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Columns : The Pet Pages - Kim Aranha Last Updated: Feb 6, 2017 - 2:32:04 PM


Finding a lost pet
Aug 19, 2007 - 11:26:43 PM

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Often our beloved pets go astray. Most of the time it is due to carelessness on our part, a door left open, a forgotten gate left ajar, or worse still, not fencing in our gardens appropriately. Of course, if you are a cat owner, none of these precautions will make the slightest difference anyway.

Another major contributing factor to lost dogs is when their master goes away and they are left in the care of a house sitter. The dog, who is undoubtedly smarter that we realize, takes advantage of the house sitter’s lack of “local knowledge” and will sneak out to “see the world”, leaving behind a devastated house sitter and hysterical owners, not to mention, heart broken children who have lost their best friend. After all, we must understand there is a whole new world out there and why shouldn’t our dog be curious?

What do you do if your pet goes missing? Many people are in a total quandary as to what measures to take to get their animal back safe and sound. The first thing to do is to phone your local Humane Society and to also find out if there is a Government Pound in your area. Often it is the Government Pound that picks up the stray animals, not the humane Societies. Get the pound number and phone them IMMEDIATELY.

In Nassau, the Bahamas Humane society has NOTHING to do with the picking up of stray and loose dogs, but gets criticized whenever something dreadful happens involving stray and roaming dogs. Just other day, some poor man ran out onto the road to avoid a pack of stray dogs that were chasing him and he was hit and killed by an oncoming car, the Humane Society was immediately hauled over the coals in the media for not keeping these strays off the streets, when actually that task is the responsibility of the Bahamas Government Pound run by the Ministry of Agriculture. This writer takes this opportunity to ask, beg, and urge  the present administration to do something about the huge problem of stay dogs in this country. If we do not pass the new act regarding animals in this country we will NOT solve the problems EVER.

Did you know that in Nassau The Pound puts their dogs to sleep on a Friday afternoon, regardless of when they picked the dog up, so, if your dog is picked up on a Friday you had best get in touch with the Pound before the day is out because otherwise your dog will have met a fate that you do not wish to contemplate.

Now, should you live somewhere where there is no Humane Society and no Pound, what do you do ? I have found lately that the power of internet is enormous and a simple email with a photo and a good and accurate description can work wonders.

Keep in mind that sometimes the photo does not “FORWARD”, so make quite sure that you write enough information on the missing dog that somebody could recognize him or her without seeing a photograph. Also photos posted at the local supermarkets, post offices and stores around the area can alert people to be on the look out for your pet. Make sure you list the dog’s breed, size, temperament, colour, sex, and any distinguishing markings, also when the dog was last seen and where.

Common sense comes in useful to when dealing with pets. If you are going somewhere that you pet does not know, do NOT automatically assume that you can leave Fido off the leash to run around at will, in and out of the bush, and that he will come running back to you when you stand up and whistle for him at the end of the day. There are lots of interesting things, smells, animals, garbage, ECT… and dogs (like humans, may I point out) are interested in the forbidden and the unknown. Your dog is smart, but, he is still a dog and instinct takes over, he will forage in the bush, he will follow scents, and, alas, he will get lost. If he does, in my humble opinion, you are quite correct to feel guilty. You should have anticipated that this might happen, and YOU should have put him on a leash, or the very least, watched him like a hawk. At no time should it enter your mind to blame the dog or to be cross at the dog, you are the human here, and you are SUPPOSED to be responsible, So please, behave accordingly.

We took Buddy to Old Fort Beach two weekends ago, and he totally ruined the outing for me as all he wanted to do was go into the bush to explore. I spent the entire time calling him to come back, and then going to get him.  At his young age he still has not mastered the command to return when called, so finally I tied him to the tent. He spent the rest of the day knocking over his water bowl (a hundred times I swear!)  Digging and throwing sand ALL over the hamburgers and getting all twisted up in the leash.  I finally took him home early, he happily fell asleep in the air conditioned house, and I went back to the beach and had some worry free fun.

It is important to know when it is better NOT to take your pet along, when he would also be happier at home.

Cats do not get lost as often, they have a very good instinct that helps them streak back home. I have been told, but have never tried it, that if you move house with your cat, you should put butter on his paws and he then licks the butter off, putting his scent on his paws and therefore on the floor “marking” the house as his. I have no idea if this is true. I have recommended to friends that they try this but do not know if it works. If anybody has any idea if it works or not, please let me know.

Birds do not get out often. If they come home or not, I think, depends on how tame they are. I have owned a budgerigar and a canary both of whom, on separate occasions, years apart, were flying wild in Lyford Cay. When I put out a cage with seed in it they were more than happy to fly into the cage, eat and stay there. They both lived out their lives with me.

Turtles are tough to find, I tell you this from personal experience. However we own Eden who was brought to us, found in a garden, full of dog teeth marks, he now thrives in our turtle pond with the others.

The best way to find your pet, is to never loose it. However, hopefully the above suggestions will be of help if it should ever befall you to loose a pet.

About the author: Kim Aranha grew up in the Berry Islands with her first dog, a beloved potcake named “Friendly” (who was anything but!).  First educated at home, and then in boarding school in Switzerland, Kim moved to Rome, Italy in 1974 to pursue a career in the dramatic arts and ended up working as an interpreter.  She moved back to The Bahamas in 1980, and now lives in Nassau with her husband Paul, and their two teenaged sons.  Kim has 3 dogs (soon to be 4), 5 fish (1 Beta, 4 Goldfish), 10 turtles (6 babies, 4 adolescents), 1 Asian box turtle and 4 Budgerigars. Her idea of relaxing is being home to take care of all her pets. Kim is a member of the board of the Bahamas Humane Society. Kim can be contacted at kimbva@coralwave.com


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