILLE TOWNSHIP (Lake County), OH: When we were notified that an injured domesticated silver fox was showing up in a neighborhood on Lake Erie, we headed up to see if we could assist in getting him safe. We arrived to find Fox Tale Sanctuary (Medina, OH) on site with efforts well underway. When it became apparent that this fox would not be lured, even though he was getting close enough at times to Michelle and Brynn from Fox Tale Sanctuary to eat from their hands, we set up a humane trap and cell cam in a yard (thanks, Sarah) where we knew he had frequented and where we knew he had rested most recently.

We baited the trap with raw chicken and a smelly can of sardines. After 5 hours or so, he emerged from his nap and was back on the move. We were so relieved when we saw his white-tipped tail swish on our cell camera, shortly followed by pics coming through of him in the trap, door closed.

Michelle and Brynn made the 3-hour round trip for the second time that day with wings on their heels as they came to bring this baby to his new home at Fox Tale Sanctuary. “Lake,” as he is now known, is being evaluated by their vet today and will have a forever home at the sanctuary with other captive-bred foxes who need a safe place to thrive.

04/21/2025

Mayfield Heights/Gates Mills/Hunting Valley/Moreland Hills/Orange Village ~ Cuyahoga County, Ohio: Whoever thinks small dogs don’t travel far has not met Benny, a mighty little Bichon who jumped from his new mom’s lap through the patio railing and made his way through 5 communities east of Cleveland during the week that he was missing.

From time to time Benny would show himself, usually along a roadway around dusk, causing cars to stop and concerned people to want to help secure him. But those good intentions typically resulted in Benny speeding away into the woods to pop up a few days later miles away.

At one point, in his flight from human help, he found himself on the side of a deep ravine, half way to the top of an 1,100 foot drop. Dusk was falling, and there was nothing to be done. (“Can’t you do ANYthing?!?" implored the teenage onlooker who had been trying to help him.) Any attempt to move toward him from any direction could cause him to lose his footing. We had to trust in his instincts to get himself out of that precarious position.

When we got our next lead 36 hours later confirming that he was still alive, he had once again moved several miles. But this lead placed him in a neighborhood where he had been seen within 30 feet of cat food—the first time we had any indication he might have found a food source. On the chance that he found that cat food (if so, he likely would come back for more), we placed a trap by the food and laid a strong line of canned chicken juice and sardine juice up to the area where he had been seen.

In the subsequent 12 hours, he once again popped up at dusk leading folks on a desperate chase (it is hard for compassionate humans to understand that it’s better to let the dog move freely rather than to try to “get” the dog), and we wondered if he already was miles away. But around midnight, a small white fluff ball popped up on our camera, and in the trap he went. Safe at last! The muddy little furball curled up all night with his new parents.

Distance from missing location to trapped location as a straight line: 6 miles. Minimum distance traveled as a straight line, sighting point to sighting point: 16 miles.

04/12/2025

LUCAS (Richland County), OHIO: Newly adopted puppy mill girl Daisy is safe after two weeks out. She went into our kennel panel trap yesterday after working up the courage to go all the way to the rear to break the infrared beam that releases the magnets, allowing the door to close behind her and contain her.

A newly adopted dog lost in an unfamiliar location (or any dog lost in an unfamiliar location—a vet’s office, the groomer, a car accident, a dumped dog) often will stay close or return to the missing location, usually in the overnight hours, especially if not pursued hard after getting out. And that’s exactly what Daisy did. She stayed close to her new home where she had gotten loose by pulling the leash hard in fear at the sound of an unfamiliar noise. Her new dad did all the right things—he left her alone by not trying to “get” her and fed her regularly so she stayed close and kept coming back.

Once we learned that Daisy had likely “beaten” the humane box trap that had been put out for her (the door to the box trap was closed with nothing in it), we reached out offering to bring a panel trap to try to get her safe as quickly as possible.

Some dogs will enter the large expanse of a panel trap almost immediately—it’s a dog kennel. But for many dogs, especially unsocialized skittish dogs, going through any doorway, crossing any threshold, can be a big deal. Day One, we ended up building the trap and leaving the front two panels off (no door), allowing her to go in and eat and become conditioned to the space. Day Two, we put the front panels and door on, bungeed the door, and let her get used to crossing the threshold and going inside to eat. Even yesterday when she ended up going all the way to the rear of the live trap to safety, you can see her stretching as far as possible, trying to get the food without putting her back paws across that threshold.

Daisy and her adoring dad are back together, and this unsocialized pup who spent the first almost year of her life in a puppy mill is already giving her dad affectionate kisses. Happiness!

03/27/2025

HAPPY UPDATE: Olive is SAFELY HOME!! See story here: https://www.facebook.com/share/v/16WoB3aN7Y/

XENIA (Greene County), Ohio: Please stay alert for Olive, a reddish tan w/white smaller pit mix, who went missing at the Xenia Lowe’s on 3/18/25 with possible sightings along the Bellbrook Avenue corridor.

Olive’s family is desperately missing her and has been working tirelessly to get her home.

If you see this shy, sweet girl, please don’t acknowledge her, as she will run. Instead, immediately contact her dad Bill at 248.802.7146 or LPR at 614.377.1777.

Your help sharing this post to local community pages, many of which are private, would be hugely appreciated. Thank you!!

03/26/2025

EUCLID (Cuyahoga County), Ohio: The sound of his dad’s truck literally stopped lost brindle Plott Hound Zeus in his tracks last night about 1 AM, and he’s back in the safekeeping of his relieved dad and grandpa after being missing along Euclid Avenue for the last two weeks.

After getting a tip yesterday from Euclid Animal Control that Zeus possibly was visiting the Taco Bell dumpster in the overnight hours, Zeus’s dad and grandpa (who came up from Texas to help with Zeus’s search) staked out the Taco Bell area overnight to gather more information and possibly get a sighting of their pup.

They saw their boy tearing down the Richmond Road hill toward Euclid Avenue. He careened through the Taco Bell corner and passed by the food station that had been set for him. But as soon as his dad flipped the truck’s motor on, Zeus stopped. He looked at the inhabitants of the truck under the interior domed light. He listened as his dad, window rolled down, did his signature beckoning whistle. He listened as his grandpa gave his special call.

The familiarity of the sounds, sights, and smells (his favorite home-cooked chicken dish) helped bring him out of survival mode enough that he approached his dad in the passenger window, pawing to get in. Once dad knew Zeus recognized him, he was able to gently open the door and haul his big boy inside.

So many concerned folks extended a helping hand to this young man who had just moved to the Cleveland area from Texas when he was faced with the loss of his best friend. Maggie Condon, a Good Samaritan deeply concerned about Zeus’s loss, rolled out a campaign of “lost dog” intersection signs, supported the family’s efforts to stay in touch with the local authorities and online resources, and got the pivotal tip about the Taco Bell. She was instrumental in his safe recovery. Loren, a stranger who had a sighting of Zeus in neighboring Richmond Heights, went out of her way to communicate his flyer in person and online to her network in the area. Euclid Animal Control was a constant support as they pursued possible sightings of Zeus.

Zeus is exhausted and resting comfortably under the watchful eye of his family as he regains his strength…and listens for the sweet sound of dad’s truck as he comes home.