Move Over Ace Ventura; Real life Pet detectives, canine and human find and prevent lost pets

— After Cooper, a beloved Pomeranian, ran away from home, his owners posted 800 fliers, searched their neighborhood and slowly grew fearful they would never see him again. Then they called in a professional pet detective.

Cooper was found by pet detective Landa Coldiron 13 days after disappearing, more than an hour's drive from home.

Coldiron and Annalisa Berns, pet detectives in southern California, and Kat Albrecht, a pet detective in Washington State, will be offering a full day of lectures at the 146th Annual American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) Convention on Saturday, July 11, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. in room 203 of the Seattle Convention Center.

There are fewer than 25 pet detectives in the United States, and only four, including Berns, Coldiron and Albrecht, use certified search dogs to locate lost pets. And yet, an estimated one in three pets will become lost at some time during their lives. Berns says that there aren't enough pet detectives to handle every lost dog or cat, so she hopes to educate veterinarians and the public.

"The most important thing to do when your pet goes missing is to act immediately. Some people put off searching for their pet thinking that the pet will come home or that somebody will find the pet and contact them. Pet owners need to take a more active role in finding their lost pet," Berns explains.

Berns warns that many times people who find lost pets choose not to return them due to misperceptions about the lost animal.

"When people rescue a pet—we call it rescuing and not returning—they can make assumptions about the animal, and that affects what they decide to do," she says. "For example, they might find a pit bull that has scars on its face and they might think that this means that the owner was fighting the dog. But this dog may have already been rescued and have a loving family! When pet rescuers are faced with a nervous pet they often make the assumption that the animal has been abused. As a result, they may intentionally not contact the owner."

Berns, Coldiron and Albrecht will give information on what pet owners can do when a pet goes missing and how to prevent a pet from becoming lost. Berns says that the number one preventative tip is to put an ID on your animal, including an address, telephone number and even an offer, "Reward for Return." Not only will this tell the rescuer who you are, but it tells the person the pet is loved.

"The majority of our clients did not have identification on their pet. Most of the time, an identification is the pet's ticket home," she says.

During a lost-pet search, pet detectives recommend that pet owners physically visit every shelter in their area, rather than just calling or visiting shelter Web sites. Not only will this help you identify your pet if they have it, but it also will help shelter workers recognize the lost pet if it shows up after you've left.

These educational lectures will also offer those people who rescue a lost pet some information that will help them reunite the animal with its owner. Berns recommends working with local shelters and having the animal scanned for microchip identification, but the single most effective way of finding owners is to post large, florescent-colored posters on major intersections around the area where the animal was rescued. Spread these posters considerably, because a fleeing animal, depending on its temperament, may have traveled miles before you found it.

Another common mistake that rescuers make is taking the pet out of the area. In Cooper's case, a rescuer found him and then drove him to another county, where friends could watch the dog. Then these friends lost Cooper a second time. Pet detectives found Cooper by using a search dog to determine which direction he fled, twice, and posting fliers to find witnesses.

Cats and dogs with different personalities are likely to be found in different places. For example, a very friendly dog is likely to be found close to home, because they'll run to the first person they see and will be quickly accepted into a neighbor's home. A frightful dog might run, avoiding people, for miles and days. A cat comfortable with being outside the home might get lost when chased by a dog, so they could be miles from home. An indoor cat that escapes is likely to be found very close to home, perhaps cowering in the first hiding place they can find, and they may refuse to come when called.

For pets, becoming lost is a highly traumatic event, so they may behave erratically. Don't assume they won't cross a busy road. Some lost pets cross busy streets repeatedly. Some nervous cats—even those that are beloved and docile pets—can become so terrified when lost that shelter employees will assume the animal is feral.

Just as every animal is different, search techniques should vary depending on the animal's tendencies. If searching for a scared cat, get permission to search your neighbors' yards. If you simply tell your neighbors to look out for your cat, that may not be enough, because they won't look under their deck or in their shed or other places your cat may be hiding. You may also want to use a humane trap to recover a pet with a nervous temperament. Gregarious pets may be found more easily by working with your neighbors, because an outgoing pooch or kitty is more likely to have made new friends.

Where you live also makes a difference. Lost pets in urban areas are not likely to get far. They'll be quickly rescued by a Good Samaritan. But pets in rural areas are far more likely to return home on their own.

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The AVMA and its more than 78,000 member veterinarians are engaged in a wide variety of activities dedicated to advancing the science and art of animal, human and public health. Visit the AVMA Web site at www.avma.org for more information.