Where, Oh Where Has Your Little Dog Gone?

Every year Monroe's Animal Control office responds to some 200 calls regarding missing or found animals — exotics like parrots and bearded dragons, and livestock such as goats and llamas, but mainly domestics like cats and dogs. 

"People think this is Disney World," explained Animal Control Officer Ed Risko shaking his head. "They see an animal on the loose and think they've found a new pet when it already belongs to someone."

Because pets do stray and because pet-nappers do exist and occasionally patrol the streets, every cat and dog owner needs to know what to do when their furry companion disappears. 

"There's a procedure, that if followed, gives you the best chance of finding your pet," he said. Risko should know. He's spent 34 years in Monroe helping owners and pets re-unite. 

According to him, that procedure needs to be initiated as soon as the pet is discovered missing. And, whether the lost pet is cat or dog, many of the steps an owner needs to take are the same.

Cats will generally stay within a distance of 20 houses (based on one-acre zoning) in any direction from their home. Dogs will wander a mile, two at the most. Those are the pet's "range," the area a pet owner should focus on first.

With photos of the missing pet in hand, owners should go door-to-door (in twos and threes for personal safety) speak to residents, and try to view each property for places a pet could be trapped — under porches, in sheds or on wire fences.

Animals wearing collars can become hung up on branches or snared on any projectile. Tags can catch between the slats on decks and porches. News stories abound about dogs in wells or stuck in pipes and kittens trapped in walls or open foundations.

Owners should carry treats and a favorite toy, and call to their pet repeatedly. The animal may be frightened and hiding, injured or trapped unable to get free.

If a pet isn't found within a few hours, it may have been taken in by someone trying to help. They may or may not call Animal Control to report they have the animal.

Dogs Are Personal Property. 

"By law dogs are personal property in the state of Connecticut," said Risko.

Well-intentioned animal lovers who take in lost dogs and don't call Animal Control are breaking the law by not turning the dogs over to local animal authorities, Risko explained.

Finders in Monroe may believe they're saving a lost animal from certain death by taking them in and trying to find the owner by themselves.

"In reality, they're just prolonging the separation between owner and pet," said Risko. "They need to call Animal Control."

"We don't put down healthy pets in Monroe," he said. "We examine them and check them for microchips. I can't remember the last time a well animal was euthanized."

Monroe's officers also check license records for dogs of the same breed and sex living in town. Those owners are then contacted to make sure that their dogs are safe at home and not missing.

Cats Don't Enjoy Legal Status

Cats aren’t so lucky in the legal-status department. They are not by law "personal property." Finders can legally keep lost cats in their home while trying to find their owners. However, it is important that they alert Animal Control that they have the feline.

"Animal Control is most effective at re-uniting pets and owners, when it's the first agency called by both finders and seekers," said Risko.

Ginger, a loved pet from a home on the Newtown-Monroe line, has yet to be found after several months. A beautiful house cat, she ventured out when workmen left a door open. Someone undoubtedly found her and took her in, but the finder never called any Animal Control office. Still, her owner keeps looking and hoping.

Owners of animals lost in Monroe need to alert Animal Control offices in surrounding towns as well, and provide them with pictures. Digital photos are best. The pet may have crossed a town line on its own or been picked up and transported. Digitals can be emailed to every Animal Control office, rescue operation and veterinarian in the state.

"A woman driving through Monroe just last week picked up someone else's dog on Elm Street, a boxer-mix with red painted toenails. She took it home to Bristol," said Risko.

It was from there that she called Monroe Animal Control to inform them she had the dog. She was told to transport the animal back to Monroe the next day. Meanwhile, the owner, a Turkey Roost Road resident, called to report her dog missing. Risko put her in touch with the woman and she drove all the way to Bristol get her dog back.

In another instance,  a couple looking at houses to purchase in Monroe last year lost the puppy they had brought along with them — a little Boston Terrier wearing a red collar. A man, at a gas station over on Route 25 noticed the small dog, which was scooped up by a woman pumping gas. It was taken away in her car. The dog was never reported found to any Animal Control office. 

With persistence and by sheer luck, the couple discovered their puppy a week later dumped off at a West Haven pound. Due to their dozens of posters, news stories and phone calls, their pet had become a "high profile" steal — too hot and recognizable to keep.

Owners who lose a pet should put up posters bearing a photo and phone number at intersections within its range. Ads should be placed in local and online newspapers. The more a pet is publicized, the more likely it will be found. And time is of the essence, because many other Connecticut towns don't hold lost pets long before they are either euthanized or put up for adoption.

Not All Pets Come Home

Sadly there are pets which will never make it home again. In that case, the best a grieving owner can hope for is that someone simply wanted a pet and took the animal in. 

Unfortunately, cats allowed to run and small dogs penned in backyards do occasionally become victims of natural predators, like bobcats and coyotes or worse — the two-legged kind, men who steal dogs to use as bait in dog-fighting rings.

In the days following a disappearance, owners should also call local and state Public Works departments daily to determine if their pet's body was retrieved from a road or highway — an unpleasant task which can give closure or hope.

The best prevention against losing a pet forever is to be a responsible owner. Risko advises owners to keep dogs safe in yards and cats safe inside the house. They'll be healthier, happier pets and live longer.

Monroe pets should have a local license (if a dog) and a microchip (available for both dogs and cats) from Animal Control. The few dollars spent could make the difference between finding a lost pet or losing a loved companion forever. It's well worth it. Ask any owner who still keeps an absent pet's empty bowl out on the porch hoping it will eventually make it home.

If you are caring for a found animal, call Animal Control at (203) 452-3760. A heartbroken owner may be searching for it.