FAQ
What is your success rate? This is the question people ask most often, yet it doesn’t have a simple answer. Generally speaking, people who come to Three Retrievers for help get their pets back at least 70% of the time. This isn’t always because of our assistance or advice. Part of the credit for successful recoveries goes to the dedication and determination of the pet owner. Records kept since 2008 do clearly show that people who follow our advice have the highest rates of recovery. The success rate is undoubtedly higher than 70%, but about 20% of people never follow up with an outcome, whether their pet was found or not. Assuming these unknowns are solved at a similar rate to the known cases, people seeking our help would get their pets back about 85% of the time.
When people ask about the success rate, they may be asking how often our search dogs locate the missing pet. Kelsy and Komu pinpoint the location of the missing pet about 20% of the time. This is in line with success rates of search dogs that search for missing people. If Kelsy and Komu do not find the lost pet, it is not because of a lack of ability or drive on their part. In most cases, we won’t be able to pinpoint the location of a pet even if we do everything exactly right. For example, Kelsy might start on the scent trail of a lost dog 36 hours after the dog disappeared. Kelsy could follow the exact scent trail flawlessly for several hours and still be 36 hours behind the lost dog. Of course, we hope the lost dog rested or circled back, making it easier to find him, but that isn’t always the case. In over 90% of cases, we received independent confirmation, such as witness statements, that Kelsy was on the correct trail of the dog, even if we never caught up. So, why would you ever use a search dog if there was only a 20% chance it would work? Well, in the cases where the search dog did find the lost pet, that animal would not have been found by other means. If your dog is in the shelter when you are looking for him, then a search dog is not going to be able to track right up to where your dog is located. Conversely, if your dog is hiding in a wooded ravine, going to check the shelter isn’t going to bring success. The point is to cover all the different ways in which your pet might be found, to increase your chances of finding him or her. The search dog is just one tool, and if you rely solely on a search dog to find your missing pet, you will be disappointed most of the time.
Another factor in the success rate of the search dog--the number of times her or she pinpoints the lost dog or cat--is how soon the search dog gets started on the scent trail. If the search dog started tracking a lost dog an hour after the disappearance, the success rate would probably be about 90% or better. (Some dogs would be picked up in that hour, and not available to be found.) We almost never start in the first hour because people are still checking out other possibilities, like the dog is sleeping in a closet or something. Also, we are often not available right away because we are on another search, and it often takes people a day or two to even figure out that a search dog is an option for a lost pet. If we always got started within 24 hours of the dog or cat going missing, the search dog's success rate would probably be about 50%. Typically, on average, we start our search on the second or third day after a dog goes missing, and about the fourth or fifth day after a cat goes missing. Averaging that out over more than 1,000 searches with all the dogs, our success rate hovers around 20% to 25%, where we pinpoint the exact location of the dog or cat. Often, people will request a search dog, and I have to tell them that too much time has passed for the search dog to have a reasonable chance of success. Sometimes, people in that situation ask to have the search dog come out and try, even if the odds are low. This factors into our success rate, and the search dogs could have higher numbers if we only took those cases where we had the best chance of success. So, this is something to keep in mind when asking about the success rate.
Does rain wash away scent? No. Rain helps scent, and helps the search dog work. Hot, dry weather boils away the tiny particles of scent, making it difficult or impossible for the search dog. Also, a hot dog must use her nose and tongue for cooling her body, reducing the effectiveness for scent detection. In cool, moist, rainy weather, scent stays closer to the ground, available to the dog’s nose. Airborne moisture keeps the lining of a dog’s nose moist, assisting scent transfer. Cool weather keeps the dog cool, so she doesn’t have to pant. We love to search in rainy weather. Only if the total rainfall exceeds 2 inches a day might the scent be washed away.
What is the cost? To have a search dog come to your area for about three hours is $350. Traveling more than 60 miles from SeaTac airport may cost a little extra for gas and time. A one-hour consultation is $35. Renting a wildlife camera or a humane trap for a week is $25.
What area do you serve? If you live within 60 miles of SeaTac airport, we will probably come to you. I have traveled as far as Portland, Bellingham, and Cle Elum on occasion, for an extra charge. I don’t currently have a passport, so Canada is out. I will not put my dog in the cargo hold of an airplane, so air travel is not possible.
Why the delay? In most cases, I am able to return a call or email right away, or within several hours. From time to time, I receive many urgent calls in one afternoon, and I can’t get back to everyone as soon as they would like. Also, I may be out on a search when you call, in which case I wouldn’t answer. It would probably help me give you a quicker response if you could fill out the contact form.
Did a coyote kill my pet? Probably not. It does happen occasionally, but much less often than people suppose. In over 5,000 missing pet cases since 2008, fewer than 7% were killed by any predator. Over 70% of pets were found. In 99% of missing pet cases, the owner of the lost dog or cat was told by someone that their pet was most likely killed by a coyote. Those pessimists were wrong most of the time.
Why call it Three Retrievers Lost Pet Rescue? At the time I named the company, I had Three Retrievers, Kelsy, Porter, and Tess. Since then, the original Three Retrievers have passed away. My working dogs are Komu, Fozzie, and Valentino. “A Mutt, A Poodle, and A German Shepherd” doesn’t quite work as a company name. I think Three Retrievers has a ring to it. Easier to remember, anyway.
What is Komu's name? Komu’s full name is Wakomu, which means Family in Chippewa. It was soon shortened to Komu, then to Mu. I usually call him Mu these days, and my neighbors may wonder why I stand on the front porch yelling, “Moo! Moo!”
What kind of dog is Komu? We don’t know for sure. Some speculate he is a pit bull mix or a pit bull/Rottweiler.
How long does it take to train the dogs? A scent trailing dog takes 18 months to train, usually, and a cat-detection dog takes about 6 months to train.
Are humane traps safe? Yes, when used properly. Since 2008, I have caught hundreds of dogs and cats in my traps, and the worst injury was a bloody nose that a feral cat got when he ran into the end of the trap too fast.
Can a poodle really find lost dogs? Fozzie has proven he is quite good at it.
I see lots of pictures of Kelsy on your site, but she is not available? She was born approximately July 14th, 2005, and she died September 8th, 2016.
Why does the dog in the picture have a toy dog on his head? I don't really know. It seemed like the thing to do at the time. That's Porter, who found me in 2000 and taught me to be a dog person.
If you have other questions not covered here, please contact me.
What is your success rate? This is the question people ask most often, yet it doesn’t have a simple answer. Generally speaking, people who come to Three Retrievers for help get their pets back at least 70% of the time. This isn’t always because of our assistance or advice. Part of the credit for successful recoveries goes to the dedication and determination of the pet owner. Records kept since 2008 do clearly show that people who follow our advice have the highest rates of recovery. The success rate is undoubtedly higher than 70%, but about 20% of people never follow up with an outcome, whether their pet was found or not. Assuming these unknowns are solved at a similar rate to the known cases, people seeking our help would get their pets back about 85% of the time.
When people ask about the success rate, they may be asking how often our search dogs locate the missing pet. Kelsy and Komu pinpoint the location of the missing pet about 20% of the time. This is in line with success rates of search dogs that search for missing people. If Kelsy and Komu do not find the lost pet, it is not because of a lack of ability or drive on their part. In most cases, we won’t be able to pinpoint the location of a pet even if we do everything exactly right. For example, Kelsy might start on the scent trail of a lost dog 36 hours after the dog disappeared. Kelsy could follow the exact scent trail flawlessly for several hours and still be 36 hours behind the lost dog. Of course, we hope the lost dog rested or circled back, making it easier to find him, but that isn’t always the case. In over 90% of cases, we received independent confirmation, such as witness statements, that Kelsy was on the correct trail of the dog, even if we never caught up. So, why would you ever use a search dog if there was only a 20% chance it would work? Well, in the cases where the search dog did find the lost pet, that animal would not have been found by other means. If your dog is in the shelter when you are looking for him, then a search dog is not going to be able to track right up to where your dog is located. Conversely, if your dog is hiding in a wooded ravine, going to check the shelter isn’t going to bring success. The point is to cover all the different ways in which your pet might be found, to increase your chances of finding him or her. The search dog is just one tool, and if you rely solely on a search dog to find your missing pet, you will be disappointed most of the time.
Another factor in the success rate of the search dog--the number of times her or she pinpoints the lost dog or cat--is how soon the search dog gets started on the scent trail. If the search dog started tracking a lost dog an hour after the disappearance, the success rate would probably be about 90% or better. (Some dogs would be picked up in that hour, and not available to be found.) We almost never start in the first hour because people are still checking out other possibilities, like the dog is sleeping in a closet or something. Also, we are often not available right away because we are on another search, and it often takes people a day or two to even figure out that a search dog is an option for a lost pet. If we always got started within 24 hours of the dog or cat going missing, the search dog's success rate would probably be about 50%. Typically, on average, we start our search on the second or third day after a dog goes missing, and about the fourth or fifth day after a cat goes missing. Averaging that out over more than 1,000 searches with all the dogs, our success rate hovers around 20% to 25%, where we pinpoint the exact location of the dog or cat. Often, people will request a search dog, and I have to tell them that too much time has passed for the search dog to have a reasonable chance of success. Sometimes, people in that situation ask to have the search dog come out and try, even if the odds are low. This factors into our success rate, and the search dogs could have higher numbers if we only took those cases where we had the best chance of success. So, this is something to keep in mind when asking about the success rate.
Does rain wash away scent? No. Rain helps scent, and helps the search dog work. Hot, dry weather boils away the tiny particles of scent, making it difficult or impossible for the search dog. Also, a hot dog must use her nose and tongue for cooling her body, reducing the effectiveness for scent detection. In cool, moist, rainy weather, scent stays closer to the ground, available to the dog’s nose. Airborne moisture keeps the lining of a dog’s nose moist, assisting scent transfer. Cool weather keeps the dog cool, so she doesn’t have to pant. We love to search in rainy weather. Only if the total rainfall exceeds 2 inches a day might the scent be washed away.
What is the cost? To have a search dog come to your area for about three hours is $350. Traveling more than 60 miles from SeaTac airport may cost a little extra for gas and time. A one-hour consultation is $35. Renting a wildlife camera or a humane trap for a week is $25.
What area do you serve? If you live within 60 miles of SeaTac airport, we will probably come to you. I have traveled as far as Portland, Bellingham, and Cle Elum on occasion, for an extra charge. I don’t currently have a passport, so Canada is out. I will not put my dog in the cargo hold of an airplane, so air travel is not possible.
Why the delay? In most cases, I am able to return a call or email right away, or within several hours. From time to time, I receive many urgent calls in one afternoon, and I can’t get back to everyone as soon as they would like. Also, I may be out on a search when you call, in which case I wouldn’t answer. It would probably help me give you a quicker response if you could fill out the contact form.
Did a coyote kill my pet? Probably not. It does happen occasionally, but much less often than people suppose. In over 5,000 missing pet cases since 2008, fewer than 7% were killed by any predator. Over 70% of pets were found. In 99% of missing pet cases, the owner of the lost dog or cat was told by someone that their pet was most likely killed by a coyote. Those pessimists were wrong most of the time.
Why call it Three Retrievers Lost Pet Rescue? At the time I named the company, I had Three Retrievers, Kelsy, Porter, and Tess. Since then, the original Three Retrievers have passed away. My working dogs are Komu, Fozzie, and Valentino. “A Mutt, A Poodle, and A German Shepherd” doesn’t quite work as a company name. I think Three Retrievers has a ring to it. Easier to remember, anyway.
What is Komu's name? Komu’s full name is Wakomu, which means Family in Chippewa. It was soon shortened to Komu, then to Mu. I usually call him Mu these days, and my neighbors may wonder why I stand on the front porch yelling, “Moo! Moo!”
What kind of dog is Komu? We don’t know for sure. Some speculate he is a pit bull mix or a pit bull/Rottweiler.
How long does it take to train the dogs? A scent trailing dog takes 18 months to train, usually, and a cat-detection dog takes about 6 months to train.
Are humane traps safe? Yes, when used properly. Since 2008, I have caught hundreds of dogs and cats in my traps, and the worst injury was a bloody nose that a feral cat got when he ran into the end of the trap too fast.
Can a poodle really find lost dogs? Fozzie has proven he is quite good at it.
I see lots of pictures of Kelsy on your site, but she is not available? She was born approximately July 14th, 2005, and she died September 8th, 2016.
Why does the dog in the picture have a toy dog on his head? I don't really know. It seemed like the thing to do at the time. That's Porter, who found me in 2000 and taught me to be a dog person.
If you have other questions not covered here, please contact me.