Baltimore, Maryland, is home to the Orioles baseball team, the blue crab, and also the “Missing Dog.” Bob Swensen is known to local dog lovers as their own animal-saving superhero.
Except his strength isn’t superhuman strength or laser vision. His “superpower” is to reunite pet parents with their lost family members. In fact, he’s helped over a thousand dogs, cats, horses, turtles, and other creatures on their way back home.
Most dog owners assume that if their dog gets lost, they will just hear their name and immediately run to them. But unfortunately that’s not how it works most of the time.
When a dog becomes lost and scared, they go into survival mode. When they enter this state, sometimes they don’t even recognize their own parents. So there are specific strategies that need to be implemented if their family expects them to return home.
“You can’t catch them. Survival mode does strange things to a dog. It puts them on wild instincts, almost wild animals. They will avoid any threat, any noise and every movement, even from their owners,” explains Bob.
That’s when Bob walked in. He has the necessary knowledge and experience to help. When someone calls him knowing their dog is missing, he instructs them exactly what to do.
He first got involved in the “dog search” when he needed help locating a lost dog close to his heart. Bob learned skills like tracking, setting traps, setting up feeding stations, and the importance of plastering an area with posters.
In fact, Bob has become so passionate about finding lost dogs that two years ago he and co-founders Denise Harris and Carmen Brothers start a non-profit organization called The Lost Animal Resource Group (LARG). They never asked for any money, and together, they’ve helped more than 1,500 animals find their way back home this year alone. Bob explains that two of the most important things to do when searching for your lost dog are to hang lots of posters and use calming cues, because dogs may feel anxious.
“You have to be a force of calm. They are torn, emotional, broken, frantic, and distraught. You have to control your emotions, but it’s very difficult,” emphasized Bob.
While spreading the word on social media can certainly be helpful, Bob is adamant about posters being the number one method of finding a lost pet. He suggests starting with a minimum of 100 posters and hanging them all over the area where you last saw your lost puppy. This way, once someone spots them, they will know exactly how to call and let you know.
Then, when calls and messages start flooding in, you can track their movements and see if there’s a pattern. This will give you an idea of where they are currently hiding and give you a better chance of trapping or luring your furry family member.
“Dogs often go back to their escape point, home or last place they saw their family,” says Bob.
With his track record, we’d love to believe him. If you’re looking for help locating a lost dog in the Baltimore area or you’d like to learn more about Bob and his nonprofit, you can check out their Facebook page by clicking here. here.
Featured pictures: Facebook
