At Lake Tahoe and in Truckee, you’re bound to see many people who treat their dogs as children. What do they do when their canines run away? It happens more often than you think. Lots of pets’ humans already know they can have their animal chipped and have it wear a collar with an ID tag. We asked locals to share any other bright ideas they have for recovering a missing pet.
What tips do you have regarding losing and later finding a pet?
Jeff Ruppell, Truckee
Photographer
Wait for another pet to bring them back. We lost two huskies, and a golden retriever retrieved them for us. The retriever, Bonesy, was raised by a neighbor who raises avalanche dogs for Alpine.
Velia Estrella, Kings Beach
Small-business owner and dog lover
Retrack where you started [and] think back to where your dog’s been, because your dog always returns back where he started. I offer $100 rewards to teenagers to help. Go check at animal control and animal hospitals.
Michelle Kulchawik, Tahoe Donner
Local dog lover
When you’ve lost a dog out in the wilderness, leave a familiar-smelling item … for them to be able to come back to … If you can, camp out there, or revisit that spot to see if they’ve come back. It’s good for dogs that maybe chased after something, because they generally know how to get back to that spot, or even dogs that ran away because of fear. A familiar smell can bring them back.
Andrew Marcelino, Dollar Point
Seasonal ski junkie
I think you need community, so Nextdoor is a good tool to help spread the word. It [engages] different people from different ways of life, and is kind of their eyes and ears, as well. I haven’t lost a pet, but I know people who have posted on Nextdoor that have gotten hits from people that said, “I’ve seen this in this location.”
May and Alec Furtado, Truckee
Cheese lovers
Get a custom-printed dog phone number collar in nice big, huge numbers. [This] allowed someone to call us just minutes after our greyhound ran off.
