MISSING!
by Joann Lindenmeyer
You know that phone call. A member of the public calls your shelter or rescue with a desperate plea – “Help me find my lost dog!” “My indoor cat got out!”
It’s heart-wrenching and all too often we don’t have the resources or bandwidth to help. But put yourself in that person’s shoes. A member of their family is lost. They have little to no understanding of animal behavior, let alone one that is lost. Their hearts are pounding and they are devastated. They don’t know where to begin.
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The first and fastest thing your organization can do for your community is to share with them a list of resources for finding lost animals.
Don’t have one? Create one now.
The list could include:
- Tips on understanding the behavior of lost pets;
- Connect them with one of the organizations listed below.
- Provide tools that get the word out that a pet is missing, including a lost pet poster template and tips for setting up a Facebook page so that people can provide real-time sightings of the pet.
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Recently, Gus, a sweet, newly rescued miniature pinscher, escaped in an unfamiliar location. Fortunately, his caretaker Kym was connected by chance with two MAC board members who shared some information about how to go about finding him. It made us realize that there may be a lack of knowledge within the animal welfare community about how to help families of lost animals.
We advised Kym to put posters of Gus everywhere in town, starting with the streets near where he was lost and the streets bordering that area. She set up a Facebook page. And she contacted Missing Dogs Massachusetts ( MDM) .
Kym and MDM made a plan. MDM set up cameras in the area where Gus had been spotted. Kym sat there quietly for days and didn’t try to chase Gus while he slowly established a territory. Once he was somewhat comfortable in his surroundings, MDM set up a feeding station. When cameras showed that he was reliably visiting the station, it was time to introduce a humane trap, without food at first to get him used to the sight of it. Then MDM placed food in the humane trap and after six long, hot, emotional days Gus was trapped!!!
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A few days after being reunited, Kym shared some words of wisdom that we could all learn from. “Get in touch with a professional. In our case it was Missing Dogs Massachusetts. I handed out flyers with the Facebook page and my cell phone number to everyone in the neighborhood where he was lost. Members of the Facebook group updated us constantly on sightings. It’s important that only one person gets that information. I was on site every day, and I let everyone know that no matter the time of day, they could text me if he was spotted. This is how we established his “safe zone.” Don’t chase! Dogs that are lost are basically feral, their only goal to survive. Dogs that are chased can be spooked from their safe zones and will be harder to locate and track. Finally, trust the professionals and the process. They know what they are doing. We can prove it. Gus is home, safe and sound!
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An all volunteer, 501c3 non-profit organization devoted to improving the reunion rate of lost and found dogs in the state of Massachusetts.
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Social media community for missing or found cats with a goal of bringing together families and their lost feline friends.
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Have you seen our Pets in Hot Cars signs? |
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We are having great feed back about the sign! Several people have seen the sign and said what a great idea it is! Since putting the since up we have only received 1 call for a dog in a car in that area which is a drastic difference from previous years! Thanks so much!!!
~Foxboro Animal Control
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... It seems everyone we talk with has a personal story to tell about how they were deeply affected when they witnessed a dog who was left in a hot car. Many people have told us how much they appreciate seeing the sign, and that TJO responds to these emergency calls.
~TJO Staff & Volunteers
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We believe it is actually helping as we have had less calls about dogs in cars since we put it up at our local Stop & Shop.
~Belchertown ACO
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Update with MAC!
If you run an organization or clinic that provides any of the following services and would like to be included in our search engine.
Low cost spay/neuter
Low cost veterinary care for owned animals
Low cost dental services
Low cost euthanasia
TNR
Surrender prevention support
Pet behavior helpline
Pet food pantry
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Participate in the
COVET Study at Johns Hopkins Environmental Health & Engineering
The COVET study is collecting opinions from veterinary and animal care workers on disaster preparedness related to the COVID-19 pandemic, with the goal to develop and maintain a resilient animal care workforce capable of responding to this and future crisis situations.
We encourage you to participate if you are:
- A veterinary medicine worker
- An animal shelter or control worker
- Zoological facility or wildlife worker
If you agree that you fit into the above categories and would like to participate in this study, please go to:
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The 22nd annual festival, originally planned to return to Wyman-Gordon in North Grafton on Sunday, Sept. 13, from noon to 5 p.m., will now bark, meow, chirp, whinny and oink as a virtual FB-Instagram-YouTube live event that features interviews with animal welfare organizations, performances, musical acts, politicians speaking about animal welfare legislation, demos (including the Pups in the Air Frisbee team), information and a whole lot more.
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If your organization is a MAC Organizational Member and you want us to include your program, idea, webinar, event or conference here. Email us at: info@massanimalcoalition.org. |
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Massachusetts Voters for Animals (MVFA) is the nonpartisan political arm of the animal protection movement in Massachusetts and the only animal organization in the state that can influence elections for animal protection since other non-profits are prohibited by law from endorsing candidates or campaigning in elections. |
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Research Study:
The purpose of this research was to document the alleged under- representation of African Americans employed in U.S. nonhuman animal welfare organizations. African Americans never made up more than 7% of the employees in their respective organization. This paper discusses a model of, and resources for, successful diversity building in nonprofit organizations.
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Shelter Animals Count
Check out the data behind how COVID-19 has effected animal welfare organizations.
Shelter Animals Count is an independent 501(c)(3) with broad collaboration from the animal welfare community. By creating standardized reporting and definitions for shelter statistics including intake, adoptions, return-to-owner, transfers, euthanasia and shelter deaths, we will increase live outcomes. The board is dedicated to furthering more transparency with anonymity through sharing of shelter data to increase lifesaving opportunities.
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Helping you implement simple strategies to keep animals with the people who love them.
Human Animal Support Services (HASS) is a national coalition of animal services leaders and more than 30 pilot organizations transforming the traditional sheltering system to serve the entire community in supporting the human animal bond.
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Community Cat Voices
COVID-19 Video Series
Thursdays at 12pm
WEEKLY Zoom call for all animal welfare organizations in the area to come together and discuss concerns and best practices for handling this situation with regards to the corona virus.
Join Zoom Meeting
Meeting ID: 454 825 6521
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Maddie's Fund
Weekly Call
Mondays at 10am EST
Zoom call to talk about emerging issues, get advice and hear updates.
For Animal shelter professionals at every level, paid or unpaid because talking helps us come up with brilliant ideas, feel more supported and less isolated. It gives us information about things that are working, and helps us deal with the emerging waves of crises that are part of our daily lives.
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MAC is committed to keeping you all up to date on resources, tools and best practices during these unprecedented times. |
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Shameless Animal Video
Don't Forget to Wear a Mask!
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Check Out the Resources on MAC's Website
Are you aware of how much MAC has to offer beyond educational meetings, programs and task forces?
Have you ever checked out our Resources pages?
If you are looking for spay/neuter services in your area check out our Find a Spay/Neuter Clinic page. Simply enter your zip code and we will find clinics close to you!
MAC is here for you! Be sure to take advantage of all that we have to offer!
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For $10 A Year You Can Be A MAC Member!
Joining MAC is a great way to become more involved in animal welfare, meet others who are doing similar work, make friends and connections, and hear from experts in the field. For more info visit our membership page.
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Massachusetts Animal Coalition Facebook Page |
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If you received this email directly from MAC, you are already on the list! |
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