Lost Pet Research & Recovery

29/07/2025

My blog article on testing and research of Dog GPS Trackers is finally done. I decided to go ahead and leave the Whistle tracker data even though they are discontinuing that device. In the future I'll remove Whistle and add more testing on Tractive and the newest Fi collar.

Learn how to select the best dog GPS tracker for your dog. Based on the experience and research of a lost pet recovery specialist.

28/07/2025

I just learned that Tractive bought out Whistle and those devices will stop working on 8/31. If you have a Whistle dog GPS tracker, you have until 9/30 to get a free Tractive device. Here's the link for more info: https://tractive.com/en/fp/whistle.

I literally just finished writing up my blog article where I tested and compared dog GPS trackers Fi, Tractive and Whistle. Guess I might as well go in and edit out all the Whistle data. Fortunately (I guess) Whistle was the tracker that performed the worst and I wasn't recommending it.

GPS Tracking on smartphone for your pet - Directly from the Manufacturer ✓ No.1 World Market Leader ✓ Pet Safety ✓ Worldwide Coverage ✓ Free Shipping ✓ Known from the Apple TV Spot ✓ Location update every 3 seconds ✓ 100% waterproof ✓ Available in iOS and Android - The Tractive GPS T...

20/05/2025

Luna is helping me test and compare three popular dog GPS trackers: Fi, Whistle Go Explore 2.0 and Tractive Dog 6. What is most important to you in selecting a GPS tracking device? If you would like to see the results as I do the tests or contribute your ideas, you can join my Lost Pet Research project group.

18/04/2025

Just letting everyone know that I am still alive and working cases. I'm staying within an hour of South Hadley, MA, at this time and mostly doing phone consultations. Luna is finally letting me get a few hours of computer work done most days. She was such a crazy puppy that she's actually a much calmer adolescent.

I still don't know if she'll be a good search dog, but she's a great little dog. Unfortunately, she strained a leg muscle a few months ago and it's taking forever to heal. So I bought this cart/bike trailer to take her on long walks every day. It's a little embarrassing for me but she loves it.

28/09/2024

Luna is showing good promise as a cat detection dog though I'm still hopeful that she might like to search for dogs too. It looks like I'm going to have to reach out and find more dog-friendly cats as my kitties are now old and uninterested in an excited puppy. But maybe they'll warm up to her eventually.

18/09/2024

Meet Luna the newest member of the Lost Pet Research Team. We picked her up about a week ago but I've been too busy to post. At this time I'm not available for on-site assistance, but can still do virtual consultations. If you'd like to see lots more puppy pictures and follow Luna's training, you can follow her here: https://www.facebook.com/LunaTheACD/

04/09/2024

On Friday I'm heading down south to meet Luna, my future lost pet search dog. Obviously it's going to be a while before she's ready to search, but she's already working on her kitty wrangling skills.

21/08/2024

It's been a long time coming, but I am finally starting the search for my next lost pet search dog. I'm aiming for a scent-specific trailing dog but I'd also consider a cat detection dog.

I'm hoping to find a dog between now and next summer. If anyone has any leads on dogs or good rescue groups, please let me know. I will want to meet and test them before adoption, so they need to be within the Northeast. I'd prefer to adopt but I would consider purchasing a pure bred puppy if from a working dog line and reputable breeder.

My Ideal Search Dog Candidate

Puppy or Young Dog up to 2 years.

Small to Medium Size - ideally between 10 to 40 lbs. I want to be able to carry them in an emergency.

Must LOVE cats! They will primarily be searching for lost cats and I live with two senior kitties.

Must like other dogs and be okay around children. I don't have either but we often encounter them on searches.

No significant fear or aggression issues. No sound phobias is a major plus.

High search and play drives. High food drive is a plus.

I'm starting my search for my next lost pet search dog. Looking for a special puppy or dog with the right drive and temperament.

20/08/2024

I had a great time at the Pet Search and Rescue Conference in upstate New York last month. There were many opportunities to watch different dogs working the scent training scenarios. I even had the chance to try working with a few of Annalisa Berns’ and Susan Long’s search dogs. Perhaps most useful, I had the chance to ask experienced search dog handlers lots of training and business questions. I’m now ready to start looking for a new search dog to train, and I’m excited to implement some new ideas to improve how I run my business.

15/08/2024

Today is Check the Chip Day! Did you know that around half of microchipped pets that arrive in shelters never make it home? This is primarily due to unregistered microchips and incorrect contact information. Take a moment today to make sure that your pets' microchips are properly registered and up to date. If you're not sure, learn how to check here:

Learn how pet microchips work and what can go wrong. Find out if your pet’s microchip is working and what to do if it isn't.

30/06/2024

Sushi is home safe after nearly a month missing! She was on a harness away from home when something startled her. She slipped out of her harness and disappeared into some woods. She was ultimately found due to a Facebook post to a community page. Someone had been feeding her for about a week and was able to secure her on their porch. She had traveled nearly a mile from her location lost, which is unusual for an indoor-only cat.

When a lost cat travels outside of your poster/flyer area, local online posting such as community Facebook groups and Nextdoor are most effective. People tend to post found cats or cats that they are feeding to these places before posting them to lost pet pages/groups. You should follow Facebook groups in the town your cat is missing and nearby towns. In this case Sushi was posted to a different town because the person feeding her did not use Facebook and someone visiting took photos and shared the post.

It is also important to make connections with cat rescuers, lost pet page moderators, and feral cat feeders. They tend to pay attention to found cat posting and share them. In this case a feral cat feeder alerted me to the post and the owner saw it herself around the same time, but I’ve had several other cases where rescuers were pivotal to online recoveries.
- Chicopee, MA

10/06/2024

If you are interested in learning about training a lost pet tracking dog, there's still time to sign up for the Pet Search and Rescue Conference in the Adirondacks, July 19-21, 2024. You don't even need a dog to attend, you can learn a lot as an observer.

To the heroes working in animal rescue....

Join us at the Pet Search and Rescue Conference in the Adirondacks, July 19-21, 2024, and unlock your dog's potential.

Register: https://forms.gle/EMwsNDJ2hA8AXVH69

More Details: https://www.petsearchandrescue.com/conferences