PSA - JUNE 28, 2020

WE HAVE FRIENDS THIS HAPPENED TO. EVERYONE IS FINE
THE IS A VERY LONG READ BUT IT IS A TERRIFYING THOUGHT FOR EVERY DOG OWNER.

It is a terrifying thought.
You are on an outing with your dog, enjoying the day, and all of a sudden your world is turned upside down because you have been involved in a car accident and your dog has bolted from the scene. Sadly, it happens more than we would like to imagine. But there is hope! Here are some tips on what we have learned from our experience regarding the best way to recover a dog lost from a car accident.
Due to the shock of the crash, these dogs immediately try to get away from the source of the trauma. They will behave as a dog who is in fear and flight, even though they may have always been a very friendly dog. Dogs lost from car accidents are usually quite predictable in their actions and can be successfully recovered if everyone who is helping the owner understands lost dog behavior and agrees to follow some guidelines. Sometimes the owner might have been taken to the hospital and is unable to assist in the recovery. Without leadership and organization from the volunteers helping, the recovery efforts can go bad very quickly, as time is critical in finding a terrified dog.
The first thing to remember is that dogs lost from car accidents do not usually venture far from the scene of the crash. They may bolt at first but then they usually hide and may creep back to the crash location shortly after the accident (often the first night). OR they may go further away but then circle back around to the crash site in the upcoming days.
Using the dog’s bed, toys, and dirty articles of the owner’s clothing, will help keep the dog in the area. Place them near the accident site but well away from the road along with smelly, tasty food and water.
NEVER EVER call, chase, whistle, pressure or pursue a scared lost dog in ANY situation. You risk chasing him away from the area and possibly into traffic, endangering his life. The most frequent mistake we see is well-meaning people, who want to help, and will bring lots of people, and strange dogs to the area. This will usually drive the dog out of the area and require those who are helping to locate the dog, to expand posters, signboards, and handouts. ALL which can take critical time.
SIGHTINGS
Those who are in the leadership position, should always pick out several volunteers and rather then those people “search”, they should be enlisted to quickly print out posters, and deliver hand outs to all homes in the neighborhoods, which will help to generate sightings, in case the dog does not immediately return to the accident site.
Make sure there is a reminder on the posters that people should not call or chase the dog. They should simply call the number on the poster immediately. The greatest risk to a dog that has just experienced the trauma of a car accident, is that he will be chased into traffic and killed. The second greatest risk to a dog who is traumatized, is that he will be chased out of the area completely.
Unfortunately, getting posters up is not as emotionally rewarding as trying to catch the dog, but these volunteers have one of the most important duties to help find this dog safely. If the owner lives far away, or is in the hospital, they may be unable to do posters themselves and may give up. Social media is wonderful but hand delivering handouts door to door in the area where the dog is missing and putting posters up is the Number One way that lost dogs are found.
Putting signboards up in an intersection is also very useful to alert passing motorists about the missing dog

IF YOU SEE THE DOG
If you see the dog, immediately sit on the ground facing away from him and toss a few tasty treats behind you. Do not make eye contact and speak softly or not at all. It may take a few minutes, or a few hours, but the dog may approach you. They will usually approach from behind. Most people give up too soon and then stand up and start walking towards the dog and chase him away. Be patient! Allowing him to settle and relax is a far better strategy than trying to chase him, because you will NEVER CATCH a running dog. Lost dogs that are not being chased will make wise decisions and may survive for an indefinite period of time.
Dogs lost because of a car accident bring on a lot of sympathy from the public, social media, and news media. This may backfire on those who are closely involved with the search.
Be patient. Dogs lost from car accidents may hunker down for a day or two and then creep back to the site of the crash – lured by the tasty food and scent items you left.
Humane Trapping by those who are experienced in the trapping of dogs, may be the best way to go. Never give up! Your lost dog is counting on you to bring him safely home.
If the dog has been seriously injured in the crash, a shoulder to shoulder grid search should be used to search for the injured dog who may be hunkered down and hiding. In our experience, most shoulder to shoulder grid searches are usually incorrectly done. If the grid searchers do not stay close in their lines, the hiding hurt dog may not be found because the walking searchers were too widely spaced.
This advice is not professional advice and should be taken at owner’s discretion. This is Guidelines,Tips and Advice on what to do if you or someone you know is involved in a car accident with their dogs.