Lost your dog? Don't panic! There are people who can help
Lost your dog? Don`t panic! There are people who can help
Lost your dog? Don`t panic! There are people who can help
MILWAUKEE (WITI) -- Most dog owners will immediately panic upon learning their best friend is missing -- but on National Lost Dog Awareness Day (April 23rd) comes a reminder that there is an organization in Wisconsin that works to help reunite missing dogs with their owners.
They're called "man's best friend," and that's certainly the case for Libby Harty and her dog Dasha.
When Dasha ran away last fall, Harty didn't know what to do.
"Panic and total helplessness. You don`t know where they went. You have no idea," said Harty.
Harty went online and learned about Lost Dogs of Wisconsin.
The website instructed her on what to do to find her dog.
"It gave me a focus. It was like 'okay, here are the steps that I need to take. I need to this, I need to do this.' It was almost like a checklist," said Harty.
Lost Dogs of Wisconsin started in 2010, and now works to reunite more than 100 people a month with their missing best friends.
"The first thing a lost dog owner should do is put scented items out from their home outside in the area that they went missing from -- and food and water. They should also contact their police department and vet clinics in the area," said Lost Dogs of Wisconsin Case Worker Colleen Duero.
The website will also help you create flyers to put up around the neighborhood the dog went missing from.
There are also tips for people who see a lost do -- like not calling for the dog or chasing it. Instead, call authorities and report a description of the dog and where you saw it.
"Lost dogs will bolt when somebody calls out to them and as soon as they bolt -- that`s when they can go into danger like traffic," said Duero.
Harty was eventually reunited with Dasha, and she couldn't be happier.
For more information on what to do if you've lost your dog or if you've seen a lost dog CLICK HERE.
You can "Like" the "Lost Dogs of Wisconsin's" Facebook page to be alerted when a dog goes missing in your area. CLICK HERE.