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I Work With Animals: Tracker Who Finds Lost Pets
What animal lover hasn't daydreamed about ditching their desk job and applying for a job at the zoo? Or at a doggy daycare? Or tracking gorillas in Africa? We sure have, but since most of us may never actually get to work with the animals we love, we thought we'd introduce you to a few people who do.
Name: Laura Totis
Age: 47
Title: Pet tracker and owner of LJT Pet Tracking and LJT TrainingHow long have you been tracking pets?
I started officially doing it back in 2002.Describe what a pet tracker does.
For the most part we can help people find their pets just with a phone consultation or some Internet advice. Making posters, figuring out the logistics, what exactly happened with the animal missing, some personality factors that would affect what may help or hinder recovering the pet. We sometimes end up bringing in a search dog but that's just one little tool in the whole process. If we do that, then we need an article that smells like the animal so we can tell the dog what we're looking for.Do you generally track in a suburban, city or rural setting?
Sadly, animals are lost in all kinds of settings. I've had searches in New York City, and I've had searches out in wilderness parks.What's the success rate?
I always tell people, for a "walk-up find" the success rate runs about 20 percent. That's where we go out, we find the animal, we pick them up and take them home. Sadly, that's generally cases where the animal's incapacitated and they're not moving. Occasionally we'll get lucky where we place the owner in the right place and they call their pet and they come out to them. When I first started the recovery rate was right around 50 or 60 percent. Now I think it's closer to 80 or even more for people who actually get their pets back.Are the animals generally found within a certain range of their own home?
That's kind of a loaded question! It depends on a lot of mitigating circumstances. For example, an indoor-only house cat that got out one day, they're usually found within three yards of where they disappeared. You don't necessarily need a tracking dog. But a sight hound or something, those dogs can cover miles in just a few minutes. For the most part, a puppy who just got out of the yard and he's just running around the neighborhood, chances are good if he's a friendly little dog he's going to be picked up by someone who goes by. As long as he's got identification, the dog comes home. On the other hand, if you've got a real skittery or afraid dog that came out in a blind panic, he may not stop running for miles.When a pet first goes missing, what should a pet owner do?
The knee-jerk response is to get out there and look for it. With cats, make sure they're really missing. I can't tell you how many lost-cat searches we've had where it turns out the cat was actually in a cupboard or locked into the basement Do the obvious things first. Do quick checks. Make sure all the immediate neighbors know. Contact animal control in case somebody does pick him up right away. Call your vet. If it goes on and he's not right in the obvious places, then the next thing you want to do is start getting the message to the community because, again, especially for fairly friendly animals, they're going to be seen by somebody. I would say posters and fliers are the number-one way animals get recovered. Twitter, blogging, and Facebook have made a big difference. The whole [social media] thing has added a very different component to finding a lost pet.So when do they call you in?
I've had people call me within a few hours. I've had people call within the first couple of days. It's like a lost-person search -- my background comes from searching for lost people -- so when you start going through the characteristics of what happened and why it happened, some are high-priority emergencies. If you call and say my dog is confused and he's old and he's got epilepsy and a heart condition and he just disappeared out of the yard that he hasn't left in 18 years, then I'm putting my dog in the car and we're going to come look for that dog right now.What's the strangest thing you've been called out for?
We got called out for a skunk search once! I had an old lady call me in the middle of the night for a lost bunny rabbit, and I said "I've got a beagle I'm doing the searching with -- he'll pay you to do a rabbit search." Interestingly that rabbit came when she called it.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Tracker dogs join growing industry to help owners find lost pets
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More Cutbacks at San Francisco SPCA
SAN FRANCISCO (CBS 5) ? There has been another round of layoffs at the San Francisco SPCA. Earlier cuts were administrative, but these layoffs will affect programs that are essential to the organization's mission.
16 people were laid off, with some cuts in animal care and veterinary hospital services. Several more had their hours cut, in a 15 percent staff reduction.
"We did the very best we could, making these very hard decisions," said Jan McHugh-Smith, President of the San Francisco SPCA.
Dwindling revenue and reserves in the recession forced the SPCA to slash more than a million and a half dollars in staff and services from its budget.
The Academy for Dog Trainers, which instructs animal trainers around the country and world, will be shut down. Its two teachers will leave as well.
"They're going to take it as a private enterprise and do that on their own," McHugh-Smith said.
But trainers will still be on call to help people with their pets' behavior problems.
And starting October 12th, there will be no more adoptions on Mondays.
Christina Leung, a dog sitter, said she was disappointed to learn San Francisco SPCA's downsizing.
"I definitely think the quality of care for dogs that are there will be affected. 16 people is a lot and dogs are a lot to take care of," she said.
Susan Dyer Reynolds, Editor-in-Chief of Northside San Francisco magazine, accused the SPCA in a recent article of overspending and failing to save enough animals said the cutbacks won't help the rescue effort.
"The rescues last year, just Rocket Dog Rescue and Grateful Dogs Rescue alone, took more dogs than the SFSPCA from Animal Care and Control," Reynolds said.
The SPCA, which called the accusations "unfounded," said it is doing its part.
"We'll continue to achieve the mission of saving animals' lives and helping animals in need," McHugh-Smith said. "What I want to say is that the quality of care for our animals will not be diminished here. The San Francisco SPCA has already been through administrative cuts in July. The staff hopes this round will be the tail end for a while.
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Big reward offered for small dogs lost in Hayward
By Eric Kurhi
Oakland Daily Tribune
Original articleHAYWARD — There's a pair of puppies out there worth a pretty penny — if returned to the rightful owner.
Two 10-week-old pit bulls, named Chocolate and Ashley, disappeared from the backyard of Fair Norton's Highland Drive home on Aug. 12, when her fiance left them alone for five minutes.
The dogs found a little hole in the fence, wiggled out and went into the creek bed that runs behind her house, Norton said.
From there they went into the nearby quarry, to an open field across the street and meandered around the neighborhood, ending up near Mission Boulevard.
How does she know this?
"We hired a pet detective," Norton said. "She came and used a bloodhound to track the scent, and that's where it stopped."
Jackie Phillips, the pet detective in question, said there were multiple tracks because there were two dogs, and they crisscrossed their own paths. Phillips said interviews with people in the area also revealed that a teenage boy was seen walking a possible pit bull puppy near the 7-Eleven on Mission about the same time.
Norton paid $600 for her service.
She's prepared to hand over another $3,000 for the safe return of the dogs, no questions asked.
"I just have a feeling that somebody has them," she said. "If something happened to them, we would have seen something "... someone would have found a dead dog."
Norton said they're great pups; friendly, fast learners with a lot of sentimental
value as well — they were early wedding gifts from a cousin who owns the puppies' parents.
But they're not purebred.
"They have no papers," Norton said. "The amount we are offering should be much more than anyone could sell them for."
Chocolate is brown and white, with green and hazel eyes and a brown and pink spotted nose. He has a brown leather studded collar. Ashley is gray and white, with steel gray eyes and a black leather collar. Both have a white-tipped tail.
Anyone with information may call Norton at 323-384-1640 or 209-834-4317.
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The Social Pet Announces the Publication of Their Newest Book:
“Renting with Rex: How You, Your Dog, Your Landlord and
Your Neighbors Can All Thrive in Rental Housing”The Only Book on Renting With Dogs!
San Leandro, CA, June 25, 2009; ISBN: 978-0-557-06368-0; Price: $19.95
Many pet owners are facing foreclosure and need to find a place to rent with their pets. They are looking for a new apartment to rent with their dog, and have become frustrated because they can’t seem to find a rental even though their dog is well-behaved.
Pet owners who are elderly or disabled and living in assisted living need to make sure their rights are being adhered to. Pet owners who have a service dog and want to find a place to rent also need to make sure the property owners know the rights of the disabled person with a service dog.
Pet owners who are moving with their dog can make their move more pleasant and secure.
According to shelter records throughout the country one of the top reasons animals are surrendered to shelters is because owners are unable to find a place to rent. This book by The Social Pet will help pet owners to not only find a new place to live with their dog, but also keep their dog, their landlord and neighbors happy.
The Social Pet says:
"This is what you can learn in this new book, 'Renting with Rex':"
• Finding a Place to Rent Where You Can Have Your dog
• Renting to Pets Can Benefit Me as a Manager
• Moving With Your Dog
• Keeping Your Landlord and Neighbors Happy
• Keeping Your Dog Healthy
• Preventing or Stopping Unwanted Behaviors
• Fun Activities Available for Your Dog
• Tools Available to Help You Train Your Dog
• Acclimating Your Dog to Living in an Apartment
• You are Elderly or Disabled and You Have a Dog
• Renting an Apartment with Your Dog
Since 1984 Jackie Phillips has been renting with dogs, cats, birds and rabbits in the San Francisco Bay Area and Northern California. She has lived in a wide variety of types and sizes of rentals. She has seen a wide variety of landlords, property owners, managers, roommates and rental agreements. Jackie has also volunteered and worked in shelters and have seen many animals surrendered to shelters because owners were unable to find a place to live.
Jackie is a certified pet detective, helping owners to find lost pets. She owns a photography business shooting dog sports throughout California. She also does animal intuitive communication readings. She can talk directly with living animals to help resolve behavioral problems and speak with animals who have passed over.
The objective for this book is to prevent another animal from losing their home because they can’t find a place that will take pets or one they can afford.
A few contributing groups are : Humane Society of the United States, American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, Delta Society, Kathy Diamond Davis, PetTravel.com, Hawaiian Human Society.
Contact and ordering information: Jackie Phillips, author and self-publisher; 510/415-6185; www.rentingwithrex.com Available for purchase directly online.
