19/06/2025
Not every missing pet case we get is something we can be boots on the ground for. Very often, we have cases where the coaching and assistance we offer an owner whose pet has gone missing, is over the phone. It is then up to that owner to use the knowledge and do the work it takes to get their pet back.
This was the case recently for an owner, Lorian, and her dog Rosie. Lorian lives in Big Bear, CA with her family and their four dogs, Bailey and Rosie (German Shepherd duo), Bandit (a pittie mix), and a little Chihuahua named Charlie. On May 31st a contractor's error left their door unsecured and all four dogs got out. The three big dogs left Charlie behind and took off on an adventure. Bailey and Bandit were both found in generally the same area about 12 hours apart, but Rosie remained missing. Lorian was beside herself and both she and her daughter, reached out to numerous rescue specialists to try and get help. Lorian's daughter had reached out to us and asked if we would please reach out to her mom.
One of the most important things we tell owners is to contact the microchip company, submit that their pet is lost, and be sure their contact info is accurate and up to date. When we spoke with Lorian about this, she discovered there was a problem with the microchip number the shelter had assigned to Rosie. It didn't exist in any system. This is not information you want to find out AFTER your pet goes missing. The problem was that if someone found Rosie, they would not be able to get her home through her chip. Posters were going to be even more important now. We told Lorian to get those posters up everywhere she could. Lorian's sister, Kay, answered the call to come help and the two of them got busy.
One of the first sightings that came in was outside of the area where Rosie went missing, but it was close to the home where Lorian's mom lived and from where they had moved from not too long ago. It was possible Rosie had followed a scent leading her to her old house, so we sent Lorian and Kay to check it out.
Lorian was nervous and borderline frantic, as many owners are when their much loved family member goes missing. When she got to the location and discovered the dog was not Rosie, we decided to do a little experiment. We told Lorian to follow our instructions and use this opportunity to learn something important about dog behavior that could prove vital when she actually came across her dog.
We tell owners over and over that their dog may behave very much like a dog that doesn't know them during the time they are lost and that behavior could last even if they do see their dog all the way up until their dog is able to pick up their familiar scent. Owners need to refrain from calling to their dog and beckoning them to come to them. 98% of dogs will respond by running away and hiding no matter how bonded they are to the owner and almost 100% of owners don't believe us when we tell them this information. We wanted to show Lorian exactly what to do when she came across Rosie and build her confidence and trust so she would be successful.
We asked Lorian to get out of the car and completely ignore the dog. Then told her to sit on the curb and continue to ignore the dog. We predicted the dog would be curious enough about getting her scent to approach her as long as she was uninterested in challenging the dog. It worked like a charm. The dog came up behind Lorian to sniff her and welcomed her to his neighborhood as she calmly was allowed to pet him before his owner called him back to their house. Lorian was blown away and we knew it was an experience she would not easily forget, and would prove useful in the future.
Several long, anxiety-ridden days later, when the right call came in that Rosie had been spotted on the same road her mom and Bandit were found, Lorian was ready to go get her. She grabbed Charlie (her smallest and calmest dog who was very bonded to Rosie) and headed over to the edge of the forest Rosie had been seen heading toward. It was getting dark, so we felt it was safest for Lorian to take Charlie for a quick stroll to get their scent in the air and then to stay in her car and leave the door open for Rosie.
While still on the phone with our team, Lorian listened and did just that.
Charlie growled a little, indicating he heard something Lorian could not see or hear. We were hopeful it was Rosie. After just a few minutes and confidently trusting everything we told her to do, we were able to hear Lorian whisper a calm and gentle "Hi" to Rosie, who had just come to her car door and quickly jumped in beside her.. we were so happy... Lorian started crying,
and yes, we were crying too.
Rosie was finally safe after 11 days! She lost 20lbs while on the run, but was otherwise ok. Great job by Lorian in listening to all the advice she had been given. It was key to Rosie being reunited.
Welcome home Rosie! (Pictured below far right with her furry family!
