Salty Dog Pet Services, LLC

27/12/2024

If you think a full grown dog can't fit under a deck, porch or crawlspace...this dog in Dedham, MA would like to prove you wrong.
Also, there is an important message in this happy ending story regarding choosing the RIGHT animal caregiver that understands animal behavior and animal communication, as well as setting your caregiver up for success by letting them know any behavioral quirks your pet may have. In this work, it's not enough to just be an animal lover. Excellent pet caregivers need to be (and are) SO much more.

On Christmas Day, we responded to a call by a pet sitter, reporting that one of the dogs for which she was caring, had gotten off its leash and was hiding deep within the latticed outdoor space underneath the rear porch of its home. She stated that it had been over an hour and that the dog would not respond to her.

The dog, according to the owner (with whom we spoke over the phone, as she was out of town), is a very timid, recently rescued dog (from Korea) that is unfamiliar, not only with the pet sitter, but also with the home/town (and country) within which it resides.

Prior to our arrival, the police officer on scene (with whom we know to be well-versed in her knowledge of rescue dog behavior), had already attempted to coax the dog out from underneath the porch space by way of the other dog from the home. Unfortunately, fear upstaged the semi-forged canine pair’s companionship, and the effort ceased to prevail.

Our calm, gentle, persuasively-efforted and patient communication strategy, also grew dim in generating our desired response from the dog.

So, we set a humane trap, with the presumption that after two recent meals, it was unlikely the dog would motivate out to eat with any sense of promptness, and that we would likely need to rely on the dog’s urge to escape the elements, or a little garnered trust and brevity, or a combination of both. At least for the time being.

Reaching for the dog with any equipment would only push the dog further under the structure; the space around it, despite the lattice, was far too narrow for a person to crawl underneath.

We backed off, with the trap in place, to give the dog some time to ease its anxieties and ponder its choices.

As the sun began its decent and the temperature began to drop, brevity prevailed…and the three-hour standoff gave way to the dog’s appearance at the back door. All, as expected, on the dog’s terms.

Rescued dogs, especially those previously homeless, require a great deal of patience, understanding and the building of mutual trust in a new home. These dogs are instinctively self protectors and self preservationists. Many of them have deep-seated reasons to fear or distrust humans, and these fears can take a long time to develop into acceptance of new environments, new people, and a general new life after trauma. Running and hiding is how these dogs often respond to overwhelmth and uncertainty. It is also a common response when a stranger suddenly interrupts their adjustment progress.

Dog owners- please….especially with rescued dogs - but even as a general rule of thumb- take the time to introduce a pet sitter to your dog. Don’t just visit a pet sitter app or respond to a social media ad and hire a pet sitter-without investing the time to introduce, witness and build a comfortable familiarity between that person and your dog.

Arrange visits, between you, the dog sitter and your dog-and hold several of them before relinquishing keepership custody. Ask the pet sitter if they plan to bring a spouse, friend or children into your home, and if so, make those introductions in advance as well, and set visitor boundaries, if necessary.

A dog who is already fearful of people, by nature, is unlikely to entrust a person with whom it has just met. The dog is unfamiliar with the persons scent, voice, physical appearance, body language and mere presence inside ‘its’ home. This, coupled with its owner(s) being absent and a change in consistency and routine, in what has become ‘the new norm’, can easily become a recipe for incident.

Dog sitters- understanding dog behavior, reading dog body language, asking questions about quirks and histories - should be a prerequisite in becoming a pet sitter. Loving dogs, having grown up with a dog, nor the monetary motivation of pet sitting, should not ever replace being educated in ‘dog’ and the understanding of the responsibility and liability that goes along with it.

Thankfully, this incident resolved as it did yesterday.

We are sharing this to guide dog owners -and pet service providers. And yes, we do this a lot and we will keep on doing it, as long as we respond to these incidents, and as long as we feel there is a need to do so.

A huge shout out to Westwood Police Officer Kathryn McCarron, who’s ceaseless compassion for animals, commitment to the community she serves, and unequivocal partnership to us-is greatly valued!

[Photo: Dog in need of our rescue, hiding under porch]

18/12/2024

This little chihuahua lost for a MONTH in Massachusetts (11/17 - 12/15) was finally spotted by a nearby neighbor and successfully, humanely trapped in the abandoned barn he had made his temporary home away from home. Our dogs are resourceful and resilient, even the tiny ones.

I'm so thankful the person who spotted Lucky knew NOT to pursue him or disturb the SAFE haven he had made for himself and instead called in the sighting so trained folks could recover him. Had he been scared out of hiding he could have moved out of the area and the search would have to start again at square one.

Lucky from Athol missing since 11/17 was trapped 12/15/24! A neighbor had called in a sighting in real time and and MDM Keri B was able to go to an abandoned barn she assumed he was in. Keri was able to get w video of him just sleeping curled up. Animal control came right away and he was in the trap 15 minutes later!

17/12/2024

This is amazing. Just reunited. And a great example of how a lost dog does NOT just run to people to be saved and why well-intentioned folks should not pursue or call out to a lost dog. Even her own parents seem a bit scary to her. These folks did all the right things. Low, slow, soft. I'm not crying, YOU'RE crying 🥹☺️🐾

14/12/2024

Another pup, this time off the Cundy's Harbor Rd side of town. Be vigilant. With his mobility issues, it is likely he bedded down somewhere close by in a barn, garage, shed, under a porch or other sheltered place.

***12/13/24***RIDLEY IS MISSING FROM HARPSWELL, ME
Ridley has been missing from his home on Hidden Pond Road by Oak Ledge Road in Harpswell since yesterday 12/12. He is a 14 year old 50 lb black & white neutered male English Springer Spaniel - not wearing a collar. If you see Ridley DO NOT CHASE HIM! Call Tyler right away at (207) 240-0977 with the exact location of any sightings.

NOTE: Ridley has vestibular disease which affects his balance and also causes him to tilt his head.
Midcoast Humane

06/12/2024

Gracie is still missing from her home in Harpswell.

There have been reports from residents of recent sightings of a similar dog loose in South Harpswell but nothing concrete with a picture.
One sighting in the morning around Nov 17 and one around midnight Nov 29. She may be changing her activity patterns as the weather patterns also shift. So remain vigilant at all hours.

We have updated her flyer with a full body picture and a 'still missing' banner. The family is following all statewide leads.

Please if you see a loose dog, the FIRST THING you should do is take out your phone and get a picture. The SECOND THING you should do is call the number on this flyer. Do NOT pursue the dog. I know that is counterintuitive, but a stranger pursuing her, no matter how kind and well-intentioned, can scare her further out of the area.

We need sightings, not heroes.

The best chance of getting a loose dog to settle down in one area is get a sighting so the FAMILY AND DEDICATED SEARCH TEAM can enact a very specific plan to keep the loose dog in that area, humanely trap and bring her home.

With no evidence of foul play and no evidence of her demise, we know that Gracie is still out there.

Thank you so much for all your help. We need all the eyes and ears in all the places we cannot be.

29/11/2024

This attached article encapsulates how exhaustive and exhausting a search for a missing pet is.

In the search for Gracie in my town of Harpswell, many well-meaning folks have unintentionally deflated the spirits of not only me, personally, but of Gracie's family with statements/opinions outlined in this article.

I get it. No one really knows what to say to any family searching for a lost pet. Folks want to offer up some sort of solution as the weeks march on. Take a beat and stop yourself from saying how sad it is or how worried you are or how devastating it all is. And, for the love of pets, please stop offering opinions on what you 'think' happened.

The best thing to offer is encouragement. Tell them how their efforts have impressed you. Say how seeing the flyers they've hung inspired you to talk about their pet to strangers in the grocery line. Let them know that learning about all the steps they've taken has built up your own awareness of what rescuing a lost pet should look like. Tell them that because of the community coming together behind the pet search that you felt a sense of belonging and solidarity you haven't felt in a while.

Better yet, tell them specifically about the porch with the busted lattice you looked under or the creepy shed with the old rotted door you opened or the tarp covered boat you peeked into looking for their scared, lost, possibly injured pet. Tell them how you called your neighbor who you noticed buttoned up their seasonal home the first week of November and asked them to send someone to have a quick look at/in the property. A search, particularly in a rural setting, needs many eyes and many actions, not just thoughts and prayers.

You aren't giving the family 'false hope' when you do this. I guarantee you, searching families are grounded in the very harsh reality of a lost pet. But hope is something they can never have too much of. It is indeed the thing that drives them to replace a tattered rain-soaked flyer for the 4th time in as many weeks or to follow that seemingly impossible lead two towns away. And until the search is resolved, even as it may scale back so the family can reassemble some kind of new normal, there is ALWAYS hope.

Wigglebutts and purring vibes,
Shani

Why We Say “Never Give Up” Our motto is “Never Give Up”. It seems obvious, but there is an underlying reason that we say it. We know that dogs can be recovered weeks, months and even years after they go missing. The key factor in a successful recovery is the emotional commitment of the owner...