Monthly Archives: March 2013

Creating and Placing Effective Signs

Effective signsPosting signs is one of the most effective things you can do to get your lost dog back home.  But it’s important to realize that not all signs are created equally, meaning some are more effective than others.  If you follow the steps below, you will be successful at both creating effective signs and putting them in the appropriate locations.

  1. Purchase the following supplies if you don’t already have them:  seven colored foam poster boards that are at least 15” x 20”, rolls of clear and silver duct tape, a large Sharpie and scissors.
  2. Print one 8 ½” x 11” picture of your dog for each poster board.
  3. Write, “LOST DOG,” at the top of each poster board with your Sharpie.
  4. Tape a picture of your dog in the center of each poster board using clear duct tape, making sure to cover each picture entirely with clear duct tape or putting the picture into a ziploc gallon bag (w/opening at the bottom) to protect them from wet weather.
  5. Write a contact number below your dog’s picture.
  6. Waterproof your signs by covering their foam edges with clear duct tape.
  7. Put a sign in your yard so it can be seen easily by passers-by.
  8. Map a 3-mile area around the location where your dog went missing in the form of a hexagon.
  9. Secure signs at the intersections nearest to each point of the hexagon using your silver duct tape and scissors.
  10. Move your signs after each reported sighting of your dog by mapping a new 3-mile wide hexagon around the spot where your dog was most recently seen, and hanging signs at the intersections closest to each of the hexagon’s points.
  11. Last but not least, always make sure you have permission from the land owner before placing a sign, including city and county property.

Flyer, flyer and flyer some more!

Your friends and family members are eager to help you find your lost dog. They are willing to do whatever it takes to bring him/her home, including combing through every street and back alley in your neighborhood. They are all waiting for instruction from you. But, what should you tell them to do? What is the best way to use their time and effort to find your missing dog?

Friends want to help? Send them out flyering

Friends want to help? Send them out flyering

Even though it may seem counter intuitive, you should not send your friends and family members on a wild goose chase, or, in this case a dog chase, through the streets. Looking for a lost dog by wandering through the streets is like looking for a needle in a haystack. And, a dog who is approached by someone the animal doesn’t know well may get scared and run even farther from home…even if all the person was trying to do was return the dog to its family.

What you should say to your friends and family members is that you’d appreciate them taking some time to put out flyers all over town. Hand each of them a stack of flyers that include a full, current picture of your dog, a description of his or her appearance that highlights any unusual physical or behavioral traits the dog has, and your contact information.

When your friends and family members look at you like you’re crazy, remind them that the most effective way to find a lost dog is by putting up and handing out flyers as soon as possible following an animal’s disappearance. More often than not, a dog is reunited with its family because someone who has reviewed a flyer sees the lost pet, and calls the dog’s distraught owners.

So, if your pet goes missing at some point in the future, gather as many friends and family members as you can, and send each and every one of them out with big stacks of flyers. It is the best way to ensure your lost dog will be returned to your loving arms.