Finding Their Way Back Home: Increasing Return to Owner Rates

“Not All Stray Dogs Are Homeless”

• An estimated 40 to 60 percent of shelter animals are lost pets.

• Lost dogs take up shelter space required by truly needy animals.

• Average national reclaim rate for dogs is only 20%.

• There is minimal “cross-communication” between shelters, animal control facilities, police departments, vet clinics and other facilities that may hold lost pets.

The Problem

• We needed to focus on one portion of the problem to make an impact.

• Cats have very different behavior when they are lost. (Difficult to train new volunteers to both)

Why Do We Focus On Dogs

• Reunite lost dogs with their owners by educating owners and the public on effective methods of finding lost dogs.

• Provide finders of lost dogs with tools to facilitate more reunions with their owners.

• Reduce the number of “strays” in shelters and animal control facilities.

• Protect lost dogs and the public from injury in traffic accidents caused by loose dogs.

• Educate the public on keeping their dogs safe.

Our Mission

What We Do: • Virtual Organization (no brick and

mortar facility)

• Volunteers helping from their home computers, tablets, cell phones

• We never have possession of the dogs.

• We do not catch loose dogs. We work with owners of lost dogs and individual finders of dogs to facilitate reunions.

• Each “case” that comes in is treated individually. Volunteers cover their local areas where they have contacts and know the geography, etc.

• Lost Dogs of Wisconsin started in 2010 with 4 volunteers and a Facebook page.

• Our strength was helping owners find very shy, elusive dogs.

• We only posted lost dogs. (no found dogs)

• We made MANY mistakes!

Timeline: 2010

Timeline: 2011 - 2012 • As we evolved and grew, we

started to post found dogs to help the public make the “paradigm shift” that not all stray dogs are homeless.

• Our number of volunteers grew and we added “matching” with Craigslist and shelter websites to try to get more lost dogs back home.

• We changed the orientation of our flyers from horizontal to vertical to fit better with Facebook’s double column format.

Timeline: November 2013 • We realized the true solution lay with a

centralized database where all lost and found pets were listed.

• We realized that providing a free flyer to

owners and finders was the Number One way lost pets were being reunited.

• In November of 2013 we started using Helping Lost Pets for our found dogs.

Timeline: 2014 Integration with Helping Lost Pets for the found dogs was so successful, that in January 2014 we started using HeLP for our lost dogs as well. Benefits: - Instantly creates flyer and

social media sharing links - Map-based - Statistics - Email alerts - Automated emails to owners

and finders

Our Goal:

We Have Grown!

In 2015, Lost Dogs of America affiliates helped safely reunite over 30,000 dogs.

• 10% Deceased

• 30% Still Out There Living

on Their Own

• 40% Kept by Finder or Rehomed

• 20% Ended up in Shelter Adopted out to new home or put down

Our Best “Guesstimate” to Where Our Still Missing Dogs Are:

Causes of Death:

• 60% Hit by Car • 20% Drown ( usually fall through thin ice) • 10% Hit by Train • 10% Other (medical conditions, shot by hunter or

farmer, etc.

Many deaths caused by well-meaning people chasing or pressuring the dog.

Chased or pressured dogs make poor decisions.

Educating the public can lower these numbers!

Discourage “searching” “search parties” and rewards. Encourage volunteers to flyer and post signs instead.

The greatest risk to shy lost dogs is that they will be chased into traffic and injured or killed

The greatest risk to lost friendly dogs is that they will be kept by the finder, rehomed or put down before the owner can locate them.

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Why Are There More Lost Dogs Now?

More rescues and puppy mill dogs More under-socialized pet store dogs

More vulnerable moments – transfers, fosters, transports

This all adds up to HIGH FLIGHT RISK dogs.

Adoptions are increasing but many of the dogs are flight risks. For many dog owners it is their first experience owning a high flight risk dog.

Time is of the Essence!

The longer it takes to find a dog the higher the chance that : • The owner will become frustrated and

emotionally detached

• The finder will become emotionally attached and will not look for the owner

• The owner won’t be able to afford the reclaim fees

• The family or friends of the owner will encourage them to give up

Finding Your Lost Dog is Expensive! • Printing Costs for Flyers

• Supplies for Making Signs

• Gasoline

• Time Lost From Work

• Trail Cameras and Traps

• Other Fee-Based Lost Pet Services

• Newspaper Advertising

• Reclaim Fees

Many good people in America who love their pets live paycheck to paycheck

• Have been given up on too soon

• Have wandered across jurisdiction borders or have been taken to the wrong shelter

• Are shy and finally wander into a farmyard thin and hungry (maybe months after being lost)

• Or fall into the multitude of

“cracks” caused by the following problems -

Most “Strays” In Animal Shelters Are:

• Confusing array of shelters/rescues/animal control facilities

• No “911” for pets like when a child goes missing

• Municipalities may use vet clinics, boarding kennels, groomers or independent contractors as their stray holding facility

• Public does not know where their dog may be taken when he/she goes missing

Lack of Use of A Central Clearing House

• Hours & location

• Punitive fines & fees

• Must come in person to view (pictures not posted online)

• Different staff members may say different things or may not have the authority to reduce fees

Shelter Policies & Logistics

• Disabled

• Elderly

• No computer

• No internet

• No telephone

• No transportation

Physical Limitations

It’s hard to take Fido home on the bus.

• Grief avoidance

• Shelter phobic

• Hopeless despair

• Discouragement from untrained people, family and friends

Emotional Limitations

• Language barriers

• Cultural differences

• Fear of uniforms and government agencies

Cultural Limitations

• Decrease shelter population

• Decrease stress and sickness in shelter population

• Increase goodwill in the community

• Increase donations

Why Should a Shelter Want to Improve Return-to-Owner Rates?

Goodwill, positive press and donations are generated when an animal control agency or shelter takes a proactive approach to reuniting lost pets with their families.

1. When a person who has lost a pet comes in or calls to file a report.

2. When “stray” dogs and cats are picked up and impounded at the facility.

A Shelter Has Two Windows of Opportunity to Help People Find Their Lost Pet

How Can Shelters Help? 1. Post photos of impounded “strays” on line. 2. Scan every animal brought in using “Best Microchip Procedures” 3. Instruct owners of lost pets to fill out a report with Helping Lost Pets 4. Use dedicated email address for lost and found pet correspondence 5. Keep detailed records about where an animal was picked up. Make this

information public. 6. Keep detailed records of calls from people who have lost a pet. 7. Have volunteers or staff members compare lost pet reports with impounded

animals. Volunteers can monitor other internet and community lost pet listings.

8. Use a volunteer greeter who can help people who come in to look for their pet.

9. Negotiate and lower fees to reduce abandonment at the shelter. 10. Assign one volunteer to be trained to track down dead end microchips OR

use our free service. 11. List pets as “surrendered” or “stray”. 12. Scan every animal once last time before adoption, transfer or euthanasia.

Ask every owner of a lost pet (cat, dog, rabbit, bird, etc) to fill out a report with Helping Lost Pets

If You Can Only Make ONE Change

“These two pages have changed my view completely of 'stray' dogs. I always thought that dogs who came in as strays to local animal control and shelters were dumped, forgotten, left behind dogs.

To see how many of the dogs who have made it home on these two pages alone proves how changing our views of this issue makes all the difference in keeping families together and eliminating dogs from being killed by shelters.”

– A Facebook fan

HELP Your Community Make a Paradigm Shift

ASPCA’s Position Statement on Shelter Responsibilities Regarding Lost Pets

• Shelters must check for ID at time of intake. • Shelters must serve notice to identified owners and hold times must

account for mail delivery. • Shelters must provide public notice of stray animals entering the

shelter. • Shelters must provide clear notice regarding location, hours, fees

and RTO processes. • Shelters must establish a reasonable process for matching stray

animals with lost pet reports. • Shelters must be accessible to the public during reasonable hours. • Shelters should be authorized and encouraged to reduce or waive

redemption fees. • Return to owner from the field should be expressly authorized.

For entire text visit: http://www.aspca.org/about-us/aspca-policy-and-position-statements/position-statement-responsibilities-animal-shelters

Choose Your Microchip Provider Wisely

• Free Enrollment

• Participation in AAHA Database

• 24 Hour Call Center with Live Operators • Free or Low Cost to Update Information

(some companies charge as much as $65 to update info)

• Unique Manufacturer Code

• Collar Tags attached to collar before animal leaves shelter

• Reputable Company with Staying Power

Our Challenges:

• Lack of use of available centralized database

• Shelter software that will not allow HeLP to pull info into the system

• Prevalent “rescue” mentality that “strays” needs a new home

• Bad information which causes owners to give up too soon

• Predatory lost pet services and microchip companies who mislead owners

• Multitude of lost pet Facebook groups and pages

• Shelters and stray holding facilities which do not post photos online

• Microchip issues: unregistered, out of date, missed microchips, lack of scanners, poor scanning techniques

Sample Problem

This dog had a current microchip but shelter staff looked in the wrong database

Microchipped dog put down in Polk County, Florida less than an hour after entering the shelter. - Microchip was claimed to be

“dead end” yet a simple search brought up current owner information

- Owner had filed a report with Helping Lost Pets clearly stating that the dog had medical conditions

- Negative press on People.com and several local and national media outlets

Prevention: Microchips are Cost Prohibitive

• Vet Clinics: $40 - $60 Office Visit plus the cost of the Microchip $25 to $50 (may not include registration)

• Owners do not instinctively think to go to a shelter for a microchip

• Many pet owners have multiple animals

• Microchips are still considered a luxury. Basic vet services like vaccinations will be chosen first.

What Message are People Seeing Here?

Our current media is telling people that it is okay to not put a collar and tags on your dog.

How Can Lost Dogs of America Help?

Microchip Hunters National group of volunteers that will help track down dead end microchips. www.microchiphelp.com

Free Training for Shelter Staff and Volunteers or Rescue Volunteers (Conference Call or Webinar)

• Using the HeLP System • Profiling the Lost Dog • Organizing a Team of Lost Dog

Recovery Volunteers

• Tracking Dead End Microchips

• Lost and Found Matching

• Facebook Tips and Tricks for Lost Pet Pages

• Successful Humane Trapping

Sus

Susan Taney Director Lost Dogs Illinois lostdogsil@gmail.com www.lostdogsillinois.org

Kathy Pobloskie Director Lost Dogs Of Wisconsin lostdogswi@gmail.com www.lostdogsofwisconsin.org

Co Directors – Lost Dogs Of America

THANK YOU for this opportunity!

Questions, Comments? Feel free to contact us!