Steps to take immediately when your dog has been stolen:

1. File a Police Report ~ Do not let the police refuse to take a stolen pet report. This is the only way police can act on the matter. Be careful of any kind of pet scams.
2. Check the "Dogs For Sale" ads on Craigslist or Little Nickel as many dogs are sold.
3. Search your property thoroughly - many dogs are found accidentally locked in garages etc.
4. Walk the neighborhood, talk to everybody you see and be sure & leave your phone number.
5. Post flyers and posters with dog photo on it & offer a reward. Post flyers within a minimum of a 3-mile radius of where your dog was last seen. Thirty five percent of lost dogs are found over ten miles from their home.
6. Contact your neighborhood association or block watch.
7. Place strong-scented articles outside your home.
8. Call local veterinarian offices during the day. After 5 PM, call veterinarian emergency clinics.
9. Visit your local Animal Control, humane societies, and animal shelters.
10. Find out if your pet has been injured on the road. Call the city, county, and state road crews, DOT, and Animal Control daily to see if they have found your dog.
11. Place an ad in your local newspaper. Check the newspaper found ads every single day.
12. Call every radio and TV station including public radio and TV and cable stations. Ask them to run an announcements about your missing pet.
13. Write Letters to your local paper, and let the public know that pet theft happened in your area, and warn people to watch their pets carefully and to report any suspicious vehicles or people to the local law enforcement agency.
14. Never give up hope!

Watch Out for Bunchers:

• A Buncher is a person, licensed by the USDA, who can gather dogs from "random sources". This includes "free to good home" ads in the papers, and community bulletin boards. They take dogs from shelters, and they have been known to gather from the streets and even from yards.
• Bunchers have been known to steal dogs from vehicles, parked outside the corner grocery store, while the owner shops. It can happen within minutes!
• Bunchers then sell your dog to Class B dealers, who then sell your dog to research facilities, other dealers, pet shops, at auctions, and to breeders ~ including puppy mills . They will not use dogs that are tattooed, but may not discover your dog is tattooed right away. They have also been known to cut a tattooed ear off of a dog in order to sell the dog. It is illegal for research facilities to use dogs that are tattooed, so you MUST contact any and all research facilities in your state, and even surrounding streets.

If you offer a Reward:

DO NOT specify an amount
DO NOT give anyone a reward without having the dog in your possession first!!

Expand Your Search Area if you don't find your dog:

Dogs can travel amazing amount of distance in a short period of time. One dog traveled 25 miles from home in only three days! Another one of our members found her Chihuahua 50 miles from home. At the minimum - start your search within a 3 mile radius of where you last saw your dog, then go to 10, 25, 50. etc. Keep expanding your search area until you find your dog. Remember that 35% of lost dogs are found over ten miles from home.