Just in case you lose your dog.
Dogs can go missing at any time. I lost one of mine last January when my elderly, deaf dog wandered off whilst on a very short walk. The fog came down and despite my spotting her and her being very old and doddery she still managed to get away from me. I couldn't get near enough to her to get her attention and as it got darker and foggier I simply couldn't find her. We searched most of the evening and the next morning too. Just when I'd given up hope of ever seeing her alive again someone brought her home. She'd walked out of the area that we were looking in and had ended up somewhere that she'd never been before. It was of course all my fault and it took her several days to forgive me.
So in case you ever have to start to ring around people asking them if they've got your dog it is wise to have two things prepared before you lose them.
1) An up to date description of what your dog looks like. Written out when you have the time to sit down and really look at your dog. Check it all over.
2) At least one up to date photo of your dog. Not just one taken as a puppy but taken through out its life as it changes. And I'd suggest front, back and both side views against a nice neutral background. That way you can see where the white bits begin and end. And you've got clear photos in case you need to copy them and send them out to various people.
Here's some suggestions for a describing your dog and to get you thinking.
Is the dog male or female? Neutured yes or no?
Breed or type of crossbreed.
Coat type - smooth, rough, broken, feathered, long, woolly, clipped, stripped.
Coat colour - now this ones more difficult. Ie what colour is fawn? What colour brindle? How heavy is the brindling? If black & white is there more white than black. If so would white & black be a better description? Then should you describe your dog in a breed specific manner? What colour is a grizzle and would a member of the general public know what a grizzle is? Ditto a fawn. When is a red fawn a tan or ginger coloured dog.
Markings - Check out where the white (if any) is on your dogs toes. Are all of the toes white or just some? If some then which ones are white. How much of the toe is covered in white hairs? Are there any spots of another colour on the toes? If the legs have white on them how far up the leg does it go? What colour is the tail? Where is the masking on the dogs face? This where photos really come in. Don't forget to note the colour of eyes, nose, pads and nails. For those with racing whippets think passport.
Identifying features - These are life's marks. Scars, broken or removed teeth, rips to ears, tail damage that sort of thing. These are very important, as this can be how you get to identify your dog. These are likely to be unique to your dog.
Is your dog tattoed or micro-chipped? If so what are the numbers? If not then maybe you should think of getting it done.
Height of the dog measured at the shoulder. It's amazing how many people don't know how tall their dog is or where they should be measured.
Age of the dog.
Details of any health issues and medication that the dog might be on.
Other info you will need to give to people is.
Was the dog wearing a collar? If so what type? Was there a tag?
The dogs name.
When and where did it go missing. Including the circumstances surrounding it going missing.
Your name, address and telephone number.
Do it now before you lose them I know from experience that people don't remember which leg the scar is on and how many toes are white, when the dog isn't in front of them. And if the dog is gone for weeks or months then how are you going to remember. Get it written down for each dog and keep the descriptions somewhere safe. Don't forget to keep updating it either. Don't just rely on racing passports either. Dogs age and life takes its toll on them just like us. How many of us look like we did 10 or 20 years ago?
Dogs can go missing at any time. I lost one of mine last January when my elderly, deaf dog wandered off whilst on a very short walk. The fog came down and despite my spotting her and her being very old and doddery she still managed to get away from me. I couldn't get near enough to her to get her attention and as it got darker and foggier I simply couldn't find her. We searched most of the evening and the next morning too. Just when I'd given up hope of ever seeing her alive again someone brought her home. She'd walked out of the area that we were looking in and had ended up somewhere that she'd never been before. It was of course all my fault and it took her several days to forgive me.
So in case you ever have to start to ring around people asking them if they've got your dog it is wise to have two things prepared before you lose them.
1) An up to date description of what your dog looks like. Written out when you have the time to sit down and really look at your dog. Check it all over.
2) At least one up to date photo of your dog. Not just one taken as a puppy but taken through out its life as it changes. And I'd suggest front, back and both side views against a nice neutral background. That way you can see where the white bits begin and end. And you've got clear photos in case you need to copy them and send them out to various people.
Here's some suggestions for a describing your dog and to get you thinking.
Is the dog male or female? Neutured yes or no?
Breed or type of crossbreed.
Coat type - smooth, rough, broken, feathered, long, woolly, clipped, stripped.
Coat colour - now this ones more difficult. Ie what colour is fawn? What colour brindle? How heavy is the brindling? If black & white is there more white than black. If so would white & black be a better description? Then should you describe your dog in a breed specific manner? What colour is a grizzle and would a member of the general public know what a grizzle is? Ditto a fawn. When is a red fawn a tan or ginger coloured dog.
Markings - Check out where the white (if any) is on your dogs toes. Are all of the toes white or just some? If some then which ones are white. How much of the toe is covered in white hairs? Are there any spots of another colour on the toes? If the legs have white on them how far up the leg does it go? What colour is the tail? Where is the masking on the dogs face? This where photos really come in. Don't forget to note the colour of eyes, nose, pads and nails. For those with racing whippets think passport.
Identifying features - These are life's marks. Scars, broken or removed teeth, rips to ears, tail damage that sort of thing. These are very important, as this can be how you get to identify your dog. These are likely to be unique to your dog.
Is your dog tattoed or micro-chipped? If so what are the numbers? If not then maybe you should think of getting it done.
Height of the dog measured at the shoulder. It's amazing how many people don't know how tall their dog is or where they should be measured.
Age of the dog.
Details of any health issues and medication that the dog might be on.
Other info you will need to give to people is.
Was the dog wearing a collar? If so what type? Was there a tag?
The dogs name.
When and where did it go missing. Including the circumstances surrounding it going missing.
Your name, address and telephone number.
Do it now before you lose them I know from experience that people don't remember which leg the scar is on and how many toes are white, when the dog isn't in front of them. And if the dog is gone for weeks or months then how are you going to remember. Get it written down for each dog and keep the descriptions somewhere safe. Don't forget to keep updating it either. Don't just rely on racing passports either. Dogs age and life takes its toll on them just like us. How many of us look like we did 10 or 20 years ago?
