Congratulations on your new fur friend!
You just saved your new dog from the shelter or rescued him from the streets. He isn’t used to his new home or surroundings and he may be looking to escape to “get back to his home”. There are several things you should do as soon as you bring him home, or maybe even on the way home. If he does lose his way, how will someone that finds him get him back to you? Less than 20% of lost dogs are returned to their owners. Make sure if your dog is found that someone can contact you. That is the fastest way to get your pet back to you. Here are 5 things you should buy before bringing home a new dog.
Help Bring Your Dog Home
License Plate
Driver’s License
1. Make sure your dog has a collar with a name tag that includes your phone number. You can have your name and number embroidered into the collar or you can even have tags that look like a human’s driver license or license plate.
2. Take photos of your new fur friend. I know, you already have taken hundreds of photos already, but make sure to take a photo of each side and of any distinguishing marks he may have. Now, your photos will be available in the unlikely event that the worst has happened and your fur friend is missing. You will need those photos for social media, posters and lost pet apps. Upcoming article: A review of lost pet apps.
3. Create a profile on a pet app like FidoFinder. Upload photos and a description of your dog while he is safe. If your dog becomes, lost you can select “I’m Lost” and your dog’s info will be made available in the app. You can search under found dogs to see if anyone has caught him. Owners and finders can search by breed, color, size, sex and zip code. You can even offer a reward. Most apps that I review in this article, An App is the Best Way to Find a Lost Dog, were free.
Having your pet micro chipped costs around $45 and no anesthesia is needed. Before buying a microchip, check to see if your vet will accept one that he hasn’t provided. My vet will not. When you purchase a microchip, they will usually register your pet at no charge, but some organizations have annual fees and provide extra services with registration. Some organizations that provide microchips and/or registration are AKCReunite.org, the Microchip Registration Center and Found Animals.org. Remember, the information on the microchip will only be available after your pet is found and will not track your dog.
5. Buy a Tracking Device. Your dog wears a device attached to their collar and is detected by satellite or a tracking device. There are two types, GPS or radio frequency monitors.
Whistle
A. GPS tracker. There are many companies that sell a GPS tracker. Typically, you buy the tracker ($100-250) and have a monthly subscription of $7-10. If you buy this type of device, make sure you know which cellular service it is using. These devices use cellular data and towers to provide the location of your dog in real time. Many can tell you, via an app on your phone, if your pet is sleeping or active. Some even have a microphone and you can talk to your dog. If your pet wanders outside a predetermined area, a notification will be sent to your phone. Then you can open the app and see where your dog is. Sometimes it may take several minutes to locate your dog. If your dog is like me, I can cover quite a distance if I am chasing a rabbit or deer. And that area may include a busy street, so a GPS tracker may not update you fast enough. Whistle 3 claims it can now locate you if you are 3,000 miles away! But, if you are in the woods, you may not get cell reception and you must have a WiFi connection to set up some trackers.
We tried the Whistle. When I got off the deck, before we had a fence, my mom was amazed at all the different directions I went while roaming the woods. She did try to supervise me and I was never left on my own, but I can run pretty fast.
Whistle 3 uses AT&T, America’s Largest Cellular Network. (They previously used Verizon.)
Please keep in mind this is for the Whistle 3 tracker and not your mobile phone. As long as you have
cellular data & reception on your iOS or Android phone, you’ll be able to communicate with the Whistle app.
This is not true!
Unfortunately, Whistle uses AT&T cell towers and we happen to live in their dead zone. My mom would receive notice of where I had been AFTER I got home. So yes, it will communicate with you, but probably not when you want it to. This wasn’t going to work for us. It took many hours of calls to Whistle; they were very nice and helpful while we tried to troubleshoot why my location did not appear on in the app. The dead zone was the reason. If you are in an AT&T coverage area, it is pretty cool to see what your dog is up to when he is out and about.
I just discovered the Findster Duo. It is a GPS tracker that works with your phone. It does not have a monthly subscription and they say you do not need cell coverage or even a SIM card to make it work. That might be worth checking out.
OR
Read a review of the Top 13 Pet GPS Trackers.
Sometimes It Happens
Even though your dog may be an inside dog, there are many ways he could become lost.
Hurricanes, tornadoes, fire and floods can scare your pet and he may run. There will be lots of confusion and damage in the area. He may lose track of where he belongs or maybe his and your home was destroyed or is underwater.
Maybe he didn’t like being boarded and escaped from the kennel, vet or doggy day care. I have seen videos of dogs escaping kennels with doors that locked from the outside, but only needed to have the handle opened from the inside. Check out this video.
Maybe your dog was insistent on chasing after that squirrel and even though you had an inescapable harness on him, he got out of it. (I did that one day. No one knew I was able to get out of the harness. Not even me until I tried.)
Maybe the dog walker got distracted, or your dog decided to dig under the fence.
Maybe your vehicle was involved in an accident and he got away when rescuers tried to help.
No matter how your best friend got away, all you want is to get him back. Being prepared with these 5 simple items will ensure that he gets back home quicker.
My Dog Is Missing!
I know you are a very conscientious dog owner and you love your dog. You bought the 5 items listed above and tried to keep him safe, but due to one of the reasons above, he got away and the tracking systems are unable to pick him up, either due to terrain or because your dog has gotten out of range. Read the article, 8 Tips on What To Do If Your Dog Is Missing, if your dog is still missing and you have no idea where he is and can’t pick him up on your electronic device. There are several more tips that can help your dog find his way back home to you. Don’t give up!
I like to hear from my readers. Did your dog ever escape? What did you do to bring him back home? What wold you do differently? Do you use a GPS Tracker? Which one? Please share to help another dog owner.
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Hi, I’m Trixie! I love treats, sleeping, chewing up my toys and I especially like chasing small critters that enter my yard. (Don’t worry, my mom makes sure that I don’t catch any of them.) I was rescued when someone dumped me at the driveway, pregnant with 10 little puppies. Though my mom had dogs as a kid, she realized there was a lot she didn’t know.
We decided to create this website to help you with issues that you may not be aware of and to share information about the best foods, toys, treats and places to explore with your fur friend. You’ll learn all about raising your dog to be happy and healthy and we will have some fun along the way!
If you would like to create an online business, I found a great place that will help you learn what you need to know, for free. Hey, if a dog can do it, you can too! Just click here.
Hi Trixie, excellent post! Our dogs each have name tags with our phone number on them. One did escape and our neighbour called us from the number on the tag. At least it was just the one time. Our yard is quite secure. Definitely important to be prepared. Thanks for sharing!
Hi Tara, I’m glad your dog was found quickly and safely and you were prepared. I like happy endings! Though your yard is secure, remember, there are other times that your dogs may not be in the yard when they get away, such as the vet, groomers, pet store or bad weather. It is the unexpected that always gets us. Thanks for your comments. Don’t miss out on future dog treat recipes and health information by joining my pack!
Helllo Trixie, When my kids were very young we had a high strung golden that just loved jumping fences. This info would have been helpful then! Great article. Hard to think of all of this when you are just so happy to have furry companion.
IN peace and gratitude, ariel
Hi Ariel,
I’m sorry this article wasn’t available to you then when your fur friend was jumping the fence, but hopefully by getting this info out now will help others if their pet becomes lost. Yes, it is hard sometimes to think clearly when we are apart. I know my mom worries about me even when I am boarded and safe. She doesn’t like to board me, but sometimes it has to be done. She has told me she wonders what I am doing and if they are taking care of me. It is hard for her to enjoy what she is doing while missing me. I think she worries to much! Maybe your kids will have a furry companion that their kids will love. Then they will know what to do in case of another jumper.
Thanks for your comment!
Very informative article. I read with pleasure, Trixie is so cute dog. I do not have a dog but my daughter has a little dog, I’ll send her a link to read it, this is useful information. Thanks for sharing.
Hello Maja!
Thanks for the comment. I think I am cute too, if I do say so myself. I am sure your daughter will find the information on my site useful and she will enjoy some of the dog treat recipes. With the hot weather we are having here, I am making a lot of use of watermelons in my watermelon pupsicle reicpe. So fresh and cold!
Let your daughter know she can join my pack. That way, she won’t miss out on any reviews about dog treats, food or accessories.
Trixie
Thanks so much Trixie, one of my biggest fears is one of my dogs escaping and not being able to find them. All my dogs wear collars with identification but living in the country we have to be aware of farmers protecting their live stock or cars barreling down the country roads so if my babies get away it could end in tragedy. Now with that said and due to the fact I have seven dogs what would be the best option for me and most cost effective to keep my babies safe?
Hi Dena,
Thanks for your comment. The items mentioned in my post will help to get your dogs back to you if they ever do get away, but you don’t know what time frame that will take and what condition your dog may be in when he is found. In answer to your question about cost effective ways to keep your dogs safe, of course, the best option is to keep them from getting out in the first place. Prevention is usually the best course for most things.
A fence can be expensive up front, but in the long run, it has many benefits and is cost effective.
1) If you get a woven field fence (not an affiliate link) little critters can come and go and even bigger ones like possums, raccoons and rabbits. This is what I wanted. I love to chase and hunt. We are surrounded by woods with some trails in them, but the property backs to over 100 acres of woods. Too much to try to find me if I get hurt and there are hunters and metal from trash and roofs out there that I have cut myself on. Shelley has even gotten lost in the woods trying to find me. A woven field fence is about 55 cents a foot, but because it is usually installed for goats and cows in large areas, it only comes in a large roll of 330ft. It is very heavy, but my parents put it up alone and they aren’t spring chickens! After putting it up though, they said no more of that kind. Too much work. Because they didn’t need much more to finish enclosing half of the house (thinking that was big enough) they bought welded wire fencing to finish it off.
2) With a welded wire fence, (not an affiliate link) you can keep the big critters out of your yard. It is fairly lightweight and easier to handle. The bigger the roll you get, the better the price per foot. It is about $73 per 100ft in my area. I now had a good size yard to play in and critters could escape from the area with the woven fence if they came in the yard while I was around. We installed a fence that was 48″ tall because I haven’t learned to jump that high, of course, the deer can with ease and they visit from time to time. You may only need a 3′ fence. To complete installation, you will also need to buy studded t-posts (they are metal) that run about $3-3.59 for a 5′ post and clips that usually come free with the post. We discovered we could install a post every 9-10′ to cut down on the cost. Since I am not a large, heavy cow pushing against the fence, that would work for us.
The first fence was about 460 ft and cost roughly $450 with a few days time and a few sore muscles. We had some fencing left over. Shelley likes to work in her flower and vegetable gardens and some are on the other side of the house on the other side of the fence. She would take me with her and though I stick to her like glue most of the times, the possibility of a rabbit just past where she can watch me is too tempting. She didn’t get much done because I would sneak off into the woods and she couldn’t handle my sad eyes from the fenced in area when I could see her working. So, a bigger yard was in order!
They pulled up one side of the fence, (about 125′) they don’t recommend taking down a fence you worked so hard to put up, and turned it 90 degrees out to extend around the gardens and some forested area so I had more room to play. It added about 370 feet overall, about an acre total. Since it would be mostly in the woods section and they needed to have an escape for critters, they went back to the woven fence. Now I can be with Shelley and she can work knowing I can’t get too far away. Critters can still come in the yard and have several areas of escape. My parents want me to have fun, but don’t want me catching anything.
Your dogs are much smaller than me, so an acre is probably enough room for all of them to play in. I assume you have land since you mentioned being near farmers. It is enough room for me to chase critters at night and go out to do my business. Without the fence, I wasn’t allowed out at night because I have dark fur and I couldn’t be seen. Since not all critters, like the mice, will come into the fenced area, and animals and children always want to be on the other side of the fence, Shelley takes me into the woods everyday for about an hour. There is also a large field I can hunt in. She keeps a close eye on me, but we sometimes run into snakes out in the woods. I don’t always stay on the trails and I’ve been bitten by rattlesnakes twice in 7 months. We both just missed getting bit the other day because this snake was on the trail. We have also had snakes next to the house, so nowhere is completely safe. Well, we aren’t here to talk about snakes.
The GPS trackers work great if you aren’t in a dead zone and you usually need one for each pet. The Whistle 3 is $80 for the tracker plus a $7-10 a month per tracker subscription. Just a one year subscription for 7 dogs is a lot more than a fence and that doesn’t include the tracker and the many years that your dog will need it.
The most cost effective way to keep your fur babies safe is to keep them close to home with a fence. If you only had one or two dogs or moved frequently, then I would recommend a GPS tracker. I hope that helps.
Trixie
Thanks so much for your detailed information you provided. We actually do have an acre fenced with the welded wire as you suggested and it works pretty well, but in the past we have had an issue with the treeing walker coonhounds crawling over the fence and getting loose or escaping out the front door when someone is coming in. We have thought about putting up a fence out front so maybe we could use the woven wire for that and hopefully if they try to escape out the front we can keep them safe that way.
Hi again Dena,
Have you thought about training the dogs to wait at the door? I had a trainer for a short time. We had to go through a building to get to the fenced training area. His rule was humans first. I had a habit of wanting to be first in and out the door. Shelley didn’t really need me to follow that rule at home, but we both had to follow the rules there.
When you go to open the door and your dog is standing there, give him a sit and stay command. Of course, they need to know those commands for this to work. Put your hand on the door to open it again. If your dog gets up, give the commands again. Keep doing this until you can get the door open and walk out. After you get out, give a “come” command to let the dog out. After 3 tries I learned it. However, my parents thought it was easier if I went out the door first, so they don’t enforce it, but Shelley does remind me of it every once in awhile.
Our front door leads to a deck with a metal baby gate, (I chewed through the wooden one) so I can’t run out when the mailman or delivery trucks stop by. I don’t chase after cars, just the guys in them that give me treats. They may not be watching me when they leave, so I am supervised when I go out the front.
For the fence jumpers, you can add a section of fence at the top that is angled in. Some call it a L fence.
It is great that you are a responsible pet owner trying to keep your dogs safe. Many here in AL don’t put collars on them and they let them roam free. Many dogs do not know the dangers of cars. It is very sad and unbelievable that humans don’t care more for their fur babies.
One other thing I thought of. If several of your dogs escape, do they stick together? Maybe you could get a GPS tracker for one of them. If you can find him before the farmers and cars you may find the others with him and round everyone up at the same time.
I hope you find one or both of these solutions helpful.
Trixie