Forensic Investigations in the Search for Lost Pets
The concepts of finding lost cats and dogs have arisen from law enforcement principles and practices for finding missing people. Our search dogs have been trained in a manner similar to the way dogs are trained to find lost people. Although the dogs are great at what they do, it is often up to the dog’s handler to be able to understand and interpret the evidence found by a dog. When the search dog directly locates the lost cat or dog, not much interpretation is required, usually. However, if the dogs find animal remains, or fur, or possible blood stains, or perhaps a collar, then it’s up to the human to figure out what that means.
In the case of a missing cat, a collar was found. It did not appear damaged, but it was a bit dirtier than one would expect, and possibly discolored. A chemical test called Luminol was sprayed onto the collar, in total darkness, and the collar glowed bright blue, indicating a large amount of blood. Luminol reacts with iron, present in the hemoglobin of blood. In the picture above, the Luminol mixture has washed blood off of the collar and onto the embossed paper towel underneath. While the presence of blood could be explained by other unlikely occurrences, the most likely explanation is that the lost cat was attacked by a predator, probably a coyote. If this were an investigation into a lost human, the next step would be to confirm that the blood came from the missing person, using DNA testing. While DNA testing would certainly be possible in the case of a missing pet, it’s not always practical financially, in part because such testing wouldn’t be covered by any government agency. In the absence of sophisticated and expensive tests, we have to give the owner of the lost pet our best interpretation of the evidence found. We typically wouldn’t give an absolute, 100% answer, although we can in some cases. Usually, we need to say that, based on years of experience, the evidence found is strongly supportive of some possibilities, and would tend to rule out other possibilities.
Although the search for lost pets is somewhat at a disadvantage, compared to the forensic tools available to crime labs investigating human disappearances, one advantage we have is that the search dog can often point out evidence that would be missed by other investigative techniques. Our dogs have found fur and bones and stains and footprints that would not have been found without a dog’s nose. Once the dog finds evidence, we take care to photograph that evidence in high resolution, and sometimes we will collect the evidence for a closer examination. Chemical tests such as Luminol can give us a clearer picture of what might have happened.
Of course, if your cat or dog is missing, our first goal is to physically, directly locate the cat or dog if possible. When we are unable to pinpoint the current location of the pet, collection and examination of forensic evidence can sometimes provide an answer, or lead the search in a new direction. For the recent investigation of a lost cat, the search dog located coyote scat, as he is trained to do. Examining coyote scat can usually tell you what they have been eating because coyotes usually ingest fur and bones. Their typical diet is rabbits and rodents, sometimes fruit or garbage, and rarely domestic pets. In this case, a pet’s ID microchip was found in the scat. We were able to scan the chip with the scanner we always have with us, and the ID number confirmed that the cat had been taken by a predator, unfortunately. We always hope for the best, but for many people, knowing what happened to a lost pet is preferable to never knowing.
Forensic investigation for lost pets is different than the techniques used in cases involving missing humans, but it is based on those tried and true practices and principles. Using the search dog’s nose, the handler’s years of experience, and chemical and electronic testing equipment, we can find answers that might otherwise be overlooked. The typical owner of a lost cat or dog would not have the tools or experience to locate and interpret crucial evidence. Three Retrievers Lost Pet Rescue exists precisely because our training, tools, and experience can greatly improve the chances of finding out what happened to a lost cat or dog.
The concepts of finding lost cats and dogs have arisen from law enforcement principles and practices for finding missing people. Our search dogs have been trained in a manner similar to the way dogs are trained to find lost people. Although the dogs are great at what they do, it is often up to the dog’s handler to be able to understand and interpret the evidence found by a dog. When the search dog directly locates the lost cat or dog, not much interpretation is required, usually. However, if the dogs find animal remains, or fur, or possible blood stains, or perhaps a collar, then it’s up to the human to figure out what that means.
In the case of a missing cat, a collar was found. It did not appear damaged, but it was a bit dirtier than one would expect, and possibly discolored. A chemical test called Luminol was sprayed onto the collar, in total darkness, and the collar glowed bright blue, indicating a large amount of blood. Luminol reacts with iron, present in the hemoglobin of blood. In the picture above, the Luminol mixture has washed blood off of the collar and onto the embossed paper towel underneath. While the presence of blood could be explained by other unlikely occurrences, the most likely explanation is that the lost cat was attacked by a predator, probably a coyote. If this were an investigation into a lost human, the next step would be to confirm that the blood came from the missing person, using DNA testing. While DNA testing would certainly be possible in the case of a missing pet, it’s not always practical financially, in part because such testing wouldn’t be covered by any government agency. In the absence of sophisticated and expensive tests, we have to give the owner of the lost pet our best interpretation of the evidence found. We typically wouldn’t give an absolute, 100% answer, although we can in some cases. Usually, we need to say that, based on years of experience, the evidence found is strongly supportive of some possibilities, and would tend to rule out other possibilities.
Although the search for lost pets is somewhat at a disadvantage, compared to the forensic tools available to crime labs investigating human disappearances, one advantage we have is that the search dog can often point out evidence that would be missed by other investigative techniques. Our dogs have found fur and bones and stains and footprints that would not have been found without a dog’s nose. Once the dog finds evidence, we take care to photograph that evidence in high resolution, and sometimes we will collect the evidence for a closer examination. Chemical tests such as Luminol can give us a clearer picture of what might have happened.
Of course, if your cat or dog is missing, our first goal is to physically, directly locate the cat or dog if possible. When we are unable to pinpoint the current location of the pet, collection and examination of forensic evidence can sometimes provide an answer, or lead the search in a new direction. For the recent investigation of a lost cat, the search dog located coyote scat, as he is trained to do. Examining coyote scat can usually tell you what they have been eating because coyotes usually ingest fur and bones. Their typical diet is rabbits and rodents, sometimes fruit or garbage, and rarely domestic pets. In this case, a pet’s ID microchip was found in the scat. We were able to scan the chip with the scanner we always have with us, and the ID number confirmed that the cat had been taken by a predator, unfortunately. We always hope for the best, but for many people, knowing what happened to a lost pet is preferable to never knowing.
Forensic investigation for lost pets is different than the techniques used in cases involving missing humans, but it is based on those tried and true practices and principles. Using the search dog’s nose, the handler’s years of experience, and chemical and electronic testing equipment, we can find answers that might otherwise be overlooked. The typical owner of a lost cat or dog would not have the tools or experience to locate and interpret crucial evidence. Three Retrievers Lost Pet Rescue exists precisely because our training, tools, and experience can greatly improve the chances of finding out what happened to a lost cat or dog.