Lost Pet Statistics Infographic by PurringPal How Many Pets Go Missing?If you have ever tried to research lost pet statistics, you have probably seen the statement that 1 in 3 pets (30%) will go missing in their lifetime. Most prominently, this statement appears on the homepage of the HomeAgain microchip […]
Dog Behavior
15 posts
This is the second part of a series on the accuracy of search dogs. Part 1 looked at Area Detection Dogs. Types of Scent Discrimination Dogs A scent discrimination dog is trained to follow and/or identify the scent of an individual person or animal. These dogs are described as scent-specific. […]
Trapping with a humane cage trap is one of the most effective methods for catching a skittish or fearful lost or stray dog. However, it is very important to select the right dog trap and set it up, bait it, and monitor it properly. The wrong trap may injure your […]
“The canine sense of smell is legendary and, as with many legends, it is sometimes hard to find the sources and separate scientific facts from urban legends” – Goldblatt et al. (2009) A well trained search dog should not make frequent mistakes, but how accurate are they? How often do […]
You may be looking forward to fireworks this 4th of July holiday, but to many dogs this is the scariest day of the year. More dogs get lost and end up in shelters around this time, than any other time of the year. Growing up, we lost my dog Blueberry […]
Dogs breeds commonly used in scent detection work include Labrador Retrievers, Bloodhounds, German Shepherds, Malinois, Beagles and several other hounds and spaniels. These breeds have traditionally been used as hunting dogs, search and rescue dogs, police dogs and military dogs. There is a common assumption (in part supported by their […]
Unfortunately, there are few research studies on lost pet behavior. This is a list of citations and abstracts of published research papers related to lost pet behavior and recovery. There are links to a few of the papers. You may be able to find other papers by visiting your local […]
I originally wrote this article as a response to a similarly titled article Should We Catch the Dog? by Mark Johnson, DVM, of Global Wildlife Resources. The article and ensuing discussion were about whether we should always catch feral/roaming dogs or whether it is sometimes in the dog’s best interest to leave them free. […]
Owning a pet is a great pleasure. If only we knew what they are thinking and feeling! And if only we could ensure that they would never get lost! Pets deserve our attention as they have needs and feelings. Wouldn’t it be ideal if they could communicate with us? So, […]
The idea of using a tracking dog to find a lost dog is very compelling, but most people who pursue this option do not have a good understanding of how a tracking (or trailing) dog works. In some cases a tracking dog CAN provide useful information for locating a lost dog […]
