Bear sighting!!

For those of you who have been following the latest developments, my sweet dog is missing or "on an adventure" as I like to say it. He's been "exploring" for 48 hours now, but was sighted not far from where I live, gallivanting around as he likes to do with his eye trained to a squirrel, duck, or cat most likely.

When I first got Bear back in July (and really up through December) I bragged to my friends about how he is the "perfect dog," doesn't get into anything, and loves to play. Well, apparently Bear has finally gotten extremely comfortable - and bored - with his surroundings. He has morphed into an escape artist. It took him 6 months to realize that he can comfortably jump the fence in my backyard, and since discovering this, he's made a bit of a habit out of it. While he is usually returned within 15 minutes by some kind stranger who calls my phone number on his collar, he managed to slip his collar this time. No collar = no phone call. This makes for a very worried Bear momma.

My phone has been ringing off the hook for the last two days- friends willing to help, people looking for updates, a kind stranger who saw my posters and offered to post a notice in his business' newsletter, and finally tonight- someone who saw the little goober "running-a-muck" in the neighborhood. Even after the quick response of a team of six and a two hour search, Bear is still at large in German Village. Good news is, we still have all four legs and a big smile.

 

For those of you who have ever lost a dog (cat, ferret, etc.), the list of things to do, the places to visit, and the sheer amount of worry from missing a furry friend is overwhelming. Here is a quick list of my recommended resources:
Pet FBI - Ohio's non-profit web resource for lost & found dogs
Craigslist - Sure, everyone knows you can buy furniture on here, but each city also has a lost/found too
Local Animal Shelter - For me, it's the Franklin County Dog Shelter, and all found dogs are sent here
Your County Auditor - Franklin County allows you to post both lost & found dogs with photos for mutual searches
Fido Finder - On this site, if you find the right dog and return it, you can pocket up to $6100


There are also numerous websites with somewhat questionable services, such as Flealess Market, which includes listings for "Cultured Marble" and "Hand-Blown Glass" alongside your lost pet link. There is Lost and Found Now, as well as 248,000 additional resources as queried from a google search for "Lost Dog Columbus Ohio." Don't forget, of course, your local neighborhood's Facebook and Twitter accounts, posting flyers, and doing walk-throughs of your local shelters as well (due to sheer volume, they can't confirm or deny a pet's presence over the phone). Then there are services that are a fee-for-service setup, and will send postcards with your pet's face on it  ($399 - $1299 depending on quantity) or even a personal phone call (packages range from $85 to $875 depending on the number of calls) to all your neighbors....and the prices can get steep. When it's all said and done, the list of resources and tasks to complete is overwhelming, and by doing everything, you can find your savings account more half empty than half full. With so many lost pets (6-8 million per year according to some estimates), and this scattered and ineffective list of resources (248,000 in a single google search- really?!?) it is no wonder that only 3-4 million are reunited with their owners. In any estimate, 50% is not a good success rate. I don't know the last time someone threw a party when their favorite NFL team finished with that many losses, so why are we settling for that number for our furry friends?

If Bear hadn't taken off on an adventure, I wouldn't have known what a mess the lost/found animal situation is in Columbus (or the country for that matter). And for people who don't have animals and stumble across a "stray" pet, how would they even know where to begin?

Let's just say that when Bear comes back, we're going to have a long chat, a little visit for some micro-chipping.....and a good long snuggle. And once that's out of the way, we'll be off to tackle the defunct lost & found situation for our furry friends. Here's hoping I get to see his smiling face again soon.