Where did my lost pet go?
When your dog or cat disappears, one of your first thoughts is: Where did my pet go? What happened? Most people jump to the wrong conclusions, based on their fears and because of misinformation that tends to circulate. Three of the most common assumptions, which are also among the least likely realities, are:
1. My cat or dog was killed by a predator.
2. My pet was deliberately stolen.
3. My pet was hit by a car and killed.
These things can happen, but much less often than people suppose. In fact, because people often jump to these conclusions, they don't take the proper approach that gives them the greatest chance of finding a pet.
I have kept records of about 4,000 cases of lost pets where the owners asked for my help over the last 8 years. Of course, thousands of other pets went missing during that time, and the owners did not ask for my help. I keep track, loosely, of how pets are lost and found, by watching Facebook and craigslist, and the web sites for local shelters. I haven't tabulated the numbers, but I have a rough idea of how most lost pet searches turn out in my area, Western Washington. The number one reason pets aren't found is that their owners don't put much effort into looking. Other pet owners do make a solid effort to find a pet, but they waste that energy by looking in the wrong ways. To the best of my knowledge, only about a quarter of owners of lost pets take most of the right steps in searching for their pets. To try to improve those numbers, I am presenting my estimates of what actually happens to lost pets. Because accurate statistics are not kept anywhere, that I know of, these are best guesses. I could be wrong, but probably not too far wrong. If you have reason to believe I should adjust these numbers, please let me know by contacting [email protected].
Approximate percentages based on 8 years of keeping records and observations. Please note that the percentages don't add up to 100% because more than one of these things could have happened to a pet. Estimates as of April 15th, 2016.
Medium or large dog, 1 to 11 years old
Taken to shelter: 40%
Correct shelter: 20%
Wrong shelter: 20%
Kept by finder: 12%
Finder trying to reach you: 30%
Improperly given to rescue: 15%
Intentionally stolen, premeditated: 3%
Disoriented, near home: 15%
Living long term in a ravine or woods: 10%
Hit by car and died: 4%
Hit by car and lived: 17%
Killed by predator: 3%
Coyote: 3%
Owl: 0%
Bobcat: 0%
Eagle: 0%
Raccoon: 0%
Other predator: 0.1%
Died of starvation: 4%
Died of illness: 4%
Intentionally poisoned: .2%
Accidentally poisoned: 3%
Hiding in own home: 3%
Traveled .5 miles or less: 30%
Traveled .5 to 5 miles: 40%
Traveled more than 5 miles: 20%
Eventually found: 75% or more.
Old dog, average size:
Taken to shelter: 33%
Correct shelter: 18%
Wrong shelter: 15%
Kept by finder: 12%
Finder trying to reach you: 30%
Improperly given to rescue: 10%
Intentionally stolen, premeditated: 3%
Disoriented, near home: 25%
Living long term in a ravine or woods: 13%
Hit by car and died: 4%
Hit by car and lived: 15%
Killed by predator: 7%
Coyote: 6%
Owl: 0%
Bobcat: 1%
Eagle: 0.1%
Raccoon: 0.1%
Other predator: 0.1%
Died of starvation: 10%
Died of illness: 13%
Intentionally poisoned: .2%
Accidentally poisoned: 3%
Hiding in own home: 4%
Traveled .5 miles or less: 60%
Traveled .5 to 5 miles: 30%
Traveled more than 5 miles: 10%
Eventually found: 65%
Puppy or small friendly dog
Taken to shelter: 12%
Correct shelter: 8%
Wrong shelter: 4%
Kept by finder: 55%
Finder trying to reach you: 15%
Improperly given to rescue: 7%
Intentionally stolen, premeditated: 7%
Disoriented, near home: 25%
Living long term in a ravine or woods: 8%
Hit by car and died: 4%
Hit by car and lived: 15%
Killed by any predator: 7%
Coyote: 5%
Owl: 1%
Bobcat: 1%
Eagle: 0.2%
Raccoon: 0.1%
Other predator: 0.1%
Died of starvation: 5%
Died of illness: 5%
Intentionally poisoned: .2%
Accidentally poisoned: 3%
Hiding in own home: 4%
Traveled .5 miles or less: 40%
Traveled .5 to 5 miles: 50%
Traveled more than 5 miles: 10%
Eveuntally found: 65%
Small skittish dog
Taken to shelter: 12%
Correct shelter: 8%
Wrong shelter: 4%
Kept by finder: 35%
Finder trying to reach you: 30%
Improperly given to rescue: 15%
Intentionally stolen, premeditated: 3%
Disoriented, near home: 17%
Living long term in a ravine or woods: 8%
Hit by car and died: 4%
Hit by car and lived: 20%
Killed by any predator: 7%
Coyote: 5%
Owl: 1%
Bobcat: 1%
Eagle: 0.2%
Raccoon: 0.1%
Other predator: 0.1%
Died of starvation: 5%
Died of illness: 5%
Intentionally poisoned: .2%
Accidentally poisoned: 3%
Hiding in own home: 4%
Traveled .5 miles or less: 20%
Traveled .5 to 5 miles: 40%
Traveled more than 5 miles: 40%
Eventually found:65%
Dog that ran off after car accident
Taken to shelter: 8%
Correct shelter: 4%
Wrong shelter: 4%
Kept by finder: 25%
Finder trying to reach you: 30%
Improperly given to rescue: 5%
Intentionally stolen, premeditated: 0%
Disoriented, near crash site: 40%
Living long term in a ravine or woods: 25%
Hit by car and died: 4%
Hit by car and lived: 20%
Killed by any predator: 5%
Coyote: 4%
Owl: .5%
Bobcat: .5%
Eagle: 0.1%
Raccoon: 0%
Other predator: 0.1%
Died of starvation: 5%
Died of illness or injury: 10%
Intentionally poisoned: .2%
Accidentally poisoned: 3%
Hiding in own home: 0%
Traveled .5 miles or less: 40%
Traveled .5 to 5 miles: 40%
Traveled more than 5 miles: 20%
Eventually found: 70%
Indoor-only cat:
Taken to correct shelter within first week: 1%
Correct shelter, later: 40%
Wrong shelter, at any time: 10%
Kept by finder: 25%
Finder trying to reach you: 30%
Improperly given to rescue: 10%
Intentionally stolen, premeditated: 0%
Disoriented or displace by dominant cat, near home: 40%
Living long term in a ravine or woods: 25%
Hit by car and died: 3%
Hit by car and lived: 10%
Killed by any predator: 7%
Coyote: 5%
Owl: 1%
Bobcat: .5%
Eagle: 0.1%
Raccoon: 0%
Other predator: 0.1%
Died of starvation: 3%
Died of illness or injury: 3%
Intentionally poisoned: 0%
Accidentally poisoned: 3%
Hiding in own home: 5%
Traveled .5 miles or less: 80%
Traveled .5 to 5 miles: 10%
Traveled more than 5 miles: 10%
Eventually found: 70% or more
Eventually taken in by new family after eating at someone's back door for a while: 16%
Deceased for any reason: 14%
Indoor-outdoor cat:
Taken to correct shelter within first week: 2%
Correct shelter, later: 40%
Wrong shelter, at any time: 10%
Kept by finder: 25%
Finder trying to reach you: 20%
Improperly given to rescue: 10%
Intentionally stolen, premeditated: 1%
Disoriented or displace by dominant cat, near home: 30%
Living long term in a ravine or woods: 25%
Hit by car and died: 3%
Hit by car and lived: 10%
Killed by any predator: 7%
Coyote: 5%
Owl: 1%
Bobcat: .5%
Eagle: 0.1%
Raccoon: 0%
Other predator: 0.1%
Died of starvation: 3%
Died of illness or injury: 3%
Intentionally poisoned: .1%
Accidentally poisoned: 3%
Hiding in own home: 3%
Traveled .5 miles or less: 70%
Traveled .5 to 5 miles: 15%
Traveled more than 5 miles: 15%
Eventually found: 70% or more
Eventually taken in by new family after eating at someone's back door for a while: 16%
Deceased for any reason: 14%