It can happen to even the most conscientious and careful of owners. The unexpected occurs, and your dog is missing. If you have other dogs, make sure they can’t follow the escapee into trouble. Don’t waste time blaming yourself, and don’t panic. Most lost dogs are found, but the sooner you organize, the better your chances. Although every case is different, consider these general concepts. 

Initial Search
If your dog has just disappeared begin your search by going first to 

• the most likely place for your dog to go, which is usually a place he has been to before
• the most dangerous place for your dog to go, which is usually a highway or an area where a hunter or alarmed rancher could harm him

If your dog isn’t in one of these target places check back where he was last seen. Then do a quick search of the immediate area. 

If you have not found your dog yet chances are you’re starting to feel like you’re looking for a needle in a haystack. In a sense, it is. That’s why after the first couple of hours your time is better spent convincing others to help you search. 

Follow-up Strategies
Call friends and neighbors to help. Many jobs need to be performed:

• Maintain a home base where the dog disappeared. Many dogs will return to the place they were last with their owner. If possible keep your car parked there with a door open; camp out in it if it’s safe to do so. If your dog sleeps in a crate leave it where he was last seen.  Always leave articles with your fresh scent on them in the area. Make sure if your dog returns he doesn’t feel like you’ve left him. 
• Continue the foot search; searchers should have cell phones if possible and a phone line to the dog’s owners should be kept open. Too many searchers may actually scare some lost dogs.  Strange people calling them or worse, trying to catch them, can send them into a panic to the point they won’t even recognize their owner. If the dog is in a safe area, searchers should keep an eye on him from a distance and wait for the owner to arrive. Remember, also, that a dog that is caught in or on something may bark or whine but will usually become quiet when he hears voices calling. Searchers should be sure to include quiet time. 
• Ask area delivery people, children, and neighbors if they have seen a strange dog
• Call and then visit area veterinarians to see if an injured dog has been brought in
• Visit area shelters to look at every single dog, including those in quarantine areas, they have picked up since yours was lost. Most shelter workers are not well versed at identifying breeds. You must visit the shelters in person. Find out how many days they hold strays before they euthanize them and revisit at least that often. 
• Make large posters to hang in the immediate area. The poster should state in large red letters “REWARD” followed by the amount of the reward you plan to offer if $150 or more and specify “For Information Leading to the Return Of this Lost Dog.” The larger the reward, the more interest it will attract. Include a photo of the dog and a large phone number that is always manned. Place the posters at every intersection so people in stopped cars can read them. At traffic lights place several along the line cars will be stopped. Also place posters along sidewalks and any place people pass by at a slow pace. Saturate the area as much as possible, and mark on a map where you’ve placed posters. Two person driver & passenger poster teams are most efficient. Posters are taped (Scotch magic transparent brand works best) or stapled (heavy duty staple gun works best) on opposite sides of each pole or surface.  Place them at eye level for pedestrian traffic and lower for auto traffic. You can place each poster in a plastic baggy if rain threatens to ruin them. Remember to remove your posters once your dog is found. And remember that some local ordinances may prohibit posters. 
• PetSmart sells rolls of plastic “fill in the blank” Lost Dog posters for 69 cents each
• Place posters or fliers in all area grooming shops and pet supply stores
• Place posters on all searchers’ cars
• Go to convenience stores, laundry mats, grocery stores, and other high traffic places and ask to post your poster in a prominent location or on the bulletin board. 
• Contact local schools and ask to place posters in a prominent location or have teachers hand out fliers
• Make fliers to hand out in the immediate area and to personally deliver to veterinary clinics and animal shelters; also try to have your local post office, UPS, and Federal Express offices post fliers for their workers to see. Follow the guidelines for making the poster. 
• Make mailer postcards for delivery in a larger target area (2 to 5 mile radius from the place your dog was lost) and to veterinary clinics and animal shelters. Follow the guidelines for making the poster.
• Note that some national organizations, such as www.sherlockbones.com  (1-800-942-6637) can help you prepare posters and pre-addressed mailers (depending on your location) and deliver them to you by overnight mail for a fee. 
• Call the non-emergency phone for the local police agencies and ask that patrolling officers to be on a lookout for the dog.
• Find somebody with a CB radio and ask that they get the word out to truck drivers. 
• Take out a classified ad in the newspaper. Choose the paper with the largest circulation.  Don’t be too specific about the area in which your dog was lost because if he’s spotted elsewhere people may assume it’s not him. Don’t state the dog is valuable, or a beloved family pet. Some cruel people use such ads as ways to upset you by calling and saying they’ve killed your dog just to hear your reaction. Don’t give the dog’s name. Do say the dog needs medication. Check the ad for accuracy. 
• Check the found ads in all regional papers.
• Call local radio stations and try to have them announce the lost dog
• Contact a reporter and try to have a sufficiently interesting story to motivate the paper to write an article about your missing dog.
• Deputize children to place fliers and posters, search the area, and get the word out to classmates.
• Contact area school bus drivers.
• Get the word out on internet groups. 
• Contact local kennel clubs and training classes for helpers.
• Keep your helpers well fed and comfortable. Always have coffee and food ready for them. Have one person devoted to child-care if that would help increase the number of workers available.
• Provide cell phones or walkie-talkies for as many searchers as possible. Do not use phone lines for chatting.
• Consider hiring helpers from college job boards or high schools.
• In open country, consider hiring a small plane.
• In rural areas, have crop dusters, ranchers, farmers and hunters alerted to your lost dog.
• Be aware of local events or clubs in the area; trail riding, hiking or even boating clubs, for example, should be alerted.
• Contact the city or county road clean up crews to find if they have removed any dogs hit by cars. As sad as that ending is, it’s better than never knowing if your dog is still lost.

• A photo is the best descriptor of your dog.  A good, clear photo of a dog that looks like yours is better than a poor, fuzzy photo of your own dog. 
• Most people do not know one breed of dog from another. Don’t just state the breed; describe it. “Looks like a greyhound with long hair on ears and tail” is a much better description than “saluki.” Don’t use dog terms to describe colors. “Marked like a husky with a black body and white mask and legs” is better than “black grizzle.”
• Don’t describe everything about your dog. Keep some secret identifying markers to prove that people who claim to have found your dog really have. 

• Ask the caller to thoroughly describe your dog. Don’t ask leading questions that could cue them to the correct answer. If your dog has a tattoo ask the caller to read it to you. If the caller is incorrect, do not divulge the correct description or number, as the caller can then relay it to an accomplice who will call later with all the right answers. Remember to act thankful, not suspicious, when asking the caller to describe your dog; you don’t want to discourage sincere callers. 
• Do not give anyone reward money until you have your pet in hand. One popular scam is to call and say “I’ve found your dog, but I was on a trip and now he’s back with me in another state.” They often add that he was injured and needed veterinary treatment. They ask only to be reimbursed and for you to pay his airfare back. They almost always request payment by way of Western Union, and seldom have a way of calling them back. Of course, once you pay no dog arrives at the airport because they never had him in the first place. 
• Take precautions when dealing with any stranger. Don’t let your excitement and hope cloud your sense of caution. Go to get your dog with a friend. Meet the finder in a public place and exchange the dog and reward money. 
• Don’t give up hope. Many dogs have been found days, weeks, and sometimes even months after they’ve been lost. But the less time that elapses before you mobilize your search, the greater your chances are of recovery. This is one time it pays to be an alarmist, and one of many times it pays to be prepared.