The book on "Search and Rescue" written by International Search and Rescue Expert Mr. Harry Oakes has been made available by ordering it online at www.k9sardog.com
Private citizens, military advisors, SAR coordinators, SAR Instructors, SAR dog instructors, attorneys, sheriff's departments, office of emergency management, other officials, yes even members of NASAR and FEMA have ordered this CD.
This book exposes the truth about SAR, the politics and egos that continue to cause innocent people their lives. Disaster preparedness; What individuals need to know before, during, and after and disaster to survive at home, at work, and on the road.
Training, testing, working actual search calls. Harry teaches his techniquest that he's taught to over 6,650 search and rescue teams around the world.
Child safety. Harry is a child safety expert. Lecturing around the world on child safety. Stranger danger. His Help Us Find You search and rescue safety program has saved countless lives. And Harry talks about the parents responsiblity should their child disappear and what to expect from police and SAR experts.
Order your copy of the book "Search and Rescue" today.
www.k9sardog.com
Order your's today.
Thursday, October 20, 2011
Friday, December 3, 2010
Search and Rescue By Harry Oakes
On 12-10-2010 Harry Oakes will have his self published book available on CD for anyone who is interested.
The book covers many topics.
1). Harry's 38 years of SAR experiences.
2). Photos, letters, emails in and out showing how politics and egos have killed
many innocent lives.
3). I will be covering topic on how to train yourself for search and Rescue.
How to train your dog for all aspects of search and rescue. To find evidence, scent evidence, live and dead people. Affects on Scent, and search dogs.
Pet first aid.
How to prepare for a major disaster. How we respond.
We'll talk a little bit and show interesting photos on the Kyron Horman search and explain in great detail how Multnomah County Sheriff's Office, the DA's office, and the Horman family dropped the ball on this search by refusing to allow Harry a scent article. What we could have done from day # 1 with a scent article.
There will be lots of photos of scenery that we've run into on our searches around the world.
WARNING. If you don't like photos of dead bodies, and bad language, don't order this CD. This book is NOT for anyone under the age of 18 because of the graffic photos and stories.
I tell it like it is. Reality in SAR.
Cost $15.00 User's computer must be able to ready Office 2000 files.
Contact Harry at searchdog@iinet.com if you're interested in ordering this book.
The book covers many topics.
1). Harry's 38 years of SAR experiences.
2). Photos, letters, emails in and out showing how politics and egos have killed
many innocent lives.
3). I will be covering topic on how to train yourself for search and Rescue.
How to train your dog for all aspects of search and rescue. To find evidence, scent evidence, live and dead people. Affects on Scent, and search dogs.
Pet first aid.
How to prepare for a major disaster. How we respond.
We'll talk a little bit and show interesting photos on the Kyron Horman search and explain in great detail how Multnomah County Sheriff's Office, the DA's office, and the Horman family dropped the ball on this search by refusing to allow Harry a scent article. What we could have done from day # 1 with a scent article.
There will be lots of photos of scenery that we've run into on our searches around the world.
WARNING. If you don't like photos of dead bodies, and bad language, don't order this CD. This book is NOT for anyone under the age of 18 because of the graffic photos and stories.
I tell it like it is. Reality in SAR.
Cost $15.00 User's computer must be able to ready Office 2000 files.
Contact Harry at searchdog@iinet.com if you're interested in ordering this book.
Finding lost pets
INTERNATIONAL K-9 SEARCH & RESCUE SERVICES
P.O. Box# 1472 Longview, Washington 98632 USA.
Voice mail - Office 360-414-8093 Mobile (503) 705-0258.
Web site: www.k9sardog.com
Email: searchdog@iinet.com or harry98632@yahoo.com
INTEGRITY YOU CAN TRUST - SERVICE YOU CAN COUNT ON.
How to Find Your Lost Pet. Written By Mr. Harry E. Oakes Jr.
The most documented missing person and missing person and lost pet
Search and rescue expert in the world.
People spend a lot of money, time, and tears, searching for their missing pet(s). This information comes from my 38 years plus of looking for missing persons, and 25 years looking for missing pets. I hope this helps you bring home your loved one.
Forward: I started in Search and Rescue in 1972 with the Multnomah County Sheriff’s Dept. L.E. Explorer Post# 900. In 1986, I co-founded the search dog team Oregon D.O.G.S. (Dogs Organized for Ground Search and Rescue, for the state of Oregon while I was a team leader for Portland Mountain Rescue. In 1988 I founded the international response team of Mountain Wilderness Search dogs.
In 1988, I did my first pet search with my second search dog “Ranger” and we found the missing cat “Dweezil” in less then 20 seconds. (Hiding upstairs under the waterbed in the client’s home).
In 1997 I started the first professional FOR PROFIT K-9 SAR dog team in the world. It’s called International K-9 Search and Rescue Services. We provide professionally trained K-9 SAR Dog Teams and coordinators 24 / 7 around the world for missing people or lost pets.
In 1999, I co-founded the search dog teams for the country of Turkey after responding to their earthquakes as a rescuer. In 2002, I co-founded the search dog program for the US Virgin Islands on St Croix USVI.
With 12 years of Law Enforcement, and 36 years of combined Search and Rescue experience, the information I’m about to pass on to you the reader, are the methods I’ve found useful in finding missing pets. Since 1988, I’ve helped locate over 3,500 lost, stolen, missing pets.
I hope this information helps you in your search efforts.
YOUR PET IS MISSING
Many things can happen to your missing pet. Your pet may;
*Track your scent and find its way back home.
*Get scared and hide. We often find them hiding in wooded brushy areas, garages, under decks, inside homes in attics, basements, cabinets, crawlspaces, or inside RV’s.
*Befriend a small child or other pet owner and follow them home, to their
work, or to School.
*Pick up a scent they are interested in, such as the scent of food or the
opposite sex, and investigate it. Yes, even if they are neutered or spayed.
*Fall victim to injury, illness, or death. They may be attacked by a predator.
Get hit by a car, shot by a landowner, or fall into the wrong person’s hands
that will try to keep them, harm them, or sell them.
SEARCHING FOR YOUR PET.
(Please print this section out and read it daily).
Remember you are very emotional at this time and will experience many emotions associated with your loss. The four stages of loss are anger, denial, guilt, and final acceptance. Understanding that these are natural common emotions, will help you deal with your feelings and take control of your search.
*Keep a daily journal of what has happened in your search efforts, from day # 1.
Where you posted signs, who you called, and what animal control agencies did you visit, when did you visit them, and whom you talked with once you arrived. Who, What, When, Where, How, and Why.
This is important in case we determine your pet has been stolen and catch the suspect(s). Not only can you prosecute them for “Theft of a domesticated Pet” which is a Class C Felony. You can also file CIVIL charges against them in civil court to recover the cost of your search. The first thing the judge will ask you for is PROOF of your expenses. So document your actions and keep your receipts.
Documenting is also a great idea because if for some reason your pet is never found, and you’ve followed each of our steps, you will know you’ve done everything humanly possible to get your loved one back home.
After you read each paragraph, please place your initials on the line at the end of the list, after you’ve completed the task. That way you will proceed in the proper order and won’t miss any instructions.
Remember to: Search your own home area first. Checking any areas of possible hiding spots. We find 15% of the missing pets still on the pet owner’s property, or within ¼ mile of the PLS. Point Last Seen. In garages, doghouses, attics, crawl spaces below the house, apt, sheds, RV’s, behind the washer, dryer, water heater, stove, cabinets, closets, etc. ____.
(NOTE) Cat owners, remember to lift the hood of your vehicle and search under the hood. Cat’s love to warmth of the vehicle engine at night. Also check the nearby trees to see if you cat is stuck in one of them. De-clawed cats can climb.
1. Immediately start a journal, either hand written, or on your computer. _____.
Document your search efforts. Date, Time, what action you took, how much you spent. Results of your actions. Who, What, When, Why, Where, and How.
2. Document your expenses: Cost of newspaper ads, photocopying, telephone calls, time off work, fuel, cost of search dogs, veterinarians, attorney fees, etc. Reason: If you determine that your pet has been stolen and if the suspect(s) is – are later identified, you can then file for damages in a civil court to recover your expenses. I’m repeating myself but this is so very important. Document your actions and expenses from the beginning of your search. On my computer, I use Microsoft word for the daily journals and Excel for the cost accounting figures.___.
3. Check all animal control agencies within a four county region. North, South, East and West of where your pet was last seen. File a missing pet report. Or, if it’s been determined by a qualified search dog team that your pet has been stolen, file a stolen pet report with the local Humane Society Law Enforcement Division and your local law enforcement agency as well as your local animal control shelters.
Don’t just search within your county. We’ve found over the years, that many folks are well meaning, but also lazy. They may see your pet, feel sorry for it, and pick it up to keep it safe. Then turn it in to their local animal control instead of the animal control or shelter nearest where they picked it up. This is often in an entirely different jurisdiction.
They may work or be visiting from out of the area when they pick up your pet. _______.
We had a case in Florida where the pet was lost in Hollywood, FL and found 700 miles north a month later. Upon inspecting the dog, it had been transported by vehicle to this shelter.
Here’s another reason why you should go in person. This is shocking. Thank you very much for all the info. It helped greatly. We found the dog at the Leir shelter. Her leg was broken and mangled, and they had her just laying in a cage dealing with it. I checked the shelter three times a day since she was missing. I was there 4 times since the "check in" time on her sheet there. I even gave them all flyers and pictures with them promising to "keep an eye out."
Only after stumbling into a room i probably wasn't supposed to be in did i find Blue. I rushed her to the Vet, and she is OK and will most likely recover if the bone heals properly. thank you again, brad
Pets are now considered personal property and it’s illegal for another person to take possession of your property (your pet) without following strict Federal, State, and County guidelines. If the person(s) who has recovered your pet hasn’t filed a found report with the authorities within the specified time limit, (usually 48 hours) they may be guilty of theft of private property.____.
3. A. Check the animal control agencies files. NEVER EVER TAKE THE VOLUNTEERS or EMPLOYEES WORD THAT YOUR PET IS NOT AT THEIR FACILITY.
4. Most facilities are understaffed and over crowded. I’ve seen a facility miss a GREAT DANE. I found it in their shelter the first day I went there. This after they told my client, ”they didn’t have a Great Dane in their custody”.
Physically drive to the shelters and animal control agencies and check their kennels. Fax or email all veterinarian offices within your search area. Give them a current photo and your personal information. While at the shelters, check their dead on arrival files-(DOA’s), sick and injured files, quarantine kennels, adoption and destroy files. Also the temporary adoption files. (This is a record where a person who has found a pet can call in and register by email or telephone that they are taking care of the pet). _____.
Most of these facilities are run as a non-profit and therefore their records are open for public inspection. If the shelter refuses to allow you to review their files, get an attorney. Keep checking their files, in person, not over the telephone, every three days. Don’t give up for 8 weeks._____.
B. Check your ads on the Internet. Craigslist ( www.craiglist.com ) in two sections. Lost and Found and under PETS. You can also post on MYSPACE as well as various other locations on the Internet FOR FREE._____.
Contact International K-9 Search & Rescue. www.k9sardog.com.
Email: harry98632@yahoo.com or searchdog@iinet.com
We’re the most documented professional K-9 SAR Dog tracking team in the world for missing pets or persons. We keep on ongoing computer registered report on lost and found pets around the world.
NOTE: I strongly recommend that you stay away from most
PET DETECTIVES. These are Private Investigators who claim to have search dogs, unless you check a minimum of three of their references.
Most Pet Detectives that we’ve investigated, after receiving numerous complaints from their previous clients, aren’t trained properly, and lack experience. They may be great private investigators, but lack the other skills needed for this type of work. Most of these folks who state they use search dogs aren’t search dog handlers at all. Nor are their dogs trained and tested in Search and Rescue.
Before you hire anyone, check his or her references. Get a signed contract for services showing up front, what they can and can’t do for your money. Obtain an after action search report. Contact our web site links for reputable Pet Detectives.
The problem we are seeing recently is that there are new PET DETECTIVE and PET SAR Groups popping up all over the USA. One such example is a woman in California.
First she states she’s qualified to teach K-9 SAR groups. Yet she claims “A search dog can’t follow a scent trail older then 72 hours”. Any professional K-9 SAR Dog team can tell you that isn’t true. Numerous search dog teams throughout the USA have repeatedly documented following scent trails as old as year and have found the missing person dead. We’ve also tracked a cat missing for over a year and found it alive. This so-called “Animal professional K-9 instructor” doesn’t have a clue of what she is talking about. Do you want people she’s trained working for you?
She travels around giving Pet Detectives and SAR (search and rescue) conferences at $650.00 per student. The students attending these conferences get a certificate of completion. Then the attendees feel they are now qualified to charge money for their new found knowledge. After their 50 hours of training or less, they claim to have real search dogs.
Fact is, they’ve received about 50 hours of training or less. Our professional K-9 SAR dog teams get an average of 450 hours of training in K-9 SAR, first aid, basic tracking, report writing, crime scene investigations and other topics related to finding missing persons or pets. And, we’re tested yearly for our certification levels.
From her own website she shows that she really doesn’t understand scent and tries to disprove our DOCUMENTED Facts from around the world where we’ve documented finding scent over 30 days old.
This is one of many reasons we ask you stay from her and her MARS trained volunteers and staff. Here’s a copy from her web site directly.
“In 1989, Missing Pet Partnership's founder K. A. began training search dogs (police Bloodhounds and cadaver dogs) and ultimately shifted into a career in law enforcement.
Then in 1997, K shifted her work to pioneering the pet detective industry. In 2005 after nine years experience as a pet detective, field training officer, and certified seminar leader, K launched the MAR Technician program, which has since certified other pet detectives who offer professional lost pet services.
Our History page explains the process we've gone through to develop this industry and our Qualifications page lists the experience and education that allows us to administer a proper training and certification program for pet detectives and MAR search dogs.
Missing Pet Partnership is striving to train and certify MAR Technicians, volunteer Lost Pet First Responders, and MAR search dogs so that lost pet services will be affordable and available in all communities. Because of problems that we've encountered with a few bad apples, we've established a Code of Ethics for our organization.
Just because a lost pet resource is not listed on our website does not mean that he or she is not reputable or can't help you! It might just mean that he or she has not been able to take our training course. But understand that Missing Pet Partnership will not list a resource on our website unless we know that he or she has been properly trained, is reputable, and has agreed to abide by our Code of Ethics. Sadly, a few in this field have been making claims that their dogs can follow scent trails that are long beyond what dogs are actually capable of following. You can learn more about how long scent survives by reading an excerpt from MPP founder Kat Albrecht's book DOG DETECTIVES: Train Your Dog to Find Lost Pets.
There are also others working hard to discredit anyone else who dares to compete with them, even those who have more experience in finding lost pets and, ironically, those who trained them. Some speak of their own ethics and desire for standards, yet they refuse to abide by Missing Pet Partnership's Code of Ethics.
One concern that we've had from the inception of our training program is that anyone can take a dog, put a SEARCH DOG vest on him or her, claim he or she is trained to track lost pets, and scam money from desperate pet owners.
Here's an article where a man who lost his Mini Pin hired a "self-proclaimed dog tracker" for $12,000.00. Sadly, his final impression of the tracker was that, "she milked me for all I had."
To avoid being taken advantage of, we suggest that you steer clear of anyone offering services who:
Claims that his or her dogs can track a scent trail that is older than
one month;
· Claims to have THE BEST tracking dogs in the world;
So with Ks statements from her web site she’s trying to cast doubt on other teams other then her own yet she starts out with the above info. This speaks for itself. Again our work following scent trails older then two weeks has been proven around the world. It’s been documented, witnessed on cases we’ve worked on with the FBI and other government and state agencies. Yet K say’s “it’s not possible?” If the District attorney vouches for our success in the courtroom then who is K to try to call everyone a liar? Shame on her.
In her next statement makes comments that we don’t abide by MARS code of ethics? We’re not a pet detective agency. Nor do we want to be. We’re a documented, credible K9 Search and Rescue agency that looks for missing persons and lost pets. Our documentation has been checked and double checked by law enforcement and the Dept of Justice and validated.
It’s her own MARS Pet detectives that have received a number of complaints. Here are some of them.
Real search dogs Vs Pet detective search dog cases.
Example#1. We received a call from a client who has hired a woman from Oklahoma City, who claims she has two search dogs. She had responded and performed her Pet PI search for the clients lost cat. The MARS PET DETECTIVE charged the client approximately $900.00 to do her search. According to the client, this Pet PI didn’t file a report, or issue a receipt for monies paid, and told the client that, ”she found her cat’s remains in the snow”. (It turned out to be rabbit hair).
We flew out there with a qualified search dog team and determined the client’s cat was picked up near a play ground and is very much alive. This for ½ the fee the PI had charged.
Example#2. We received another complaint in Wyoming. They had flown a MARS Pet search dog PI person from San Diego, Ca. out and wasn’t happy at all with the dog handler’s performance. Again, no after action report was issued, or receipt issued for the service. They had paid this searcher over $3000.00 for her search.
We were able to help the client, just through telephone calls, get their dog located and returned home safely for free. We also assisted the client in filing a complaint against the Pet PI search dog person from San Diego, Ca. with the Better Business Bureau and get their money refunded.
PLEASE check references and the search dog handler’s training and certification (We call is qualification standards), before you hire a PET PI or search dog team.
Example# 3. A client in Southern Ca. tried to get a MARS “Pet Detective Search Dog team from S. Ca. to respond to his lost cat search. She charged him $80.00 dollars just to give the client the same information that we give to our client for free over the phone. She quoted in an outrages price to travel 100 miles to do the search for his lost cat. The client flew us down there to his area, we did the search, and found his cat had been killed by a coyote for 1/3 of the price this PET PI quoted the client.
Example# 4. This client out of LA, Ca. hired a MARS PET DETECTIVE out of Montana. She paid her over $2,500 to come track her lost cat. The Pet detective refused to give her a written report, and her story about where her client’s cat went was proved to be wrong. After wasting three months of the client’s time, efforts, and money. We came down and for ½ the cost determined her cat was stolen by the clients own family member. We have a valid suspect in the case.
Example# 5. This client of Idaho, wanted to hire a MARS Pet Detective who said, it would cost a minimum of $150.00 for her to come out and look. We did the consult for free and that afternoon our client got her dog back safe and alive for FREE.
Example# 6. A client in Ca. hired a MARS PET DETECTIVE who brought in two dog teams. They refused to allow the client to go along with them and claimed their search dogs tracked his dog to an area where it was picked up. They (the pet detectives) breached their own contract by not allowing their client to come along and witness the search that he was paying for.
Example# 7. A client in Canada hired a MARS Pet Detective from Arizona. She brought them up twice at great expense to search for her lost cat. The Pet Detective and her search dog, never found anything. We were asked to come up to BC Canada and do the search. We did it for 1/8th of the amount of money the Pet Det. Charged and after she had failed twice, it took our search dog 5 minutes to locate where the clients cat had been killed right behind the clients house in the alley.
Example# 8. The same Pet Det. We received numerous complaints on from Oklahoma had charged a woman client from NY $180.00 to profile her missing pet. (This is something we do for all of our clients for free.
The client was furious when she found out the Pet Det. Was completely off base, and that we were able to do the same thing over the telephone for FREE. On her website she claims she is the most experienced at what she does. Yet she hasn’t even come close to documenting the successes we have. So how can she get away with making such false claims?
Example# 9. I recently got a telephone call from a client in Las Vegas, Nv. She had two dogs missing in the desert. She contacted a MARS Pet Detective who quoted her $4000.00 to respond and do a search with her UNTRAINED UNCERTIFIED SAR Dog. This client ended up hiring I.K.9.S.A.R.S. our services. We helped her bring closure to both of the dog cases for less then $2,500.00 dollars.
Example# 10. This just came in last week and the client called me complaining about this pet detective. “Our dog Rudy went missing on Tuesday, May 11th, 2010. After almost 4 very devastating, difficult and stressful weeks, he was found. I never had lost a pet in my life, and never realized how much I loved this guy. Everyday that he was gone I missed him so much, cried often and was so worried, sad and unhappy. I even hired a pet detective despite the cost in the desperation to find him ( I don't recommend anyone doing this without FULLY checking out the detective's background, references, and having a signed contract beforehand ), this person claimed that our dog was traveling towards San Jose however Rudy was found in Morgan Hill about 1/2 mile away from our home.
My husband is still upset of the amount of money and time we wasted on this service, but in the end at least I realized that this person was not reliable and turned my focus back to more probable places. Night after night, I searched by car and foot further and further from home, thinking to myself that I would never find him. Then there were the skeptics who thought someone had found him and were keeping him because he's cute and he's a puppy. But something in me never gave up hope. This was the most difficult battle sometimes, holding onto hope.
Sometimes it would've been easier to just admit the loss and accept that I would never see him again. Hope that if someone had him they would love him as much as I did and be taking care of him. Yet, I just couldn't let go of the thought that he was gone, and I fought to stay positive and tell myself, even if it takes a year I know he will come back to me. The last hope I had was his micro-chip and I thought someday that is what will bring him home, if it's not my fliers, my rewards or my searching.
Finally the day came, Sunday, June 6th, we got a call and someone found him. He was so skinny and dirty that I didn't even recognize him! But when I said his name he got up (the frailty and weakness was so obvious) he walked to me and I knelt down and he started to lick me. I grabbed him right away and in tears I asked what happened to you?
I hugged our angel who found him for us and thanked him immensely. Right away we took Rudy to the vet because he clearly needed professional care and at least an exam.
The vet told us that it was the second case that she had seen that weekend of a lost pet found. She said that the day before a woman came in with a cat that had been missing for 7 MONTHS! The cat was found in someone's backyard, like Rudy, was very weak and starved. 7 MONTHS!
I just wanted to share with you all who are here searching for a pet my experience so you know that miracles do happen, hope is important, and even though it is hard don't give up! I hope my story helps you, maybe give you some strength and bring some hope in this very difficult and sad time.
Below is a picture of Rudy. I especially want to thank Mr. Harry Oakes from Search and Rescue whom I called repeatedly throughout this horrible ordeal. He offered words of encouragement, tips for finding him. THANK YOU!
The person I hired was with the SocialPet.com, she charged me $65/hr with a minimum of 4 hour search. After doing research her price is actually reasonable compared to others, but I don't believe her success rate compares. If you are considering pet detective services I can give you my experience in more detail and suggest I.K.9.S.A.R.S. They have you sign a contract, they are credible with 25 years experience. He also provides a written report when he’s completed his search. The company I hired SocialPet.com refused to give me one.
We have numerous other complaints ref: these MAR’s pet detectives groups and how they do their searches and how they charge for their services. While we support anyone who is out there trying to make a difference regarding lost pets, we don’t support taking advantage of someone during their time of need.
Police officers, doctors, attorneys, nurses, paramedics, fireman, all provide a professional service for people during their time of need. We also provide the same level of expertise in our field.
1). We send our clients a contract that spells out in great detail what we can and
can’t do, what we charge, and the contract protects the client and our search
dog team(s).
2). Our clients are asked to come along with us to witness our search efforts and
ask questions to better understand the process.
3). We issue a receipt for all money collected.
4). We issue a report that can be turned over to the court system and or law
enforcement.
5). We charge for only what service we provide. The pet detectives ask for a
large deposit that is NOT REFUNDABLE up front. That’s just not right.
If you want a Pet PI, we recommend Melody Pugh. (See our web site for her contact information). If you want a search dog team, then contact our office and we’ll send a trained, tested, professional K-9 SAR Dog team to your location.
Another scam to watch for. You'd have to sink pretty low to take advantage of the distraught owner of a lost pet, right? For a month, a retired airline pilot has searched high and low for Georges, a large tabby he's owned since he rescued it from a pet shelter in Florida in 1998. Georges took off after Polverino brought home a new kitten, Tigger. Since then, Polverino has been running ads in this newspaper and distributing and posting about 800 fliers in Southwest Roanoke County. During his search, Polverino has run into friendly and sympathetic people he otherwise might not have. Some of that came when he was posting or handing out fliers. Strangers saw his ad in the newspaper and called to commiserate and offer support.
"I've met some nice people," Polverino said. And then there was one caller who was looking for money. Polverino doesn't know the man's name. He identified himself as being with "Pet Finders Alert." The man told the worried cat owner that Pet Finders Alert could help find Georges using computers and telephones. "They said, 'We'll work with you every step of the way. We'll help you find your cat,' " Polverino said. For $59.95, Pet Finders Alert would call all of Polverino's neighbors and let them know about his missing cat.
They would call in an ever-widening circle around Polverino's place, until everyone who lived within a mile or two had been notified or the cat turned up. They would give Polverino progress reports, he says the guy told him. And they would notify local animal shelters, too. At the time the call came, "I'm real depressed, I'm at a weak point," Polverino said. So he coughed up his credit card number.
And that was the last time Pet Finders Alert called Polverino. While Polverino has handed out fliers in the Poages Mill area for the missing Georges, he's asked people if they've heard from Pet Finders Alert about Georges. The responses were along the lines of, "Pet who?" and, "Huh?"
As for the animal shelters, "they didn't contact one," Polverino said. "I've called all of them. I've visited them. And I've asked." Pet Finders Alert has contacted other owners of lost pets around here, however. One of them is Beverly Russell, who lives in the Carvins Cove area. She's been running an ad seeking Itty Bit, a Yorkie pup who disappeared in mid-May.
"We don't have your pet but we may be able to assist," began a message Pet Finders Alert left on Russell's voicemail. She hasn't returned their calls. Polverino suspects a scam and it sounds to me like he's on to something.
Thursday and again Monday I called Pet Finders Alert at the phone numbers Polverino and Russell gave me.
Those are listed to an address in Las Vegas. Nobody responded to messages left Thursday and Monday. The company's Web site, petfindersalert.com, has been suspended. The Better Business Bureau of Southern Nevada gives the company an F rating.
"They're doing business illegally, without a state license," the BBB's Rhonda Fisk told me. The agency has four complaints on file since September, and Pet Finders Alert has responded to none of them, she added.
Polverino is now disputing the charge with his credit card company. His crusade to find Georges also has expanded. He's going after Pet Finders Alert, too. He's scouring bulletin boards on legitimate Web sites, such as PetFinder.com, and collecting many warnings about Pet Finders Alert.
And he's contacting law enforcement authorities in Nevada, encouraging them to go after the company. Let's wish him luck, and cheer him on.
Remember to check all of your local animal hospitals, feed stores, vet clinics, animal rescue groups within a 200-mile area. Also post signs at your local feed stores, pet stores such as Petco and Petsmart. Check their lost and found boards. If your pet is a pure bred, check the pure bred rescue groups in your area.
6. Place an ad in the local newspapers.
7. Check your ads in the newspaper. Check the lost and found section, pets for sale, and pets being given away for free. These are located in three different sections of the newspapers. Follow up on each ad that possibly refers to your pet. Never go to the house or location alone to check out a pet sighting. Think ahead and BE SAFE. ___.
9. Don’t give up for 8 weeks. After that period of time, you will need to put closure on your search efforts. Get counseling if needed. You and your family have suffered a terrible loss of a family member.
I recommend that you sit down away from distractions and write your pet a goodbye letter. Bring a box of Kleenex. Tell them what it meant to have them in your life. How it feels to have them gone. What you did to find them. Then when it’s time, let them go. We’ve had successful recoveries a year after our initial search. But honestly those are very rare cases. ___.
10. If the animal is found alive, get it to a vet clinic immediately. Have it check for Giardia, parasite infections, and dehydration. If it’s not micro-chipped, get it chipped right away. Avid, or Home Again offers a great service.____.
NOTE. Many people who have had their pets micro-chipped fail to contact the Microchip Company. Please as soon as you chip your animal, call the microchip company and register your contact information with them immediately. Also give the company a back up contact # of a family member or friend in case you are unable to be contacted during an emergency. If your pet comes up missing, call the microchip company right away and register your pet on the company’s “Hot list” or lost list. Make sure they have your current contact information. In the Portland area, we get approximately 3,500 pets back each year through microchips.
11. If the animal is found dead, contact your local animal shelter or a private pet service for removal, burial, or cremation of the pet’s remains.
Be aware of scams. One of the most common scams is where someone calls you and gets a description of your pet. They may have seen your ads in the newspaper or on a poster in the area. They will then give this information to a partner. The partner calls you and says,” he has your pet”. He or she will give you an accurate description of your pet and describing where he / she found it. He / she will tell you a story, such as, “I’m now out of state traveling (or working). I was in your area and found your pet. If you wire me some money, I will send your pet home immediately”. It’s a scam. DON’T FALL FOR THIS.
If he / she is telling you the truth, then he / she will have no problem taking the pet to the nearest animal shelter, or police department, and verifying through an official agency that they do in fact have your pet. Then you can work out the procedures of rewards and recovery of your pet. Never give anyone any money for your pet until you actually see your pet first.
Another scam. Person will call you and tell you that he / she is retired, or a truck driver, and picked up a hitchhiker who had your pet. Your pet was sick / injured and the person calling you took your pet to the local vet. The caller will then say something like, “If you send me the money that I paid for your pet at the vet’s office, I’ll send you your pet on the next airplane”.
Ask the caller for their telephone#, name, and address. Send the police there to verify their statements. If they are telling you the truth (99.9%) of the time they are not, then work out the details of reward and returning the animal after the police or animal control has verified it is in fact your pet.
Watch out for unsavory businesspersons. There are a lot of new pet finder services out on the market. Get references.
NOTE: There is a web site called PETFINDERS.COM This service allows you to file a report for FREE listing your lost or found pet. We strongly recommend them.
Be wary of pet detectives who charge you fees to go look for your pet. You can do the same job for free. There are a few CREDIBLE PET DETECTIVES. Contact us for our list of referrals.
One comment listed on Craigslist re: Pet finders. “Got a call today from “Petfinders” after listing our lost cat with the Oregonian. They offered to call everybody within a mile radius of our house to give them a description of our lost cat. Looked them up online and it appears to be a total scam”. Beware if they call you.
The person who finds your pet may do the following:
They may call the newspapers and place an ad to advise people that they have found the animal.
Check the lost and found ads for people trying to report their animal missing.
File online with local petfinders.com or other pet rescue resources, (Craigslist, My space, etc.) that they’ve found your pet. Report finding your pet at the local animal shelters, veterinarian clinics, or pet stores.
Some folks will sell your pet or give it away to another person, medical research facility, or to a friend.
NOTE: Numerous hospitals and medical research facilities buy animals (dogs and cats) off the street. They claim they don’t, but we have proved this isn’t so. They will not let us tour their facilities for your pet. This includes local hospitals like OHSU, and Good Samaritan. Never support these facilities.
Performing medical experiments and testing on animals is cruel and wrong.
The person, who has your pet, may be lonely and may keep the pet and take good care of it. (Especially around the holidays). They may take your pet to a public place such as a park, school, or shopping mall, and let it go, hoping someone else will pick it up and take care of it, or that it will find its way back home. Some cultures will eat your pet. This is highly unusual here in the USA, but it does happen in less then 1% of the cases.
PREDATORS. There are many types of predators that may attack and kill or injure your pet. Humans trying to capture your pet to collect the rewards, or sell it to a medical facility for experiments. Other animals such as other dogs, birds of prey such as hawks, eagles, owls. coyotes, raccoons, possums, cougars, or bears may also attack your pet.
Predators killing your pet occur in 35% of our cases that we investigate. If you live in the wilderness, country, or rural areas, check your local animal trails for coyote-bear-wolf poop and look for your pet’s hair inside to prove or disprove it’s been consumed by a predator.
Hawks, Eagles, Owls, Possums, Raccoons, Coyotes, Fox, Bears, Cougars, Bob cats, and some larger snakes can eat small dogs and cats. Don’t blame the predator. You’re the one who allowed fifi or fido to run loose in the predator’s home. Every year from March through July, we find a huge increase of missing small dogs and cats that have become food for coyotes and raccoons feeding and protecting their young. Be aware of the dangers of allowing your pet to run loose.
WHEN YOU’VE FOUND YOUR PET. Your pet may suffer from psychogenic shock and it may be traumatized. Your pet might not even recognize you as their owner, once you’ve spotted one another. NEVER RUN UP TO YOUR PET.
Your pet may run away, or it may attack you to defend itself. The best thing to do is to STOP and SIT DOWN near the pet, take a deep breath, and calm down. Calmly call out your pet’s name repeatedly, in a very soft voice, trying to lure it back to you.
If you have another pet at home that has bonded with the missing pet, take it with you on your search. Let your other pet greet the one that’s in shock. Once you’ve recovered your pet, take it to your vet. Immediately.
IF YOUR PET IS FOUND HIDING or has been spotted. Bring some pet food and something that has your scent on it, like a dirty sock, shirt, or other piece of clothing that hasn’t been washed. Put some of the pet’s food into the pieces of your unwashed clothing, and leave it in the immediate area. You may even leave your scent trail from this area to your home, if it’s close by. This may bring the pet out of its shock and draw it back to you. Leave a piece of soiled unwashed clothing, cut up in the size of a quarter, trailing home. One piece every 50 feet.
HUMAN URINE SCENT TRAIL. (Pee trail). Another method that works is to have the person who the pet is bonded with the most at home, urinate into a spray bottle. Mix the urine with water. This sounds weird, but this actually has brought home about 5% of our cases. Then go to the areas of possible sightings and spray a SCENT TRAIL of your urine back home. One squirt (from the spray bottle) every 30 yards. Use a route where your pet won’t get hit by a car. The pet may not come out of hiding. A live box trap and trained animal capture staff are available to trap the animal without hurting it. Contact your local animal control agency for assistance.
If your Pet is found dead. You may call a Critter Gitter service to transport it, or animal control to pick up and handle your pet’s remains for cremation or burial services. See pet loss support group counseling services. They are free.
THE USE OF SEARCH DOGS. If your pet is lost and you’ve called our K-9 Search & Rescue team, here’s what to expect. First we’ll send you this lost pet profile information for free.
We will obtain a missing pet description and profile, take a report, and obtain a scent article belonging to your pet. (Some kind of fur, hair, blanket, or collar that only the pet has touched or worn, or laid on). We can then initiate a track of the missing / stolen pet with a trained search dog team. In 95% of our cases, we are often called days, weeks, or even months later after the animal has been lost.
In 98% of our cases, our search dog team will track right to where the pet is currently at, or where it was picked up by some well-meaning person, or where it was killed by a predator.
The person who finds your pet, normally will remove the pet from the area by vehicle. The search dog can determine if the pet was killed and the location where this happened.
If the search dog indicates a LIVE ALERT, this is a strong indicator that your pet has been picked up by a well meaning person. We then ask you to post signs at this location. The person who picked up your pet, observes the poster and will hopefully will call you to return your pet.
If your pet was picked up and removed from the area by a human, what do you do then? Post signs. Whoever picked up your pet most likely will be looking for a lost poster and will do everything they can to find the pets owners. Remember to post a sign in English and Spanish.
SCENT. All search dogs, as in any other kind of tracking animal, will pick up the freshest scent of the animal, and track it instinctively. As a human or animal walks along, they shed approximately 10,000 pieces of scent per minute.
This scent falls to the ground and stays there until the wind and air currents moves the scent to nearby dirt, sand, brushy vegetation areas. The scent is held there until it fully dissipates about a year later.
When an animal or human walks in one specific direction, it’s laying down scent that the trained search dog can track up to 365 days later, even in the rain.
Rain actually helps the scent. It brings the scent closer to the ground surface, keeps the search dog’s nasal passages moist to help the dog retain the scent and it will liven the scent.
What hurts scent? Heavy vehicle and human traffic contaminates the scent.
Heavy rains of 2 inches per day may wash the scent down. Heat dries out the scent and the search dog’s nasal scent receptors, making it harder for the search dog to track. If this happens we can still do the search but instead may choose to do what’s called an area search instead of a trail or track.
If the victim we are searching for is in the area, the search dog will alert and show us where he / she is at.
Cigarette smoke contains a poisonous drug called Nicotine. Nicotine is an anesthetizing agent that can numb up the search dogs scent receptors by 95% and make the search dog’s job much more difficult. If you smoke around your pet, the second hand cigarette smoke poison that you are putting into their little lungs (Nicotine) can also alter the missing pet’s scent, therefore throwing off a search dog. That’s why all of our team members are non-smokers.
That’s also why you are never allowed to smoke around our search dogs or their handlers. You are also exposing your pet to many types of respiratory diseases and cancer.
Can search dog’s track at night? Yes, of course we can. In fact we prefer it. Air molecules stay lower to the ground at night, and there are fewer scents to contend with in the evening and early morning.
FALSE TRACKS. A false track happens when the animal walks one specific direction, then the pet owner, or someone else, walks on top of the pets scent, (usually in or around the home). This transfers the pet’s scent onto the bottom of the person’s footwear, and when the person walks or drives a different direction, this person is now giving off a fresher scent of the missing pet to track. This is called a false scent trail.
There is no way to prevent this from happening, it’s a fact of life. The only way that you can help this from happening, is to call our K-9 Search and Rescue team out immediately before you do any looking, so as not to contaminate the track. With our experience in tracking, we can quickly determine if we’re on a false or a true track / trail.
What if the search dog tracks my pet to one specific location, and we get reports of sightings in a completely different area? It is not unusual at all for someone who is well meaning to pick up a lost animal. Soon the animal becomes too much responsibility for the person to take care of. They may let the pet go at a nearby park, school, or business. They may take it back to where they found it and set it free, hoping it will find its way back home.
The pet may just break free from the person and try to find its own way back home.
REMEMBER, The search dog doesn’t know how to lie. So, if the search dog team tracks your pet to one specific area and indicates your pet has been removed from this area, and, a few days later you get reports your pet is seen in an entirely different area, don’t be upset at the search dog. Be upset at the person who removed your pet and then let it go somewhere else. This unfortunately happens in approximately 5% of our cases.
How do we know the search dog’s track was accurate? There is never 100% guarantee that we’ll find your loved one. We’ll give it our best efforts. Again I’ll repeat myself. A SEARCH DOG doesn’t know how to lie. That’s why their testimony in a court of law is accepted, with training, testing, and mission documentation.
A search dog is trained to follow the freshest track or scent trail of the scent given to them by their dog handler. A mutual trust exists between the dog handler and the search dog. We use the dogs’ nose and tracking, air scenting, and trailing capabilities along with our man and animal tracking and clue capabilities to confirm why our search dog is leading us to a specific area. During our search we look for clues such as foot-prints, fecal matter, hair, blood and other signs to prove or disprove the track. This is call confirming a valid track.
The search dog team (one dog, one dog handler) must go through hundreds of hours of training, testing and actual work cases to maintain their status in K-9 SAR. That’s why it’s important to use a real search dog team and not someone who claims to have a search dog.
Ask for references from people they’ve already provided service for.
Our references are posted on our web site for all to see.
Be careful of teams who we call “Posers”. These are people (dog handler’s) who “BRAG” on TV or to the newspaper about ,”how good they are and what they can do”. Yet when it comes to actual searching, their results are very disappointing. We’ve seen teams like this in Texas and in Ca.
What is your success rate in finding lost / missing / stolen pets with search dogs?
70%. We physically find 20% during the initial search. The remaining 70% of the pets that are found later because of the track. They are found because the search dog led us to a specific area where the animal was picked up, and the pet owners post signs there. The person(s) who picked up your pet, see the signs, and call you. 10% of the pets are never ever found. _____.
Why are 10% of the pets never found? They may have fallen victim to a predator. Two or four legged. People may sell your pet for drugs, dog fighting, medical experiments, food, or its fur. This is rare but it does occur.
Four legged predators such as bears, cougars, bobcats, larger dogs, opossums, raccoons, and some birds of prey have been known to carry off smaller pets and transport their remains to their den.
Why don’t you track the pet to the predator’s den? It is not our position to interfere with nature. We don’t wish to harm or annoy the predators. Nor do we want our search dogs to be injured by the predator trying to protect its home and its babies. When people build their homes in or around wilderness, rivers, creeks, green spaces, they are unknowingly taking away the predators homes. And, by doing so, they are providing food for the predator should the pet wander.
PETS AND STRANGERS. I get told on almost every search, “My pet will never go to a stranger”. This is not a true statement at all. When the pet owner is talking about their pet, they’re talking about the pet they know in a controlled environment. The pet is in a stable home, has food and human contact, etc. Once an animal gets away from this environment, they have to survive on their own. They revert back to what’s known as a feral stage.
They will hunt to kill and eat food and they will drink from water in mud puddles, creeks, and streams. They may steal food and water from other animals’ dishes in their surroundings. And when they are hungry, tired, and scared enough they will seek out humans for comfort and safety.
Posters: When you print a poster, here is a suggestion that works very well. Leave some kind of information about your pet out of your description that only you will know about. That way you can determine if the caller has your pet or not. Post your signs within a 1-mile radius for a cat concentrating on the area 4 city blocks from your point last seen. Post signs in a 5-mile radius for a lost dog. Generally into the wind. (Find out which way the wind was blowing on the day your pet disappeared). Most pets including horses head into the wind when lost.
Post at stores, schools, offices, parks, etc. Post your signs, after a search dog team has determined the route your animal has traveled. This will save you money and time. Remember you will have to remove the signs when you get your pet back. We actually recommend that you make two different types of posters up.
One with a REWARD notice at top, the photo of your pet underneath. It’s name, your area code and telephone. That’s it, nothing else. Let the reporting person id your pet to you with more specifics to prove they have your pet. (Read our scam section). Say something to the effect of “$ REWARD $ for safe return of missing pet, no questions asked”.
Make a second poster up with all the information. Post the Pets name, microchip #, tattoo type, location, collar make, type, id type. Weight, height, length, eye color, hair color, medical identifiers, etc.
This detailed information is sent to your vets, police departments, Postal employees, animal control agencies and search teams.
NOTE: If you have a large Hispanic speaking culture in your area, don’t forget to make up signs in Spanish as well.
STOLEN PETS: If it’s determined that your pet has been stolen, you will need to file a stolen pet report with your local law enforcement agency, and the Department of Agriculture Humane Society Law Enforcement. Keep their case # and a copy of their report on file.
If a search dog team responds, after their search, you will be sent a report showing their findings, and an invoice for their search costs. Keep a copy on file.
Lately we’ve seen a lot of lazy police officers who don’t wish to be bothered with doing their job and taking a report. Remind them please, that pets are considered personal property. If someone takes possession of your property without your consent, they are required by law to report finding your pet (property).
If the person who takes possession of your pet refuses or fails to file a found report, this constitutes, “Theft of personal property”. This is a crime. A police officer has the responsibility to take a crime report and investigate the crime.
If / when we capture the suspect(s) and recover your animal(s), you will need to provide photographs, (proof of ownership), and a value of the animal. (Cost of vet services, meals, breeding, purchase, general care, etc.) You may also be called to testify against the suspect(s). This is why we want you to document your every action in your search for your pet. Many pets are stolen and sold for breeding, resale values, rewards offered, dog fighting, or sold to medical labs for medical experiments.
A new service that I do recommend that just came out is www.findtoto.com
MEDICAL LABS / Hospitals: Contact your local hospitals that purchase animals for medical experiments, and demand to view their animals in their clinics. (They will refuse). But, if enough people demand to see if their pet has been purchased by the hospital, the hospitals may change their attitudes.
There’s been a recent increase in pets stolen for their FUR. Let’s stop them now.
Example: “Rapper Jay-Z, founder of the Rocawear clothing line, is taken to task by the Humane Society after it found that the “faux fur” in jackets sold by his company is actually dog fur”.
Remember, once you’ve located your pet. Contact I.K.9.S.A.R.S. Immediately. www.k9sardog.com
Call all local animal control agencies and advise them to remove your pet’s name from their listings. _____.
Remove all of your posters.____.
Review all of your written materials and lessons learned from this event. ____.
Take precautionary measures so that it won’t happen again. Tattoo / Microchip and ID your pet. ___.
Pass on our web site to others who are searching for their pets.
Before your pet is lost, ID your pet.
1. Talk with your veterinarian. Determine and document the following: Identify the breed(s) of your pet. ___________. Pet’s weight: _____. Age: ________. Height: __________. Hair: Short Medium Long. (Circle One). Tail length: Short Medium Long. (Circle One) Eye Color: _________. Microchip Brand: ________#____________________________. Other ID: ____________________________________________________.
List Medications:______________________________________________.
Veterinarian’s Name:______________Address:_______________________
Telephone #’s: ___________________________________.
2. Comb out the pet’s hair and place it inside a clean envelope. Place the animal’s name on the outside of the envelope and date it. It will be good for two years as a scent article for a search dog, if your pet is lost.
3. Take numerous color photographs from all different angles of your pet.
4. Microchip and Tattoo your pet. Ask your local animal shelter or veterinarian about these services.
5. NEVER leave a collar or choke chain on an animal. Many animals are found choked to death by choke chains and regular id collars. Use either a harness with the id attached on back, or a breakaway ID collar.
6. Never smoke cigarettes around your pet. Not only will it make them very ill from the nicotine poisoning, but it alters their original scent, and can make it very difficult for a search dog to track them. The first word in Webster’s dictionary about the drug NICOTINE is “POISON”. Quit smoking, you’ll live longer.
7. Always check references of resources that you wish to use. We have THOUSANDS of satisfied customers, and references are available upon request.
8. Always seat belt or crate your pet when you travel. See our web site for photos and instructions on how to do this. Review our web site at: www.k9sardog.com for more SAR and private pet detective references. (Note) we look for missing people also.
POSTER SAMPLES.
Example # 1. Very limited information on this poster to avoid scams.
REWARD for MISSING DOG.
(Photo of your missing pet).
Dogs name is: “Tonya”.
Please call : 503-222-2222.
Example # 2. Very detailed information on this poster. This is given to law enforcement, animal control, vets, shelters, etc.
REWARD FOR MISSING DOG. Name: “LARS”. Breed: MUTT. Long hair chi. mix. Age: 4 years Weight: 5 lbs. Colors: Tan and white. Microchip: AVID 000-000-000. Tattoo: “I.K.9.S.A.R. RULES”. Owners: Mrs. Thompson Email:find-me-at@aol.com Home: 503-222-2222.
Page# 12.
If the pet has been stolen, post a poster that states, “Reward for safe return of stolen pet” No questions asked. Give them your telephone#.
I.K.9.S.A.R.S. is a professional K-9 SAR Dog team that uses professionally trained K-9 Search dog teams to track missing persons or pets.
We’ve been in business since 1986 and currently are the most documented successful search dog team in the world for tracking missing persons or
missing pets.
The most often asked questions.
Q. Can a search dog track a lost pet after two weeks?
A. We sure can. We’ve successfully tracked a lost cat one year after the date is was lost and found it alive one mile away in a horse barn at the Portland Horse Racing Track. We also have the cat owner’s name and telephone number if you wish to verify this statement. We also have documented a missing 16 year old in Canada. We tracked him a year after he disappeared and both search dogs found where he had committed suicide.
It’s rained a lot recently, does this affect the scent?
A. No not at all. Rain actually helps keep the scent moist and helps the dog’s
nasal passages keep moist so they can smell the scent trail.
Q. What does an average search costs?
A. Depends on how far you live away from Longview, Wa.
We charge $25.00 per hour travel, time each way from Longview,
Washington. Cost of fuel, motel if we have to spend the night, and $50.00
per fifteen minutes of searching. Include Airline transportation if needed.
Example of a typical search in Portland, Ore.
Driving time $25.00 per hour x 2 hours (round trip) = $50.00
Cost of fuel $25.00
Search time $50.00 per fifteen minutes. Search lasted 15 minutes =$50.00
Total owed I.K.9.S.A.R.S. is $125.00.
(NOTE). I understand times are hard and money often is an issue. Contact me anyway, I’ll work with you to find your pet. It’s more important to me to bring your pet home safely. I won’t do the search for free, but will work with you on my fees to make them affordable).
Q. I have Multiple pets, I don’t have anything specific that belongs just to the missing pet?
A. We’ll introduce the search dog to all of your pets from a distance. One at a time. When the search dog smells each pet and then can smell the one they can’t see, they know that’s the one they need to go search for.
See the following pages, for some of our hundred’s of references.
Our References#1.
Kathryn Bratcher wrote: Hello. My name is Kathryn Bratcher and I live in Snohomish, Washington. I was referred to you by Janos Wimpffen of Redmond in an effort to help me recover my lost dog. He told me of your search dog, Valerie. My dog, Te’ Amo, has been missing since the evening of April 30th and has been spotted (possibly) twice within 2-3 miles of our home in the last two days. As you can imagine, our family is devastated. Please contact me with information regarding your services and whether or not you and Valerie would be able to help us recover our beloved pet. You may respond to this e-mail. Thank you.
Kathryn Bratcher wrote: Harry: Thank you for your quick response! I’ve also heard your voicemail this morning and want to thank you for the tip to keep him in the area. He has been sighted several times within a mile of home (at least five now) and I found out last night that three people saw him AT OUR HOUSE two days ago. That indicates to me that the little rascal is not “lost” but maybe just on an adventure. Nonetheless, I want him home. It doesn’t seem right to call out a team if he’s wandering the neighborhood on his own, though. (He is neutered so I can’t imagine what the attraction is...maybe just freedom from the fence). Do you have any suggestions how I can maybe use socks or other personal items to lure him home?
From: “Harry E. Oakes Jr.” To: Kathryn Bratcher Date: Fri, 04 May 2001 11:32:06 Neutering doesn’t keep the sex drive down for a dog. Does it work for a human male? NO..... :) So don’t assume because he’s been cut that he’s lost his sex drive. GO pee allot. Yup that’s right. now don’t get your britches up in a stir. What I mean is, in all seriousness aside, drink water, coffee, whatever, makes you have to do the #1.
Then put it in a spray bottle and go around to the sightings and spray till your little hearts content. Then drive home spraying the “Special scent” of yours all the way home. This is the strongest scent a dog can track and it’s much more appealing (The spray bottle that is) then the other options.
Try that. The most important thing to be concerned about is your dog getting hit by a car. Try to find someone in the area of the sightings that will call you immediately when they see him. Try this, if it doesn’t work, a live dog trap (Box type) works. but, you may catch raccoons, tigers, lions, cats, possums, and coyotes maybe even Bigfoot???? So that’s the last option. If this stuff doesn’t work, call me and I’ll come up there with my search dog and track the little fella. Thanks good luck and let me know how it goes. Harry
Tue, 08 May 2001 16:10:44 From:”Kathryn Bratcher” kathbrat@hotmail.com To: search dog@iinet.com Dear Harry: I picked up your message Saturday afternoon. I must say I didn’t expect the advice you gave...BUT IT WORKED!!! It took me about nine hours on Saturday to drink enough to make a trail from the area he was sighted to home (of course I led him down the back roads :) I finished my “trail” about 10:00 on Saturday evening and when I woke up at 6:30 a.m. he was in the front yard waiting to be let in! I CAN’T THANK YOU ENOUGH FOR YOUR ADVICE and it really does make a great story! Although he is home safe, he’s not exactly sound. He suffered severe knee injury on his little adventure and underwent surgery this afternoon.
He’ll be home from the hospital tomorrow afternoon and our lives will FINALLY regain some degree of normalcy. Thank you again, Harry! I never would have thought of such a trick on my own! Te’ Amo thanks you, too!!!
Ref# 2. Onalee Owass@earthlink.net
Thank you again for finding Pookie for us. I wish so much I had known about your service 3 days earlier and I think we could have found her alive. I know her time on earth was going to be limited but knowing she died all alone without us is hard for me. But it was good to find her so we didn’t have to wonder and worry about her and we could bring her home to bury. I will certainly recommend your services to anyone in our situation. Please send me a picture at your convenience. Thanks, Onalee and Jerry Wasserburger
3). 04-10-06 2006-3794-084(A). Mult. Co. Lost cat. Anita Parth samozoe@comcast.net Tigard, Ore Lost cat MILO. You and Valerie came down, and helped me find my Persian cat all those years ago, yes the one at the horse track in NE Portland. We did recover him a few days later. The woman who had him was hording a lot of cats. Team: H. Oakes SAR Dog Valorie K-9-1.
Ref# 4. Kris Desylvia World Travel (503) 231-1600.
Ref# 5. Vicki L.Johnson antiquevics@comcast.net 04-15-06.
Harry, Thank you for your efforts and for you and Valorie giving me hope when I was beginning to fall apart. Knowing that Tia was alive and that someone had picked her up encouraged me to continue looking for her. I spent all day Saturday walking around the neighborhood talking to various neighbors and posting new flyers. I was at work around 8 pm making additional flyers when I received a phone call that someone had found my dog and was returning her to me. So they got our address and Tia was returned to us.
My husband & I took her to vet and she is slightly dehydrated and was covered with fleas, but she has been treated and is beginning to perk up like her former self. The vet is Issaquah was very interested to hear about your search & rescue operation too. Thank you again - you can add Tia Maria to your success list!! I’ll email you a photo later of her.
Vicki Johnson
06-16-06 dfalasca@verizon.net Harry, Just wanted to say thank you so much for all your help with finding Rambo. We could not have done it without you!! You provided us with an enormous amount of information and a generous supply of support, which we will never, ever forget. Although we never met in person, I know you would just love Rambo. He is a very mellow Chihuahua, and the sweetest dog we have ever had. He is very happy to be back home in California!! Best Regards, Ron, Doreen & Dana Falasca
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Jud Landis jud.landis@gmail.com Hello: Thank you very much for your prompt response, your informative web site, and your phone call. Our dog showed up at our back door at 6:15 AM today, after we placed a urine trail back to our house Sunday night (we’d laid it the wrong way first). So, thank you so much for that piece of advice. I am telling anybody who asks about it, even if they think I’m strange. Sincerely, Jud Landis Eugene, OR
10-28-07 Lost dog Idaho. Elaine Peoples 10-28-07 Harry, I am very thankful to every one that helped.... I have to mention.... I said a prayer just 10 minutes before I saw Sparky zipping past me as I came out of that gate on the culvert side to the mobile home park..... I called him and he stopped and looked at me.... thought about a minute to see if it was really me....and then came to me.... of course I scooped him up and thanked GOD for answering my prayers and especially so fast.... NOW I also have to give credit to YOU for locating the actual spot that I left him at...and the nice people that called to tell me they saw him..... THEY saw my newspaper add in the Idaho News.... It started on Saturday...and they called Sunday 7 AM to tell me ....and I was already on my way to search again today....Happy ending.... good night......we will all sleep better tonight....Elaine THANK YOU HARRY, WILLOW and VAL.
Andria Squires Harry, We have her! I got a call last night from the AKC number on her tags and they gave me contact information of the family who had her. I called them right away and we went over to get her. They live in Council Crest. The two little girls said they had seen her running around the neighborhood for a couple of days, but they finally caught her last night. The family, by the way, was the Schnitzer family, like in Arleen Schnitzer concert hall. We tried offering the reward but they of course would take it so we said we would donate it in there name to the Oregon Humane Society, since the father is on the board.
We can only guess that whoever picked her up from Quizno’s let her lose in the area or she escaped from them (good girl!) and was found by the right family. I was glad that I had read you note about what to do when you find your dog because I knew what to expect. She didn’t recognize us as first. She was hesitant to come near me and then when she did she had to touch me with her nose before she recognized me. She is acting like she is in shock a bit, but doesn’t have any major injuries. There is a cut under her eye and she is walking stiff, but after a bath and good nights sleep, she looks good. I’m waiting for the vet to open so they can check her out. Thanks again for all your wonderful help!!! Woo Hoo!!! Lucy is home!!! Andria
Sun, 6/13/10, Glorylamb7@aol.com Subject: Re: Lost Dog -Carrolton, GA To: harry98632@yahoo.com Date: Sunday, June 13, 2010, 11:50 AM Harry, Just an update to let you know that my Pom Pom is safe at home after having been missing for two weeks. Someone picked her up off the street and sold her to a couple in another state. This couple saw a flyer I had posted at an animal hospital near the GA/AL state line and called me. We drove to Alabama on Friday evening and were reunited! There are still some honest people out there. She had been well taken care of. Thank you, Jesus! Maybe my story can be an encouragement to others. God bless, Tonya Lawson
07-14-2010. From: Terry Treves
Subject: RE: lost dog ellie To: "Harry Oakes"
Date: Wednesday, July 14, 2010, 8:50 AM Harry Ellie probably traveled in a huge circle thru the mini oaks up the creeks and threw the farm land for the entire 20 days. Bet she covered over 300 miles in those 20 days. I set a wild trap for 4 days caught nothing. She was lost June 21st sighted June 30th crossing a dirt road near a ranch where I lost her. I set the trap close to where I lost her and followed your advise with baiting and the urine.
I sprayed my urine on all the paths I traveled and back to the trap. On July 5th I got a text at 4:44 am telling me my dog (lost flyer mailed to over 30 ranches) had been on their ranch running around their little trailer barking when they came out and saw her she took off. I didn't get the text till 7:30 am immediately began to drive to their ranch over 3 miles away from where I lost her. While driving down a busy main road (rural) on the way to the ranch where she had been sighted I spotted Ellie running along the paved road (bicycle path) I couldn't believe she was right there on the road almost where I lost her (she had already traveled back 5 miles Catahoula/mix are amazing).
I stopped my car got and and calmly called Ellie a few times. She stopped scented the air
and stared at me. I kept saying Ellie don't run it is Terry and then (Catahoula style) she began
to whine. She was at least 50 feet away with a big field behind her and a busy traffic road
where I was parked. All of a sudden she got done on all 4 and so did I she crawled whining
on her belly over to my arms. STILL ALL AMAZING TO ME.
She is fine. She had pulled of her collar with the attached flexi, covered with ticks, skinny as a rail and half starved but only a couple of minor scratches. She is home relaxing on my couch and eating like a horse.
Ellie and I say thank you for your advise. I agree don't give up and poster and even mail
to people in the area where lost. She kept coming back to the same spot.
Again thank you
Terry & Ellie "Ellen Currey-Wilson"
Add sender to Contacts
To:
"Harry Oakes"
08-25-2010. Hi Harry, I wanted you to know I finally got the cat back yesterday morning at 4 a.m.! It came back earlier in the day but headed straight under the house. After everything was finally quiet and everyone was asleep, I crawled under the house and carried the cat out. It wouldn't come out any other way. Anyway, every day since you left, I had been using the spray bottle technique (who would have thought!) and so I guess it led Fluff back. Thank you for your help. Fluff is fine. I'm scratched up and bruised from being under the house (a yukky place to be and I just had a tetanus shot) but it's worth it. We're back in Portland and Fluff is so happy. Just wanted you to know. Thanks again. Ellen
From: Una unatbailey@gmail.com Subject: Islay found To: "Harry Oakes"
If you need more info. Please go to our web site at www.k9sardog.com or rmail us at : searchdog@iinet.com or harry98632@yahoo.com
If you wish to make a gift of money to support our Search and Rescue efforts,
Please send a check to I.K.9.S.A.R.S. PO Box# 1472, Longview, Washington 98632 USA.
This gift is NOT Tax deductible. WE are NOT A NON PROFIT 501-C-3 Organization. We are in fact a FOR PROFIT Professional business. We do DONATE our own money, time and efforts during times of disasters.
www.k9sardog.com
P.O. Box# 1472 Longview, Washington 98632 USA.
Voice mail - Office 360-414-8093 Mobile (503) 705-0258.
Web site: www.k9sardog.com
Email: searchdog@iinet.com or harry98632@yahoo.com
INTEGRITY YOU CAN TRUST - SERVICE YOU CAN COUNT ON.
How to Find Your Lost Pet. Written By Mr. Harry E. Oakes Jr.
The most documented missing person and missing person and lost pet
Search and rescue expert in the world.
People spend a lot of money, time, and tears, searching for their missing pet(s). This information comes from my 38 years plus of looking for missing persons, and 25 years looking for missing pets. I hope this helps you bring home your loved one.
Forward: I started in Search and Rescue in 1972 with the Multnomah County Sheriff’s Dept. L.E. Explorer Post# 900. In 1986, I co-founded the search dog team Oregon D.O.G.S. (Dogs Organized for Ground Search and Rescue, for the state of Oregon while I was a team leader for Portland Mountain Rescue. In 1988 I founded the international response team of Mountain Wilderness Search dogs.
In 1988, I did my first pet search with my second search dog “Ranger” and we found the missing cat “Dweezil” in less then 20 seconds. (Hiding upstairs under the waterbed in the client’s home).
In 1997 I started the first professional FOR PROFIT K-9 SAR dog team in the world. It’s called International K-9 Search and Rescue Services. We provide professionally trained K-9 SAR Dog Teams and coordinators 24 / 7 around the world for missing people or lost pets.
In 1999, I co-founded the search dog teams for the country of Turkey after responding to their earthquakes as a rescuer. In 2002, I co-founded the search dog program for the US Virgin Islands on St Croix USVI.
With 12 years of Law Enforcement, and 36 years of combined Search and Rescue experience, the information I’m about to pass on to you the reader, are the methods I’ve found useful in finding missing pets. Since 1988, I’ve helped locate over 3,500 lost, stolen, missing pets.
I hope this information helps you in your search efforts.
YOUR PET IS MISSING
Many things can happen to your missing pet. Your pet may;
*Track your scent and find its way back home.
*Get scared and hide. We often find them hiding in wooded brushy areas, garages, under decks, inside homes in attics, basements, cabinets, crawlspaces, or inside RV’s.
*Befriend a small child or other pet owner and follow them home, to their
work, or to School.
*Pick up a scent they are interested in, such as the scent of food or the
opposite sex, and investigate it. Yes, even if they are neutered or spayed.
*Fall victim to injury, illness, or death. They may be attacked by a predator.
Get hit by a car, shot by a landowner, or fall into the wrong person’s hands
that will try to keep them, harm them, or sell them.
SEARCHING FOR YOUR PET.
(Please print this section out and read it daily).
Remember you are very emotional at this time and will experience many emotions associated with your loss. The four stages of loss are anger, denial, guilt, and final acceptance. Understanding that these are natural common emotions, will help you deal with your feelings and take control of your search.
*Keep a daily journal of what has happened in your search efforts, from day # 1.
Where you posted signs, who you called, and what animal control agencies did you visit, when did you visit them, and whom you talked with once you arrived. Who, What, When, Where, How, and Why.
This is important in case we determine your pet has been stolen and catch the suspect(s). Not only can you prosecute them for “Theft of a domesticated Pet” which is a Class C Felony. You can also file CIVIL charges against them in civil court to recover the cost of your search. The first thing the judge will ask you for is PROOF of your expenses. So document your actions and keep your receipts.
Documenting is also a great idea because if for some reason your pet is never found, and you’ve followed each of our steps, you will know you’ve done everything humanly possible to get your loved one back home.
After you read each paragraph, please place your initials on the line at the end of the list, after you’ve completed the task. That way you will proceed in the proper order and won’t miss any instructions.
Remember to: Search your own home area first. Checking any areas of possible hiding spots. We find 15% of the missing pets still on the pet owner’s property, or within ¼ mile of the PLS. Point Last Seen. In garages, doghouses, attics, crawl spaces below the house, apt, sheds, RV’s, behind the washer, dryer, water heater, stove, cabinets, closets, etc. ____.
(NOTE) Cat owners, remember to lift the hood of your vehicle and search under the hood. Cat’s love to warmth of the vehicle engine at night. Also check the nearby trees to see if you cat is stuck in one of them. De-clawed cats can climb.
1. Immediately start a journal, either hand written, or on your computer. _____.
Document your search efforts. Date, Time, what action you took, how much you spent. Results of your actions. Who, What, When, Why, Where, and How.
2. Document your expenses: Cost of newspaper ads, photocopying, telephone calls, time off work, fuel, cost of search dogs, veterinarians, attorney fees, etc. Reason: If you determine that your pet has been stolen and if the suspect(s) is – are later identified, you can then file for damages in a civil court to recover your expenses. I’m repeating myself but this is so very important. Document your actions and expenses from the beginning of your search. On my computer, I use Microsoft word for the daily journals and Excel for the cost accounting figures.___.
3. Check all animal control agencies within a four county region. North, South, East and West of where your pet was last seen. File a missing pet report. Or, if it’s been determined by a qualified search dog team that your pet has been stolen, file a stolen pet report with the local Humane Society Law Enforcement Division and your local law enforcement agency as well as your local animal control shelters.
Don’t just search within your county. We’ve found over the years, that many folks are well meaning, but also lazy. They may see your pet, feel sorry for it, and pick it up to keep it safe. Then turn it in to their local animal control instead of the animal control or shelter nearest where they picked it up. This is often in an entirely different jurisdiction.
They may work or be visiting from out of the area when they pick up your pet. _______.
We had a case in Florida where the pet was lost in Hollywood, FL and found 700 miles north a month later. Upon inspecting the dog, it had been transported by vehicle to this shelter.
Here’s another reason why you should go in person. This is shocking. Thank you very much for all the info. It helped greatly. We found the dog at the Leir shelter. Her leg was broken and mangled, and they had her just laying in a cage dealing with it. I checked the shelter three times a day since she was missing. I was there 4 times since the "check in" time on her sheet there. I even gave them all flyers and pictures with them promising to "keep an eye out."
Only after stumbling into a room i probably wasn't supposed to be in did i find Blue. I rushed her to the Vet, and she is OK and will most likely recover if the bone heals properly. thank you again, brad
Pets are now considered personal property and it’s illegal for another person to take possession of your property (your pet) without following strict Federal, State, and County guidelines. If the person(s) who has recovered your pet hasn’t filed a found report with the authorities within the specified time limit, (usually 48 hours) they may be guilty of theft of private property.____.
3. A. Check the animal control agencies files. NEVER EVER TAKE THE VOLUNTEERS or EMPLOYEES WORD THAT YOUR PET IS NOT AT THEIR FACILITY.
4. Most facilities are understaffed and over crowded. I’ve seen a facility miss a GREAT DANE. I found it in their shelter the first day I went there. This after they told my client, ”they didn’t have a Great Dane in their custody”.
Physically drive to the shelters and animal control agencies and check their kennels. Fax or email all veterinarian offices within your search area. Give them a current photo and your personal information. While at the shelters, check their dead on arrival files-(DOA’s), sick and injured files, quarantine kennels, adoption and destroy files. Also the temporary adoption files. (This is a record where a person who has found a pet can call in and register by email or telephone that they are taking care of the pet). _____.
Most of these facilities are run as a non-profit and therefore their records are open for public inspection. If the shelter refuses to allow you to review their files, get an attorney. Keep checking their files, in person, not over the telephone, every three days. Don’t give up for 8 weeks._____.
B. Check your ads on the Internet. Craigslist ( www.craiglist.com ) in two sections. Lost and Found and under PETS. You can also post on MYSPACE as well as various other locations on the Internet FOR FREE._____.
Contact International K-9 Search & Rescue. www.k9sardog.com.
Email: harry98632@yahoo.com or searchdog@iinet.com
We’re the most documented professional K-9 SAR Dog tracking team in the world for missing pets or persons. We keep on ongoing computer registered report on lost and found pets around the world.
NOTE: I strongly recommend that you stay away from most
PET DETECTIVES. These are Private Investigators who claim to have search dogs, unless you check a minimum of three of their references.
Most Pet Detectives that we’ve investigated, after receiving numerous complaints from their previous clients, aren’t trained properly, and lack experience. They may be great private investigators, but lack the other skills needed for this type of work. Most of these folks who state they use search dogs aren’t search dog handlers at all. Nor are their dogs trained and tested in Search and Rescue.
Before you hire anyone, check his or her references. Get a signed contract for services showing up front, what they can and can’t do for your money. Obtain an after action search report. Contact our web site links for reputable Pet Detectives.
The problem we are seeing recently is that there are new PET DETECTIVE and PET SAR Groups popping up all over the USA. One such example is a woman in California.
First she states she’s qualified to teach K-9 SAR groups. Yet she claims “A search dog can’t follow a scent trail older then 72 hours”. Any professional K-9 SAR Dog team can tell you that isn’t true. Numerous search dog teams throughout the USA have repeatedly documented following scent trails as old as year and have found the missing person dead. We’ve also tracked a cat missing for over a year and found it alive. This so-called “Animal professional K-9 instructor” doesn’t have a clue of what she is talking about. Do you want people she’s trained working for you?
She travels around giving Pet Detectives and SAR (search and rescue) conferences at $650.00 per student. The students attending these conferences get a certificate of completion. Then the attendees feel they are now qualified to charge money for their new found knowledge. After their 50 hours of training or less, they claim to have real search dogs.
Fact is, they’ve received about 50 hours of training or less. Our professional K-9 SAR dog teams get an average of 450 hours of training in K-9 SAR, first aid, basic tracking, report writing, crime scene investigations and other topics related to finding missing persons or pets. And, we’re tested yearly for our certification levels.
From her own website she shows that she really doesn’t understand scent and tries to disprove our DOCUMENTED Facts from around the world where we’ve documented finding scent over 30 days old.
This is one of many reasons we ask you stay from her and her MARS trained volunteers and staff. Here’s a copy from her web site directly.
“In 1989, Missing Pet Partnership's founder K. A. began training search dogs (police Bloodhounds and cadaver dogs) and ultimately shifted into a career in law enforcement.
Then in 1997, K shifted her work to pioneering the pet detective industry. In 2005 after nine years experience as a pet detective, field training officer, and certified seminar leader, K launched the MAR Technician program, which has since certified other pet detectives who offer professional lost pet services.
Our History page explains the process we've gone through to develop this industry and our Qualifications page lists the experience and education that allows us to administer a proper training and certification program for pet detectives and MAR search dogs.
Missing Pet Partnership is striving to train and certify MAR Technicians, volunteer Lost Pet First Responders, and MAR search dogs so that lost pet services will be affordable and available in all communities. Because of problems that we've encountered with a few bad apples, we've established a Code of Ethics for our organization.
Just because a lost pet resource is not listed on our website does not mean that he or she is not reputable or can't help you! It might just mean that he or she has not been able to take our training course. But understand that Missing Pet Partnership will not list a resource on our website unless we know that he or she has been properly trained, is reputable, and has agreed to abide by our Code of Ethics. Sadly, a few in this field have been making claims that their dogs can follow scent trails that are long beyond what dogs are actually capable of following. You can learn more about how long scent survives by reading an excerpt from MPP founder Kat Albrecht's book DOG DETECTIVES: Train Your Dog to Find Lost Pets.
There are also others working hard to discredit anyone else who dares to compete with them, even those who have more experience in finding lost pets and, ironically, those who trained them. Some speak of their own ethics and desire for standards, yet they refuse to abide by Missing Pet Partnership's Code of Ethics.
One concern that we've had from the inception of our training program is that anyone can take a dog, put a SEARCH DOG vest on him or her, claim he or she is trained to track lost pets, and scam money from desperate pet owners.
Here's an article where a man who lost his Mini Pin hired a "self-proclaimed dog tracker" for $12,000.00. Sadly, his final impression of the tracker was that, "she milked me for all I had."
To avoid being taken advantage of, we suggest that you steer clear of anyone offering services who:
Claims that his or her dogs can track a scent trail that is older than
one month;
· Claims to have THE BEST tracking dogs in the world;
So with Ks statements from her web site she’s trying to cast doubt on other teams other then her own yet she starts out with the above info. This speaks for itself. Again our work following scent trails older then two weeks has been proven around the world. It’s been documented, witnessed on cases we’ve worked on with the FBI and other government and state agencies. Yet K say’s “it’s not possible?” If the District attorney vouches for our success in the courtroom then who is K to try to call everyone a liar? Shame on her.
In her next statement makes comments that we don’t abide by MARS code of ethics? We’re not a pet detective agency. Nor do we want to be. We’re a documented, credible K9 Search and Rescue agency that looks for missing persons and lost pets. Our documentation has been checked and double checked by law enforcement and the Dept of Justice and validated.
It’s her own MARS Pet detectives that have received a number of complaints. Here are some of them.
Real search dogs Vs Pet detective search dog cases.
Example#1. We received a call from a client who has hired a woman from Oklahoma City, who claims she has two search dogs. She had responded and performed her Pet PI search for the clients lost cat. The MARS PET DETECTIVE charged the client approximately $900.00 to do her search. According to the client, this Pet PI didn’t file a report, or issue a receipt for monies paid, and told the client that, ”she found her cat’s remains in the snow”. (It turned out to be rabbit hair).
We flew out there with a qualified search dog team and determined the client’s cat was picked up near a play ground and is very much alive. This for ½ the fee the PI had charged.
Example#2. We received another complaint in Wyoming. They had flown a MARS Pet search dog PI person from San Diego, Ca. out and wasn’t happy at all with the dog handler’s performance. Again, no after action report was issued, or receipt issued for the service. They had paid this searcher over $3000.00 for her search.
We were able to help the client, just through telephone calls, get their dog located and returned home safely for free. We also assisted the client in filing a complaint against the Pet PI search dog person from San Diego, Ca. with the Better Business Bureau and get their money refunded.
PLEASE check references and the search dog handler’s training and certification (We call is qualification standards), before you hire a PET PI or search dog team.
Example# 3. A client in Southern Ca. tried to get a MARS “Pet Detective Search Dog team from S. Ca. to respond to his lost cat search. She charged him $80.00 dollars just to give the client the same information that we give to our client for free over the phone. She quoted in an outrages price to travel 100 miles to do the search for his lost cat. The client flew us down there to his area, we did the search, and found his cat had been killed by a coyote for 1/3 of the price this PET PI quoted the client.
Example# 4. This client out of LA, Ca. hired a MARS PET DETECTIVE out of Montana. She paid her over $2,500 to come track her lost cat. The Pet detective refused to give her a written report, and her story about where her client’s cat went was proved to be wrong. After wasting three months of the client’s time, efforts, and money. We came down and for ½ the cost determined her cat was stolen by the clients own family member. We have a valid suspect in the case.
Example# 5. This client of Idaho, wanted to hire a MARS Pet Detective who said, it would cost a minimum of $150.00 for her to come out and look. We did the consult for free and that afternoon our client got her dog back safe and alive for FREE.
Example# 6. A client in Ca. hired a MARS PET DETECTIVE who brought in two dog teams. They refused to allow the client to go along with them and claimed their search dogs tracked his dog to an area where it was picked up. They (the pet detectives) breached their own contract by not allowing their client to come along and witness the search that he was paying for.
Example# 7. A client in Canada hired a MARS Pet Detective from Arizona. She brought them up twice at great expense to search for her lost cat. The Pet Detective and her search dog, never found anything. We were asked to come up to BC Canada and do the search. We did it for 1/8th of the amount of money the Pet Det. Charged and after she had failed twice, it took our search dog 5 minutes to locate where the clients cat had been killed right behind the clients house in the alley.
Example# 8. The same Pet Det. We received numerous complaints on from Oklahoma had charged a woman client from NY $180.00 to profile her missing pet. (This is something we do for all of our clients for free.
The client was furious when she found out the Pet Det. Was completely off base, and that we were able to do the same thing over the telephone for FREE. On her website she claims she is the most experienced at what she does. Yet she hasn’t even come close to documenting the successes we have. So how can she get away with making such false claims?
Example# 9. I recently got a telephone call from a client in Las Vegas, Nv. She had two dogs missing in the desert. She contacted a MARS Pet Detective who quoted her $4000.00 to respond and do a search with her UNTRAINED UNCERTIFIED SAR Dog. This client ended up hiring I.K.9.S.A.R.S. our services. We helped her bring closure to both of the dog cases for less then $2,500.00 dollars.
Example# 10. This just came in last week and the client called me complaining about this pet detective. “Our dog Rudy went missing on Tuesday, May 11th, 2010. After almost 4 very devastating, difficult and stressful weeks, he was found. I never had lost a pet in my life, and never realized how much I loved this guy. Everyday that he was gone I missed him so much, cried often and was so worried, sad and unhappy. I even hired a pet detective despite the cost in the desperation to find him ( I don't recommend anyone doing this without FULLY checking out the detective's background, references, and having a signed contract beforehand ), this person claimed that our dog was traveling towards San Jose however Rudy was found in Morgan Hill about 1/2 mile away from our home.
My husband is still upset of the amount of money and time we wasted on this service, but in the end at least I realized that this person was not reliable and turned my focus back to more probable places. Night after night, I searched by car and foot further and further from home, thinking to myself that I would never find him. Then there were the skeptics who thought someone had found him and were keeping him because he's cute and he's a puppy. But something in me never gave up hope. This was the most difficult battle sometimes, holding onto hope.
Sometimes it would've been easier to just admit the loss and accept that I would never see him again. Hope that if someone had him they would love him as much as I did and be taking care of him. Yet, I just couldn't let go of the thought that he was gone, and I fought to stay positive and tell myself, even if it takes a year I know he will come back to me. The last hope I had was his micro-chip and I thought someday that is what will bring him home, if it's not my fliers, my rewards or my searching.
Finally the day came, Sunday, June 6th, we got a call and someone found him. He was so skinny and dirty that I didn't even recognize him! But when I said his name he got up (the frailty and weakness was so obvious) he walked to me and I knelt down and he started to lick me. I grabbed him right away and in tears I asked what happened to you?
I hugged our angel who found him for us and thanked him immensely. Right away we took Rudy to the vet because he clearly needed professional care and at least an exam.
The vet told us that it was the second case that she had seen that weekend of a lost pet found. She said that the day before a woman came in with a cat that had been missing for 7 MONTHS! The cat was found in someone's backyard, like Rudy, was very weak and starved. 7 MONTHS!
I just wanted to share with you all who are here searching for a pet my experience so you know that miracles do happen, hope is important, and even though it is hard don't give up! I hope my story helps you, maybe give you some strength and bring some hope in this very difficult and sad time.
Below is a picture of Rudy. I especially want to thank Mr. Harry Oakes from Search and Rescue whom I called repeatedly throughout this horrible ordeal. He offered words of encouragement, tips for finding him. THANK YOU!
The person I hired was with the SocialPet.com, she charged me $65/hr with a minimum of 4 hour search. After doing research her price is actually reasonable compared to others, but I don't believe her success rate compares. If you are considering pet detective services I can give you my experience in more detail and suggest I.K.9.S.A.R.S. They have you sign a contract, they are credible with 25 years experience. He also provides a written report when he’s completed his search. The company I hired SocialPet.com refused to give me one.
We have numerous other complaints ref: these MAR’s pet detectives groups and how they do their searches and how they charge for their services. While we support anyone who is out there trying to make a difference regarding lost pets, we don’t support taking advantage of someone during their time of need.
Police officers, doctors, attorneys, nurses, paramedics, fireman, all provide a professional service for people during their time of need. We also provide the same level of expertise in our field.
1). We send our clients a contract that spells out in great detail what we can and
can’t do, what we charge, and the contract protects the client and our search
dog team(s).
2). Our clients are asked to come along with us to witness our search efforts and
ask questions to better understand the process.
3). We issue a receipt for all money collected.
4). We issue a report that can be turned over to the court system and or law
enforcement.
5). We charge for only what service we provide. The pet detectives ask for a
large deposit that is NOT REFUNDABLE up front. That’s just not right.
If you want a Pet PI, we recommend Melody Pugh. (See our web site for her contact information). If you want a search dog team, then contact our office and we’ll send a trained, tested, professional K-9 SAR Dog team to your location.
Another scam to watch for. You'd have to sink pretty low to take advantage of the distraught owner of a lost pet, right? For a month, a retired airline pilot has searched high and low for Georges, a large tabby he's owned since he rescued it from a pet shelter in Florida in 1998. Georges took off after Polverino brought home a new kitten, Tigger. Since then, Polverino has been running ads in this newspaper and distributing and posting about 800 fliers in Southwest Roanoke County. During his search, Polverino has run into friendly and sympathetic people he otherwise might not have. Some of that came when he was posting or handing out fliers. Strangers saw his ad in the newspaper and called to commiserate and offer support.
"I've met some nice people," Polverino said. And then there was one caller who was looking for money. Polverino doesn't know the man's name. He identified himself as being with "Pet Finders Alert." The man told the worried cat owner that Pet Finders Alert could help find Georges using computers and telephones. "They said, 'We'll work with you every step of the way. We'll help you find your cat,' " Polverino said. For $59.95, Pet Finders Alert would call all of Polverino's neighbors and let them know about his missing cat.
They would call in an ever-widening circle around Polverino's place, until everyone who lived within a mile or two had been notified or the cat turned up. They would give Polverino progress reports, he says the guy told him. And they would notify local animal shelters, too. At the time the call came, "I'm real depressed, I'm at a weak point," Polverino said. So he coughed up his credit card number.
And that was the last time Pet Finders Alert called Polverino. While Polverino has handed out fliers in the Poages Mill area for the missing Georges, he's asked people if they've heard from Pet Finders Alert about Georges. The responses were along the lines of, "Pet who?" and, "Huh?"
As for the animal shelters, "they didn't contact one," Polverino said. "I've called all of them. I've visited them. And I've asked." Pet Finders Alert has contacted other owners of lost pets around here, however. One of them is Beverly Russell, who lives in the Carvins Cove area. She's been running an ad seeking Itty Bit, a Yorkie pup who disappeared in mid-May.
"We don't have your pet but we may be able to assist," began a message Pet Finders Alert left on Russell's voicemail. She hasn't returned their calls. Polverino suspects a scam and it sounds to me like he's on to something.
Thursday and again Monday I called Pet Finders Alert at the phone numbers Polverino and Russell gave me.
Those are listed to an address in Las Vegas. Nobody responded to messages left Thursday and Monday. The company's Web site, petfindersalert.com, has been suspended. The Better Business Bureau of Southern Nevada gives the company an F rating.
"They're doing business illegally, without a state license," the BBB's Rhonda Fisk told me. The agency has four complaints on file since September, and Pet Finders Alert has responded to none of them, she added.
Polverino is now disputing the charge with his credit card company. His crusade to find Georges also has expanded. He's going after Pet Finders Alert, too. He's scouring bulletin boards on legitimate Web sites, such as PetFinder.com, and collecting many warnings about Pet Finders Alert.
And he's contacting law enforcement authorities in Nevada, encouraging them to go after the company. Let's wish him luck, and cheer him on.
Remember to check all of your local animal hospitals, feed stores, vet clinics, animal rescue groups within a 200-mile area. Also post signs at your local feed stores, pet stores such as Petco and Petsmart. Check their lost and found boards. If your pet is a pure bred, check the pure bred rescue groups in your area.
6. Place an ad in the local newspapers.
7. Check your ads in the newspaper. Check the lost and found section, pets for sale, and pets being given away for free. These are located in three different sections of the newspapers. Follow up on each ad that possibly refers to your pet. Never go to the house or location alone to check out a pet sighting. Think ahead and BE SAFE. ___.
9. Don’t give up for 8 weeks. After that period of time, you will need to put closure on your search efforts. Get counseling if needed. You and your family have suffered a terrible loss of a family member.
I recommend that you sit down away from distractions and write your pet a goodbye letter. Bring a box of Kleenex. Tell them what it meant to have them in your life. How it feels to have them gone. What you did to find them. Then when it’s time, let them go. We’ve had successful recoveries a year after our initial search. But honestly those are very rare cases. ___.
10. If the animal is found alive, get it to a vet clinic immediately. Have it check for Giardia, parasite infections, and dehydration. If it’s not micro-chipped, get it chipped right away. Avid, or Home Again offers a great service.____.
NOTE. Many people who have had their pets micro-chipped fail to contact the Microchip Company. Please as soon as you chip your animal, call the microchip company and register your contact information with them immediately. Also give the company a back up contact # of a family member or friend in case you are unable to be contacted during an emergency. If your pet comes up missing, call the microchip company right away and register your pet on the company’s “Hot list” or lost list. Make sure they have your current contact information. In the Portland area, we get approximately 3,500 pets back each year through microchips.
11. If the animal is found dead, contact your local animal shelter or a private pet service for removal, burial, or cremation of the pet’s remains.
Be aware of scams. One of the most common scams is where someone calls you and gets a description of your pet. They may have seen your ads in the newspaper or on a poster in the area. They will then give this information to a partner. The partner calls you and says,” he has your pet”. He or she will give you an accurate description of your pet and describing where he / she found it. He / she will tell you a story, such as, “I’m now out of state traveling (or working). I was in your area and found your pet. If you wire me some money, I will send your pet home immediately”. It’s a scam. DON’T FALL FOR THIS.
If he / she is telling you the truth, then he / she will have no problem taking the pet to the nearest animal shelter, or police department, and verifying through an official agency that they do in fact have your pet. Then you can work out the procedures of rewards and recovery of your pet. Never give anyone any money for your pet until you actually see your pet first.
Another scam. Person will call you and tell you that he / she is retired, or a truck driver, and picked up a hitchhiker who had your pet. Your pet was sick / injured and the person calling you took your pet to the local vet. The caller will then say something like, “If you send me the money that I paid for your pet at the vet’s office, I’ll send you your pet on the next airplane”.
Ask the caller for their telephone#, name, and address. Send the police there to verify their statements. If they are telling you the truth (99.9%) of the time they are not, then work out the details of reward and returning the animal after the police or animal control has verified it is in fact your pet.
Watch out for unsavory businesspersons. There are a lot of new pet finder services out on the market. Get references.
NOTE: There is a web site called PETFINDERS.COM This service allows you to file a report for FREE listing your lost or found pet. We strongly recommend them.
Be wary of pet detectives who charge you fees to go look for your pet. You can do the same job for free. There are a few CREDIBLE PET DETECTIVES. Contact us for our list of referrals.
One comment listed on Craigslist re: Pet finders. “Got a call today from “Petfinders” after listing our lost cat with the Oregonian. They offered to call everybody within a mile radius of our house to give them a description of our lost cat. Looked them up online and it appears to be a total scam”. Beware if they call you.
The person who finds your pet may do the following:
They may call the newspapers and place an ad to advise people that they have found the animal.
Check the lost and found ads for people trying to report their animal missing.
File online with local petfinders.com or other pet rescue resources, (Craigslist, My space, etc.) that they’ve found your pet. Report finding your pet at the local animal shelters, veterinarian clinics, or pet stores.
Some folks will sell your pet or give it away to another person, medical research facility, or to a friend.
NOTE: Numerous hospitals and medical research facilities buy animals (dogs and cats) off the street. They claim they don’t, but we have proved this isn’t so. They will not let us tour their facilities for your pet. This includes local hospitals like OHSU, and Good Samaritan. Never support these facilities.
Performing medical experiments and testing on animals is cruel and wrong.
The person, who has your pet, may be lonely and may keep the pet and take good care of it. (Especially around the holidays). They may take your pet to a public place such as a park, school, or shopping mall, and let it go, hoping someone else will pick it up and take care of it, or that it will find its way back home. Some cultures will eat your pet. This is highly unusual here in the USA, but it does happen in less then 1% of the cases.
PREDATORS. There are many types of predators that may attack and kill or injure your pet. Humans trying to capture your pet to collect the rewards, or sell it to a medical facility for experiments. Other animals such as other dogs, birds of prey such as hawks, eagles, owls. coyotes, raccoons, possums, cougars, or bears may also attack your pet.
Predators killing your pet occur in 35% of our cases that we investigate. If you live in the wilderness, country, or rural areas, check your local animal trails for coyote-bear-wolf poop and look for your pet’s hair inside to prove or disprove it’s been consumed by a predator.
Hawks, Eagles, Owls, Possums, Raccoons, Coyotes, Fox, Bears, Cougars, Bob cats, and some larger snakes can eat small dogs and cats. Don’t blame the predator. You’re the one who allowed fifi or fido to run loose in the predator’s home. Every year from March through July, we find a huge increase of missing small dogs and cats that have become food for coyotes and raccoons feeding and protecting their young. Be aware of the dangers of allowing your pet to run loose.
WHEN YOU’VE FOUND YOUR PET. Your pet may suffer from psychogenic shock and it may be traumatized. Your pet might not even recognize you as their owner, once you’ve spotted one another. NEVER RUN UP TO YOUR PET.
Your pet may run away, or it may attack you to defend itself. The best thing to do is to STOP and SIT DOWN near the pet, take a deep breath, and calm down. Calmly call out your pet’s name repeatedly, in a very soft voice, trying to lure it back to you.
If you have another pet at home that has bonded with the missing pet, take it with you on your search. Let your other pet greet the one that’s in shock. Once you’ve recovered your pet, take it to your vet. Immediately.
IF YOUR PET IS FOUND HIDING or has been spotted. Bring some pet food and something that has your scent on it, like a dirty sock, shirt, or other piece of clothing that hasn’t been washed. Put some of the pet’s food into the pieces of your unwashed clothing, and leave it in the immediate area. You may even leave your scent trail from this area to your home, if it’s close by. This may bring the pet out of its shock and draw it back to you. Leave a piece of soiled unwashed clothing, cut up in the size of a quarter, trailing home. One piece every 50 feet.
HUMAN URINE SCENT TRAIL. (Pee trail). Another method that works is to have the person who the pet is bonded with the most at home, urinate into a spray bottle. Mix the urine with water. This sounds weird, but this actually has brought home about 5% of our cases. Then go to the areas of possible sightings and spray a SCENT TRAIL of your urine back home. One squirt (from the spray bottle) every 30 yards. Use a route where your pet won’t get hit by a car. The pet may not come out of hiding. A live box trap and trained animal capture staff are available to trap the animal without hurting it. Contact your local animal control agency for assistance.
If your Pet is found dead. You may call a Critter Gitter service to transport it, or animal control to pick up and handle your pet’s remains for cremation or burial services. See pet loss support group counseling services. They are free.
THE USE OF SEARCH DOGS. If your pet is lost and you’ve called our K-9 Search & Rescue team, here’s what to expect. First we’ll send you this lost pet profile information for free.
We will obtain a missing pet description and profile, take a report, and obtain a scent article belonging to your pet. (Some kind of fur, hair, blanket, or collar that only the pet has touched or worn, or laid on). We can then initiate a track of the missing / stolen pet with a trained search dog team. In 95% of our cases, we are often called days, weeks, or even months later after the animal has been lost.
In 98% of our cases, our search dog team will track right to where the pet is currently at, or where it was picked up by some well-meaning person, or where it was killed by a predator.
The person who finds your pet, normally will remove the pet from the area by vehicle. The search dog can determine if the pet was killed and the location where this happened.
If the search dog indicates a LIVE ALERT, this is a strong indicator that your pet has been picked up by a well meaning person. We then ask you to post signs at this location. The person who picked up your pet, observes the poster and will hopefully will call you to return your pet.
If your pet was picked up and removed from the area by a human, what do you do then? Post signs. Whoever picked up your pet most likely will be looking for a lost poster and will do everything they can to find the pets owners. Remember to post a sign in English and Spanish.
SCENT. All search dogs, as in any other kind of tracking animal, will pick up the freshest scent of the animal, and track it instinctively. As a human or animal walks along, they shed approximately 10,000 pieces of scent per minute.
This scent falls to the ground and stays there until the wind and air currents moves the scent to nearby dirt, sand, brushy vegetation areas. The scent is held there until it fully dissipates about a year later.
When an animal or human walks in one specific direction, it’s laying down scent that the trained search dog can track up to 365 days later, even in the rain.
Rain actually helps the scent. It brings the scent closer to the ground surface, keeps the search dog’s nasal passages moist to help the dog retain the scent and it will liven the scent.
What hurts scent? Heavy vehicle and human traffic contaminates the scent.
Heavy rains of 2 inches per day may wash the scent down. Heat dries out the scent and the search dog’s nasal scent receptors, making it harder for the search dog to track. If this happens we can still do the search but instead may choose to do what’s called an area search instead of a trail or track.
If the victim we are searching for is in the area, the search dog will alert and show us where he / she is at.
Cigarette smoke contains a poisonous drug called Nicotine. Nicotine is an anesthetizing agent that can numb up the search dogs scent receptors by 95% and make the search dog’s job much more difficult. If you smoke around your pet, the second hand cigarette smoke poison that you are putting into their little lungs (Nicotine) can also alter the missing pet’s scent, therefore throwing off a search dog. That’s why all of our team members are non-smokers.
That’s also why you are never allowed to smoke around our search dogs or their handlers. You are also exposing your pet to many types of respiratory diseases and cancer.
Can search dog’s track at night? Yes, of course we can. In fact we prefer it. Air molecules stay lower to the ground at night, and there are fewer scents to contend with in the evening and early morning.
FALSE TRACKS. A false track happens when the animal walks one specific direction, then the pet owner, or someone else, walks on top of the pets scent, (usually in or around the home). This transfers the pet’s scent onto the bottom of the person’s footwear, and when the person walks or drives a different direction, this person is now giving off a fresher scent of the missing pet to track. This is called a false scent trail.
There is no way to prevent this from happening, it’s a fact of life. The only way that you can help this from happening, is to call our K-9 Search and Rescue team out immediately before you do any looking, so as not to contaminate the track. With our experience in tracking, we can quickly determine if we’re on a false or a true track / trail.
What if the search dog tracks my pet to one specific location, and we get reports of sightings in a completely different area? It is not unusual at all for someone who is well meaning to pick up a lost animal. Soon the animal becomes too much responsibility for the person to take care of. They may let the pet go at a nearby park, school, or business. They may take it back to where they found it and set it free, hoping it will find its way back home.
The pet may just break free from the person and try to find its own way back home.
REMEMBER, The search dog doesn’t know how to lie. So, if the search dog team tracks your pet to one specific area and indicates your pet has been removed from this area, and, a few days later you get reports your pet is seen in an entirely different area, don’t be upset at the search dog. Be upset at the person who removed your pet and then let it go somewhere else. This unfortunately happens in approximately 5% of our cases.
How do we know the search dog’s track was accurate? There is never 100% guarantee that we’ll find your loved one. We’ll give it our best efforts. Again I’ll repeat myself. A SEARCH DOG doesn’t know how to lie. That’s why their testimony in a court of law is accepted, with training, testing, and mission documentation.
A search dog is trained to follow the freshest track or scent trail of the scent given to them by their dog handler. A mutual trust exists between the dog handler and the search dog. We use the dogs’ nose and tracking, air scenting, and trailing capabilities along with our man and animal tracking and clue capabilities to confirm why our search dog is leading us to a specific area. During our search we look for clues such as foot-prints, fecal matter, hair, blood and other signs to prove or disprove the track. This is call confirming a valid track.
The search dog team (one dog, one dog handler) must go through hundreds of hours of training, testing and actual work cases to maintain their status in K-9 SAR. That’s why it’s important to use a real search dog team and not someone who claims to have a search dog.
Ask for references from people they’ve already provided service for.
Our references are posted on our web site for all to see.
Be careful of teams who we call “Posers”. These are people (dog handler’s) who “BRAG” on TV or to the newspaper about ,”how good they are and what they can do”. Yet when it comes to actual searching, their results are very disappointing. We’ve seen teams like this in Texas and in Ca.
What is your success rate in finding lost / missing / stolen pets with search dogs?
70%. We physically find 20% during the initial search. The remaining 70% of the pets that are found later because of the track. They are found because the search dog led us to a specific area where the animal was picked up, and the pet owners post signs there. The person(s) who picked up your pet, see the signs, and call you. 10% of the pets are never ever found. _____.
Why are 10% of the pets never found? They may have fallen victim to a predator. Two or four legged. People may sell your pet for drugs, dog fighting, medical experiments, food, or its fur. This is rare but it does occur.
Four legged predators such as bears, cougars, bobcats, larger dogs, opossums, raccoons, and some birds of prey have been known to carry off smaller pets and transport their remains to their den.
Why don’t you track the pet to the predator’s den? It is not our position to interfere with nature. We don’t wish to harm or annoy the predators. Nor do we want our search dogs to be injured by the predator trying to protect its home and its babies. When people build their homes in or around wilderness, rivers, creeks, green spaces, they are unknowingly taking away the predators homes. And, by doing so, they are providing food for the predator should the pet wander.
PETS AND STRANGERS. I get told on almost every search, “My pet will never go to a stranger”. This is not a true statement at all. When the pet owner is talking about their pet, they’re talking about the pet they know in a controlled environment. The pet is in a stable home, has food and human contact, etc. Once an animal gets away from this environment, they have to survive on their own. They revert back to what’s known as a feral stage.
They will hunt to kill and eat food and they will drink from water in mud puddles, creeks, and streams. They may steal food and water from other animals’ dishes in their surroundings. And when they are hungry, tired, and scared enough they will seek out humans for comfort and safety.
Posters: When you print a poster, here is a suggestion that works very well. Leave some kind of information about your pet out of your description that only you will know about. That way you can determine if the caller has your pet or not. Post your signs within a 1-mile radius for a cat concentrating on the area 4 city blocks from your point last seen. Post signs in a 5-mile radius for a lost dog. Generally into the wind. (Find out which way the wind was blowing on the day your pet disappeared). Most pets including horses head into the wind when lost.
Post at stores, schools, offices, parks, etc. Post your signs, after a search dog team has determined the route your animal has traveled. This will save you money and time. Remember you will have to remove the signs when you get your pet back. We actually recommend that you make two different types of posters up.
One with a REWARD notice at top, the photo of your pet underneath. It’s name, your area code and telephone. That’s it, nothing else. Let the reporting person id your pet to you with more specifics to prove they have your pet. (Read our scam section). Say something to the effect of “$ REWARD $ for safe return of missing pet, no questions asked”.
Make a second poster up with all the information. Post the Pets name, microchip #, tattoo type, location, collar make, type, id type. Weight, height, length, eye color, hair color, medical identifiers, etc.
This detailed information is sent to your vets, police departments, Postal employees, animal control agencies and search teams.
NOTE: If you have a large Hispanic speaking culture in your area, don’t forget to make up signs in Spanish as well.
STOLEN PETS: If it’s determined that your pet has been stolen, you will need to file a stolen pet report with your local law enforcement agency, and the Department of Agriculture Humane Society Law Enforcement. Keep their case # and a copy of their report on file.
If a search dog team responds, after their search, you will be sent a report showing their findings, and an invoice for their search costs. Keep a copy on file.
Lately we’ve seen a lot of lazy police officers who don’t wish to be bothered with doing their job and taking a report. Remind them please, that pets are considered personal property. If someone takes possession of your property without your consent, they are required by law to report finding your pet (property).
If the person who takes possession of your pet refuses or fails to file a found report, this constitutes, “Theft of personal property”. This is a crime. A police officer has the responsibility to take a crime report and investigate the crime.
If / when we capture the suspect(s) and recover your animal(s), you will need to provide photographs, (proof of ownership), and a value of the animal. (Cost of vet services, meals, breeding, purchase, general care, etc.) You may also be called to testify against the suspect(s). This is why we want you to document your every action in your search for your pet. Many pets are stolen and sold for breeding, resale values, rewards offered, dog fighting, or sold to medical labs for medical experiments.
A new service that I do recommend that just came out is www.findtoto.com
MEDICAL LABS / Hospitals: Contact your local hospitals that purchase animals for medical experiments, and demand to view their animals in their clinics. (They will refuse). But, if enough people demand to see if their pet has been purchased by the hospital, the hospitals may change their attitudes.
There’s been a recent increase in pets stolen for their FUR. Let’s stop them now.
Example: “Rapper Jay-Z, founder of the Rocawear clothing line, is taken to task by the Humane Society after it found that the “faux fur” in jackets sold by his company is actually dog fur”.
Remember, once you’ve located your pet. Contact I.K.9.S.A.R.S. Immediately. www.k9sardog.com
Call all local animal control agencies and advise them to remove your pet’s name from their listings. _____.
Remove all of your posters.____.
Review all of your written materials and lessons learned from this event. ____.
Take precautionary measures so that it won’t happen again. Tattoo / Microchip and ID your pet. ___.
Pass on our web site to others who are searching for their pets.
Before your pet is lost, ID your pet.
1. Talk with your veterinarian. Determine and document the following: Identify the breed(s) of your pet. ___________. Pet’s weight: _____. Age: ________. Height: __________. Hair: Short Medium Long. (Circle One). Tail length: Short Medium Long. (Circle One) Eye Color: _________. Microchip Brand: ________#____________________________. Other ID: ____________________________________________________.
List Medications:______________________________________________.
Veterinarian’s Name:______________Address:_______________________
Telephone #’s: ___________________________________.
2. Comb out the pet’s hair and place it inside a clean envelope. Place the animal’s name on the outside of the envelope and date it. It will be good for two years as a scent article for a search dog, if your pet is lost.
3. Take numerous color photographs from all different angles of your pet.
4. Microchip and Tattoo your pet. Ask your local animal shelter or veterinarian about these services.
5. NEVER leave a collar or choke chain on an animal. Many animals are found choked to death by choke chains and regular id collars. Use either a harness with the id attached on back, or a breakaway ID collar.
6. Never smoke cigarettes around your pet. Not only will it make them very ill from the nicotine poisoning, but it alters their original scent, and can make it very difficult for a search dog to track them. The first word in Webster’s dictionary about the drug NICOTINE is “POISON”. Quit smoking, you’ll live longer.
7. Always check references of resources that you wish to use. We have THOUSANDS of satisfied customers, and references are available upon request.
8. Always seat belt or crate your pet when you travel. See our web site for photos and instructions on how to do this. Review our web site at: www.k9sardog.com for more SAR and private pet detective references. (Note) we look for missing people also.
POSTER SAMPLES.
Example # 1. Very limited information on this poster to avoid scams.
REWARD for MISSING DOG.
(Photo of your missing pet).
Dogs name is: “Tonya”.
Please call : 503-222-2222.
Example # 2. Very detailed information on this poster. This is given to law enforcement, animal control, vets, shelters, etc.
REWARD FOR MISSING DOG. Name: “LARS”. Breed: MUTT. Long hair chi. mix. Age: 4 years Weight: 5 lbs. Colors: Tan and white. Microchip: AVID 000-000-000. Tattoo: “I.K.9.S.A.R. RULES”. Owners: Mrs. Thompson Email:find-me-at@aol.com Home: 503-222-2222.
Page# 12.
If the pet has been stolen, post a poster that states, “Reward for safe return of stolen pet” No questions asked. Give them your telephone#.
I.K.9.S.A.R.S. is a professional K-9 SAR Dog team that uses professionally trained K-9 Search dog teams to track missing persons or pets.
We’ve been in business since 1986 and currently are the most documented successful search dog team in the world for tracking missing persons or
missing pets.
The most often asked questions.
Q. Can a search dog track a lost pet after two weeks?
A. We sure can. We’ve successfully tracked a lost cat one year after the date is was lost and found it alive one mile away in a horse barn at the Portland Horse Racing Track. We also have the cat owner’s name and telephone number if you wish to verify this statement. We also have documented a missing 16 year old in Canada. We tracked him a year after he disappeared and both search dogs found where he had committed suicide.
It’s rained a lot recently, does this affect the scent?
A. No not at all. Rain actually helps keep the scent moist and helps the dog’s
nasal passages keep moist so they can smell the scent trail.
Q. What does an average search costs?
A. Depends on how far you live away from Longview, Wa.
We charge $25.00 per hour travel, time each way from Longview,
Washington. Cost of fuel, motel if we have to spend the night, and $50.00
per fifteen minutes of searching. Include Airline transportation if needed.
Example of a typical search in Portland, Ore.
Driving time $25.00 per hour x 2 hours (round trip) = $50.00
Cost of fuel $25.00
Search time $50.00 per fifteen minutes. Search lasted 15 minutes =$50.00
Total owed I.K.9.S.A.R.S. is $125.00.
(NOTE). I understand times are hard and money often is an issue. Contact me anyway, I’ll work with you to find your pet. It’s more important to me to bring your pet home safely. I won’t do the search for free, but will work with you on my fees to make them affordable).
Q. I have Multiple pets, I don’t have anything specific that belongs just to the missing pet?
A. We’ll introduce the search dog to all of your pets from a distance. One at a time. When the search dog smells each pet and then can smell the one they can’t see, they know that’s the one they need to go search for.
See the following pages, for some of our hundred’s of references.
Our References#1.
Kathryn Bratcher wrote: Hello. My name is Kathryn Bratcher and I live in Snohomish, Washington. I was referred to you by Janos Wimpffen of Redmond in an effort to help me recover my lost dog. He told me of your search dog, Valerie. My dog, Te’ Amo, has been missing since the evening of April 30th and has been spotted (possibly) twice within 2-3 miles of our home in the last two days. As you can imagine, our family is devastated. Please contact me with information regarding your services and whether or not you and Valerie would be able to help us recover our beloved pet. You may respond to this e-mail. Thank you.
Kathryn Bratcher wrote: Harry: Thank you for your quick response! I’ve also heard your voicemail this morning and want to thank you for the tip to keep him in the area. He has been sighted several times within a mile of home (at least five now) and I found out last night that three people saw him AT OUR HOUSE two days ago. That indicates to me that the little rascal is not “lost” but maybe just on an adventure. Nonetheless, I want him home. It doesn’t seem right to call out a team if he’s wandering the neighborhood on his own, though. (He is neutered so I can’t imagine what the attraction is...maybe just freedom from the fence). Do you have any suggestions how I can maybe use socks or other personal items to lure him home?
From: “Harry E. Oakes Jr.” To: Kathryn Bratcher Date: Fri, 04 May 2001 11:32:06 Neutering doesn’t keep the sex drive down for a dog. Does it work for a human male? NO..... :) So don’t assume because he’s been cut that he’s lost his sex drive. GO pee allot. Yup that’s right. now don’t get your britches up in a stir. What I mean is, in all seriousness aside, drink water, coffee, whatever, makes you have to do the #1.
Then put it in a spray bottle and go around to the sightings and spray till your little hearts content. Then drive home spraying the “Special scent” of yours all the way home. This is the strongest scent a dog can track and it’s much more appealing (The spray bottle that is) then the other options.
Try that. The most important thing to be concerned about is your dog getting hit by a car. Try to find someone in the area of the sightings that will call you immediately when they see him. Try this, if it doesn’t work, a live dog trap (Box type) works. but, you may catch raccoons, tigers, lions, cats, possums, and coyotes maybe even Bigfoot???? So that’s the last option. If this stuff doesn’t work, call me and I’ll come up there with my search dog and track the little fella. Thanks good luck and let me know how it goes. Harry
Tue, 08 May 2001 16:10:44 From:”Kathryn Bratcher” kathbrat@hotmail.com To: search dog@iinet.com Dear Harry: I picked up your message Saturday afternoon. I must say I didn’t expect the advice you gave...BUT IT WORKED!!! It took me about nine hours on Saturday to drink enough to make a trail from the area he was sighted to home (of course I led him down the back roads :) I finished my “trail” about 10:00 on Saturday evening and when I woke up at 6:30 a.m. he was in the front yard waiting to be let in! I CAN’T THANK YOU ENOUGH FOR YOUR ADVICE and it really does make a great story! Although he is home safe, he’s not exactly sound. He suffered severe knee injury on his little adventure and underwent surgery this afternoon.
He’ll be home from the hospital tomorrow afternoon and our lives will FINALLY regain some degree of normalcy. Thank you again, Harry! I never would have thought of such a trick on my own! Te’ Amo thanks you, too!!!
Ref# 2. Onalee Owass@earthlink.net
Thank you again for finding Pookie for us. I wish so much I had known about your service 3 days earlier and I think we could have found her alive. I know her time on earth was going to be limited but knowing she died all alone without us is hard for me. But it was good to find her so we didn’t have to wonder and worry about her and we could bring her home to bury. I will certainly recommend your services to anyone in our situation. Please send me a picture at your convenience. Thanks, Onalee and Jerry Wasserburger
3). 04-10-06 2006-3794-084(A). Mult. Co. Lost cat. Anita Parth samozoe@comcast.net Tigard, Ore Lost cat MILO. You and Valerie came down, and helped me find my Persian cat all those years ago, yes the one at the horse track in NE Portland. We did recover him a few days later. The woman who had him was hording a lot of cats. Team: H. Oakes SAR Dog Valorie K-9-1.
Ref# 4. Kris Desylvia World Travel (503) 231-1600.
Ref# 5. Vicki L.Johnson antiquevics@comcast.net 04-15-06.
Harry, Thank you for your efforts and for you and Valorie giving me hope when I was beginning to fall apart. Knowing that Tia was alive and that someone had picked her up encouraged me to continue looking for her. I spent all day Saturday walking around the neighborhood talking to various neighbors and posting new flyers. I was at work around 8 pm making additional flyers when I received a phone call that someone had found my dog and was returning her to me. So they got our address and Tia was returned to us.
My husband & I took her to vet and she is slightly dehydrated and was covered with fleas, but she has been treated and is beginning to perk up like her former self. The vet is Issaquah was very interested to hear about your search & rescue operation too. Thank you again - you can add Tia Maria to your success list!! I’ll email you a photo later of her.
Vicki Johnson
06-16-06 dfalasca@verizon.net Harry, Just wanted to say thank you so much for all your help with finding Rambo. We could not have done it without you!! You provided us with an enormous amount of information and a generous supply of support, which we will never, ever forget. Although we never met in person, I know you would just love Rambo. He is a very mellow Chihuahua, and the sweetest dog we have ever had. He is very happy to be back home in California!! Best Regards, Ron, Doreen & Dana Falasca
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jud Landis jud.landis@gmail.com Hello: Thank you very much for your prompt response, your informative web site, and your phone call. Our dog showed up at our back door at 6:15 AM today, after we placed a urine trail back to our house Sunday night (we’d laid it the wrong way first). So, thank you so much for that piece of advice. I am telling anybody who asks about it, even if they think I’m strange. Sincerely, Jud Landis Eugene, OR
10-28-07 Lost dog Idaho. Elaine Peoples 10-28-07 Harry, I am very thankful to every one that helped.... I have to mention.... I said a prayer just 10 minutes before I saw Sparky zipping past me as I came out of that gate on the culvert side to the mobile home park..... I called him and he stopped and looked at me.... thought about a minute to see if it was really me....and then came to me.... of course I scooped him up and thanked GOD for answering my prayers and especially so fast.... NOW I also have to give credit to YOU for locating the actual spot that I left him at...and the nice people that called to tell me they saw him..... THEY saw my newspaper add in the Idaho News.... It started on Saturday...and they called Sunday 7 AM to tell me ....and I was already on my way to search again today....Happy ending.... good night......we will all sleep better tonight....Elaine THANK YOU HARRY, WILLOW and VAL.
Andria Squires Harry, We have her! I got a call last night from the AKC number on her tags and they gave me contact information of the family who had her. I called them right away and we went over to get her. They live in Council Crest. The two little girls said they had seen her running around the neighborhood for a couple of days, but they finally caught her last night. The family, by the way, was the Schnitzer family, like in Arleen Schnitzer concert hall. We tried offering the reward but they of course would take it so we said we would donate it in there name to the Oregon Humane Society, since the father is on the board.
We can only guess that whoever picked her up from Quizno’s let her lose in the area or she escaped from them (good girl!) and was found by the right family. I was glad that I had read you note about what to do when you find your dog because I knew what to expect. She didn’t recognize us as first. She was hesitant to come near me and then when she did she had to touch me with her nose before she recognized me. She is acting like she is in shock a bit, but doesn’t have any major injuries. There is a cut under her eye and she is walking stiff, but after a bath and good nights sleep, she looks good. I’m waiting for the vet to open so they can check her out. Thanks again for all your wonderful help!!! Woo Hoo!!! Lucy is home!!! Andria
Sun, 6/13/10, Glorylamb7@aol.com Subject: Re: Lost Dog -Carrolton, GA To: harry98632@yahoo.com Date: Sunday, June 13, 2010, 11:50 AM Harry, Just an update to let you know that my Pom Pom is safe at home after having been missing for two weeks. Someone picked her up off the street and sold her to a couple in another state. This couple saw a flyer I had posted at an animal hospital near the GA/AL state line and called me. We drove to Alabama on Friday evening and were reunited! There are still some honest people out there. She had been well taken care of. Thank you, Jesus! Maybe my story can be an encouragement to others. God bless, Tonya Lawson
07-14-2010. From: Terry Treves
Subject: RE: lost dog ellie To: "Harry Oakes"
Date: Wednesday, July 14, 2010, 8:50 AM Harry Ellie probably traveled in a huge circle thru the mini oaks up the creeks and threw the farm land for the entire 20 days. Bet she covered over 300 miles in those 20 days. I set a wild trap for 4 days caught nothing. She was lost June 21st sighted June 30th crossing a dirt road near a ranch where I lost her. I set the trap close to where I lost her and followed your advise with baiting and the urine.
I sprayed my urine on all the paths I traveled and back to the trap. On July 5th I got a text at 4:44 am telling me my dog (lost flyer mailed to over 30 ranches) had been on their ranch running around their little trailer barking when they came out and saw her she took off. I didn't get the text till 7:30 am immediately began to drive to their ranch over 3 miles away from where I lost her. While driving down a busy main road (rural) on the way to the ranch where she had been sighted I spotted Ellie running along the paved road (bicycle path) I couldn't believe she was right there on the road almost where I lost her (she had already traveled back 5 miles Catahoula/mix are amazing).
I stopped my car got and and calmly called Ellie a few times. She stopped scented the air
and stared at me. I kept saying Ellie don't run it is Terry and then (Catahoula style) she began
to whine. She was at least 50 feet away with a big field behind her and a busy traffic road
where I was parked. All of a sudden she got done on all 4 and so did I she crawled whining
on her belly over to my arms. STILL ALL AMAZING TO ME.
She is fine. She had pulled of her collar with the attached flexi, covered with ticks, skinny as a rail and half starved but only a couple of minor scratches. She is home relaxing on my couch and eating like a horse.
Ellie and I say thank you for your advise. I agree don't give up and poster and even mail
to people in the area where lost. She kept coming back to the same spot.
Again thank you
Terry & Ellie "Ellen Currey-Wilson"
Add sender to Contacts
To:
"Harry Oakes"
08-25-2010. Hi Harry, I wanted you to know I finally got the cat back yesterday morning at 4 a.m.! It came back earlier in the day but headed straight under the house. After everything was finally quiet and everyone was asleep, I crawled under the house and carried the cat out. It wouldn't come out any other way. Anyway, every day since you left, I had been using the spray bottle technique (who would have thought!) and so I guess it led Fluff back. Thank you for your help. Fluff is fine. I'm scratched up and bruised from being under the house (a yukky place to be and I just had a tetanus shot) but it's worth it. We're back in Portland and Fluff is so happy. Just wanted you to know. Thanks again. Ellen
From: Una unatbailey@gmail.com Subject: Islay found To: "Harry Oakes"
If you need more info. Please go to our web site at www.k9sardog.com or rmail us at : searchdog@iinet.com or harry98632@yahoo.com
If you wish to make a gift of money to support our Search and Rescue efforts,
Please send a check to I.K.9.S.A.R.S. PO Box# 1472, Longview, Washington 98632 USA.
This gift is NOT Tax deductible. WE are NOT A NON PROFIT 501-C-3 Organization. We are in fact a FOR PROFIT Professional business. We do DONATE our own money, time and efforts during times of disasters.
www.k9sardog.com
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Thank God for the FBI.
11-30-2010
Great job FBI.
This 19-year-old man pleaded not guilty today to an alleged plot to blow up a car bomb at the Pioneer courthouse square during the Christmas tree lighting ceremony.
Let's send this little F##CKER and all of his little followers a message.
If you want to kill innocent men, women, and children in the name of Ala or whoever you worship, then you're going to pay the price.
Everyone of this little F*#ker's friends are saying the “FBI set him up”.
Give me a Fricken break.
At any time during the FBI's extensive three-month investigation, this little piece of shit (POS) could have stopped his plot to kill innocent people.
He didn't.
Now this little POS attorney is saying the, ”FBI entrapped his poor little innocent client”.
What a crock of shit.
The FBI did an outstanding job (for once) and saved thousands of lives.
My hat goes off to them and all the other agencies involved.
Good job guys and gals in the Bureau and thank you from a great full American.
Now please let justice prevail.
No one forced this little SOB “Mohamid - Mohamid” to stand at the train station and push the detonator device repeatedly.
The FBI under cover agents weren't standing there forcing this piece of SHIT to press the device. He did it on his own.
Now his family is screaming that the “govt trapped him”. Hell yes the Govt played their hand and saved thousands of lives. Our govt gave this POS every chance to stop what he was doing.
He chose not to and tried everything within his power to use this weapon of Mass Destruction.
The federal prosecutor in this case as well as the agents did an outstanding job. Congratulations and GOD BLESS YOU ALL.
Now lets get back to public executions. Let’s string this little POS up in Pioneer Court House Square and send a message to the rest of them.
Now am I saying go out and hurt innocent Moslems? Hell no.
But this little POS isn’t innocent.
He went out into the woods, test fired some explosives on a test run.
He didn’t stop there.
He parked the vehicle full of explosives where it would kill innocent people.
He didn’t stop there.
He went to the train station and tried repeatedly to detonate a weapon of mass destruction knowing full well what his results would do to the victims, their families, the city of Portland.
My opinion. Let’s get rid of the little POS and be done with it.
Lets send a message. You mess with America -You die.
You wonder why I’m angry?
Because I’m one of the many rescuers that has to live with the nightmares each and every day and night, after going into a city building called the Federal Murrah Building in the Oklahoma City bombing disaster. This building was destroyed by a terrorist and we had to go in and pull pieces of dead men, women, and children out and put them in body bags.
NO mercy for this little SOB in my opinion.
Thank You..
Great job FBI.
This 19-year-old man pleaded not guilty today to an alleged plot to blow up a car bomb at the Pioneer courthouse square during the Christmas tree lighting ceremony.
Let's send this little F##CKER and all of his little followers a message.
If you want to kill innocent men, women, and children in the name of Ala or whoever you worship, then you're going to pay the price.
Everyone of this little F*#ker's friends are saying the “FBI set him up”.
Give me a Fricken break.
At any time during the FBI's extensive three-month investigation, this little piece of shit (POS) could have stopped his plot to kill innocent people.
He didn't.
Now this little POS attorney is saying the, ”FBI entrapped his poor little innocent client”.
What a crock of shit.
The FBI did an outstanding job (for once) and saved thousands of lives.
My hat goes off to them and all the other agencies involved.
Good job guys and gals in the Bureau and thank you from a great full American.
Now please let justice prevail.
No one forced this little SOB “Mohamid - Mohamid” to stand at the train station and push the detonator device repeatedly.
The FBI under cover agents weren't standing there forcing this piece of SHIT to press the device. He did it on his own.
Now his family is screaming that the “govt trapped him”. Hell yes the Govt played their hand and saved thousands of lives. Our govt gave this POS every chance to stop what he was doing.
He chose not to and tried everything within his power to use this weapon of Mass Destruction.
The federal prosecutor in this case as well as the agents did an outstanding job. Congratulations and GOD BLESS YOU ALL.
Now lets get back to public executions. Let’s string this little POS up in Pioneer Court House Square and send a message to the rest of them.
Now am I saying go out and hurt innocent Moslems? Hell no.
But this little POS isn’t innocent.
He went out into the woods, test fired some explosives on a test run.
He didn’t stop there.
He parked the vehicle full of explosives where it would kill innocent people.
He didn’t stop there.
He went to the train station and tried repeatedly to detonate a weapon of mass destruction knowing full well what his results would do to the victims, their families, the city of Portland.
My opinion. Let’s get rid of the little POS and be done with it.
Lets send a message. You mess with America -You die.
You wonder why I’m angry?
Because I’m one of the many rescuers that has to live with the nightmares each and every day and night, after going into a city building called the Federal Murrah Building in the Oklahoma City bombing disaster. This building was destroyed by a terrorist and we had to go in and pull pieces of dead men, women, and children out and put them in body bags.
NO mercy for this little SOB in my opinion.
Thank You..
Friday, November 19, 2010
Missing shelty in Sherwood, Oregon. We need your help.
Anyone living or working in and around Sherwood Oregon
Please keep your eyes open for a sheltie named Kyra missing from Crossroads vet clinic in Sherwood.
We've had numerous sightings for the last month along Tulatin Sherwood Road area behind DMV, UPS, and the fields near Target.
Please pass this on to anyone you know who lives or works in the area.
They can contact us if they see a sheltie running loose. A shelty also spelled sheltie
looks like a minature lassie (COLLIE).
Thanks
I.K.9.S.A.R.S.
www.k9sardog.com
360-414-8093 or 503-705-0258
harry oakes
sar coordinator.
Please keep your eyes open for a sheltie named Kyra missing from Crossroads vet clinic in Sherwood.
We've had numerous sightings for the last month along Tulatin Sherwood Road area behind DMV, UPS, and the fields near Target.
Please pass this on to anyone you know who lives or works in the area.
They can contact us if they see a sheltie running loose. A shelty also spelled sheltie
looks like a minature lassie (COLLIE).
Thanks
I.K.9.S.A.R.S.
www.k9sardog.com
360-414-8093 or 503-705-0258
harry oakes
sar coordinator.
Thursday, November 18, 2010
Lori Blaylock Search, Bend, Oregon
Why do we post our reports on the internet?
This keeps all the readers HONEST. That way no one can MISREAD or MIS QUOTE any information provided in our report. We're proud of our work. Today I donated over $1600.00 in services to this case.
International K 9 Search and Rescue Services.
Office of Emergency Management
P.O. Box # 1472 Longview, Wa. 98632
Office 360-414-8093 Mobile 503-705-0258
Email: searchdog@iinet.com Web: www.k9sardog.com
I.K.9.S.A.R.S. Case # 2010-6608-355.
SUMMARY:
On 11-18-2010, I.K.9.S.A.R.S. performed a private search for a missing person near Detroit Lake, Oregon. USA.
MENTIONED:
Bend Police Dept. (Investigating agency)
Marion County Sheriff’s Department
Lori Blaylock (Missing person) SEE BPD Notice re: Description.
Harry Oakes (Dog Handler) SAR Dog Willow K-9-1 SAR Dog Tyler K-9-1A.
ACTION TAKEN:
On 11-15-2010 BPD and M.C.S.O. asked for the public’s help to find Lori.
On 11-18-2010 0630hrs. I drove to Hwy 22 Santiam River via I-5 and checked
Santiam Flats.
I introduced both search dogs Willow and Tyler to Sigma Psuedo scent minus 30 days, and gave my Search dogs the work command “Go find the body”.
Both search dogs gave minor alerts at the river’s edge.
Winds from the west at 15 mph. Rain mixed with snow. Temp 34F.
I worked East up river to Bruno Mt Rd. Strong Death alerts by both search dogs independent of one another along the waters edge. Santiam River.
1115hrs. Hwy 22 MP 65 More Alerts coming from upstream. Dogs very depressed and alerts were extremely strong.
1130 USFS Rd 2234 and Hwy 22 More alerts coming from Up river.
1345hrs. MP 69 No Alerts. Winds shifted direction.
1930hrs. Returned to office and wrote this report.
Based on SAR Dog Willow and SAR Dog Tylers tracking record, there is less then a .0001% chance that they are wrong on their alerts.
EVIDENCE:
1). My report and testimony regarding scent, scent evidences, my search dogs
track is admissible in any court of law.
SCENT EVIDENCE:
Search dogs give three types of alerts. Live, stress, or dead.
Live alert. Dogs ears are up, tails up, dog smiling, happy, barking,
Stress alert. Dog’s ears up, tail half way down, dog barking.
Death alert. Dog’s ears down, very sad, emotionally upset, tail down, dog
whining. Eating grass to settle their upset stomachs.
STATEMENTS:
Harry Oakes (K9 dog handler) 11-18-2010. With the search conducted on
11-18-2010, this searched showed me that both search dogs are indicating
on a dead human and the scent is being carried by the river currents down stream.
This does not mean the deceased victim is in the water. With the rain and snow, the water runoff can carry the death scent down to the river from the victim’s position and cause the dogs to alert in the water. Neither search dog would drink from the water. Both search dogs would give their standard death alert regarding dead humans. Both have documented finding live and dead humans before today’s search.
Since I don’t have a scent article belonging to Lori Blaylock there is no way to know whether this is Lori’s death scent or someone else dead in the area.
If this is Lori’s scent the search dogs are alerting on and if she is in fact in the water, her remains should be surfacing within the next 5 days unless she caught in a strainer or debris pile.
ACTION RECOMMENDED:
Have your local search teams walk this section checking for human remains thrown over a steep embankment along hwy 22 or into the Santiam River. Start from MP 70 and work down to 64.
Or give me access to the scent article of Lori so that I can qualify if this is her death scent or someone else’s the search dogs are alerting on.
Respectfully
Mr. Harry E. Oakes Jr. K-9-1.
International K-9 Search and Rescue Coordinator.
Handler / Instructor. BPST#9863.
1-cc- Files.
www.k9sardog.com
This keeps all the readers HONEST. That way no one can MISREAD or MIS QUOTE any information provided in our report. We're proud of our work. Today I donated over $1600.00 in services to this case.
International K 9 Search and Rescue Services.
Office of Emergency Management
P.O. Box # 1472 Longview, Wa. 98632
Office 360-414-8093 Mobile 503-705-0258
Email: searchdog@iinet.com Web: www.k9sardog.com
I.K.9.S.A.R.S. Case # 2010-6608-355.
SUMMARY:
On 11-18-2010, I.K.9.S.A.R.S. performed a private search for a missing person near Detroit Lake, Oregon. USA.
MENTIONED:
Bend Police Dept. (Investigating agency)
Marion County Sheriff’s Department
Lori Blaylock (Missing person) SEE BPD Notice re: Description.
Harry Oakes (Dog Handler) SAR Dog Willow K-9-1 SAR Dog Tyler K-9-1A.
ACTION TAKEN:
On 11-15-2010 BPD and M.C.S.O. asked for the public’s help to find Lori.
On 11-18-2010 0630hrs. I drove to Hwy 22 Santiam River via I-5 and checked
Santiam Flats.
I introduced both search dogs Willow and Tyler to Sigma Psuedo scent minus 30 days, and gave my Search dogs the work command “Go find the body”.
Both search dogs gave minor alerts at the river’s edge.
Winds from the west at 15 mph. Rain mixed with snow. Temp 34F.
I worked East up river to Bruno Mt Rd. Strong Death alerts by both search dogs independent of one another along the waters edge. Santiam River.
1115hrs. Hwy 22 MP 65 More Alerts coming from upstream. Dogs very depressed and alerts were extremely strong.
1130 USFS Rd 2234 and Hwy 22 More alerts coming from Up river.
1345hrs. MP 69 No Alerts. Winds shifted direction.
1930hrs. Returned to office and wrote this report.
Based on SAR Dog Willow and SAR Dog Tylers tracking record, there is less then a .0001% chance that they are wrong on their alerts.
EVIDENCE:
1). My report and testimony regarding scent, scent evidences, my search dogs
track is admissible in any court of law.
SCENT EVIDENCE:
Search dogs give three types of alerts. Live, stress, or dead.
Live alert. Dogs ears are up, tails up, dog smiling, happy, barking,
Stress alert. Dog’s ears up, tail half way down, dog barking.
Death alert. Dog’s ears down, very sad, emotionally upset, tail down, dog
whining. Eating grass to settle their upset stomachs.
STATEMENTS:
Harry Oakes (K9 dog handler) 11-18-2010. With the search conducted on
11-18-2010, this searched showed me that both search dogs are indicating
on a dead human and the scent is being carried by the river currents down stream.
This does not mean the deceased victim is in the water. With the rain and snow, the water runoff can carry the death scent down to the river from the victim’s position and cause the dogs to alert in the water. Neither search dog would drink from the water. Both search dogs would give their standard death alert regarding dead humans. Both have documented finding live and dead humans before today’s search.
Since I don’t have a scent article belonging to Lori Blaylock there is no way to know whether this is Lori’s death scent or someone else dead in the area.
If this is Lori’s scent the search dogs are alerting on and if she is in fact in the water, her remains should be surfacing within the next 5 days unless she caught in a strainer or debris pile.
ACTION RECOMMENDED:
Have your local search teams walk this section checking for human remains thrown over a steep embankment along hwy 22 or into the Santiam River. Start from MP 70 and work down to 64.
Or give me access to the scent article of Lori so that I can qualify if this is her death scent or someone else’s the search dogs are alerting on.
Respectfully
Mr. Harry E. Oakes Jr. K-9-1.
International K-9 Search and Rescue Coordinator.
Handler / Instructor. BPST#9863.
1-cc- Files.
www.k9sardog.com
Sunday, November 14, 2010
Search for Lori Blaylock
From: International K9 Search and Rescue Services
PO Box# 1472 Longview, Washington 98632 USA
Office; 360-414-8093
Mobile: 503-705-0258
Email: searchdog@iinet.com
Web; www.k9sardog.com
11-14-2010-11-14
To: Marion County Sheriff’s Department Attention Homicide Detectives
C/O PO Box 14500 Salem, OR 97309
and
Bend Police Dept. attention Homicide Detectives C/O BPD 711 N.W. BONO ST.
Bend, OR
RE: Finding Lori Blaylock's remains.
In the news you are asking for the public’s help in locating Lori’s remains.
I’m going to give you some suggestions and I hope you listen to me. This may help resolve your search efforts for Lori.
First there may have been enough scent that escaped from the Isuzu Trooper and or the Utility trailer that your suspect Steven Blaylock drove for a search dog to track the scent escaping from the vehicle / trailer.
As a person drives along scent escapes. Depending on the year and make of vehicle there may be a lot of scent or very little scent escaping along the drive route.
To follow Lori’s scent trail escaping from the suspects vehicle, get an uncontaminated scent article belonging to Lori and have the search dog handler introduce it to a scent discriminating tracking dog.
Then track the scent from the residence (PLS) Point last seen and see where the scent trail ends. Drive to each intersection and trust the dog. Follow the route to the end.
This is a long process and safety is the # 1 factor here for the dog and handler.
If the scent trail of Lori ends in the N. Santiam River as you are putting out there for the public to search, then have your dog work from Detroit lake up stream. He / she get’s out of their vehicle with their search dog and lets them smell the river. One search up river every mile from the Detroit lake.
If Lori’s remains are in the water or even near the water, the search dog will alert.
Then you will know her remains are upstream from that location. Work up stream until the search dog quit’s alerting and that is your area of highest probability.
If there are no alerts then either you have bad information or you are searching in the wrong area.
If this technique doesn’t work then get the scent of your suspect and try doing the same thing.
Work from Detroit lake. If he spent any time burying her remains or weighting her down so she wont surface, then his scent will be escaping from the victim and the crime scene as well.
I’ve used both these techniques in the past to find remains of the victim and or to track the suspect’s route.
I hope this helps.
If you need our services let me know and we’ll be happy to send you a contract for services agreement.
Respectfully
Mr. Harry Oakes
Forensic Scent evidence instructor.
SAR Coordinator.
I.K.9.S.A.R.S.
1-cc-Files.
PO Box# 1472 Longview, Washington 98632 USA
Office; 360-414-8093
Mobile: 503-705-0258
Email: searchdog@iinet.com
Web; www.k9sardog.com
11-14-2010-11-14
To: Marion County Sheriff’s Department Attention Homicide Detectives
C/O PO Box 14500 Salem, OR 97309
and
Bend Police Dept. attention Homicide Detectives C/O BPD 711 N.W. BONO ST.
Bend, OR
RE: Finding Lori Blaylock's remains.
In the news you are asking for the public’s help in locating Lori’s remains.
I’m going to give you some suggestions and I hope you listen to me. This may help resolve your search efforts for Lori.
First there may have been enough scent that escaped from the Isuzu Trooper and or the Utility trailer that your suspect Steven Blaylock drove for a search dog to track the scent escaping from the vehicle / trailer.
As a person drives along scent escapes. Depending on the year and make of vehicle there may be a lot of scent or very little scent escaping along the drive route.
To follow Lori’s scent trail escaping from the suspects vehicle, get an uncontaminated scent article belonging to Lori and have the search dog handler introduce it to a scent discriminating tracking dog.
Then track the scent from the residence (PLS) Point last seen and see where the scent trail ends. Drive to each intersection and trust the dog. Follow the route to the end.
This is a long process and safety is the # 1 factor here for the dog and handler.
If the scent trail of Lori ends in the N. Santiam River as you are putting out there for the public to search, then have your dog work from Detroit lake up stream. He / she get’s out of their vehicle with their search dog and lets them smell the river. One search up river every mile from the Detroit lake.
If Lori’s remains are in the water or even near the water, the search dog will alert.
Then you will know her remains are upstream from that location. Work up stream until the search dog quit’s alerting and that is your area of highest probability.
If there are no alerts then either you have bad information or you are searching in the wrong area.
If this technique doesn’t work then get the scent of your suspect and try doing the same thing.
Work from Detroit lake. If he spent any time burying her remains or weighting her down so she wont surface, then his scent will be escaping from the victim and the crime scene as well.
I’ve used both these techniques in the past to find remains of the victim and or to track the suspect’s route.
I hope this helps.
If you need our services let me know and we’ll be happy to send you a contract for services agreement.
Respectfully
Mr. Harry Oakes
Forensic Scent evidence instructor.
SAR Coordinator.
I.K.9.S.A.R.S.
1-cc-Files.
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