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Where's Fido?
Err Travel · September 28, 1999

Dognapping is rare in our neck of the woods, but it can't be discounted. There are miscreants everywhere who will do just about anything for a buck. And when their malicious activities collide with our family -- and our dogs are definitely part of our family -- we get upset.

We get very upset.

So when we load up our two mutts in our requisite SUV and head off to visit friends in Northern California for a weekend, we take precautions to protect our dogs along the way.

It's about a four-hour drive (that's one day in dog time) from our house to our friends,' so a couple of human and canine comfort stops are required enroute. During these stops we remain alert to the potential theft of our vehicle and, more importantly, of our dogs. Adopted from the local SPCA, our dogs are not simply pets leaving noseprints all over the window glass of our Pathfinder.

Mackie and Murphie, like any other family members, have value to us that cannot be measured in strict economic terms -- about $11 each in adoption fees as I recall. Our fears of dognapping are fed by information from organizations such as In Defense of Animals, which reports that as many as two million pets are stolen each year in the U.S. -- a figure that is probably drastically inflated by equating "stolen" with "reported lost."

Nonetheless, some dogs are nabbed, and I'd have to agree with IDA that even one stolen family pet is one too many.

And what the heck happens to these stolen pets? Ask the IDA, and you'll hear stories of small dogs being used as live bait to train fighting dogs or being sold to laboratories for ghastly experiments or being served up as some third-world delicacies.

Yikes! I don't want to think about it.

And so that I don't have to, we keep account of our canine companions when we travel. We also have a plan in place if they should go missing during our trip. Here's my advice for you and your four-legged friends when you travel over the road together.

Travel planning:

- Keep a collar and I.D. tag on your dog at all times and make sure that you can receive a message from the phone number listed on his I.D.

- Microchip or tattoo your dog. A tattoo on the inner rear leg is good enough for Cher and that's where it belongs on Fido, too.

- Carry a current photo of your dog in case he gets lost.

If Rover goes missing:

- Look everywhere.

- Go to animal shelters in the area and leave them a photo of your dog.

- Place a "Lost Pet" ad in the local paper and watch the "Found Animal" sections as well.

- Create a flyer with a picture of your dog and a reward of at least $300. Post the flyers everywhere.

- Contact local veterinary hospitals, pet supply stores, groomers, boarding kennels, professional dog walkers, dog runs, and dog training schools.

- Use the Internet. A good place to begin is with the Missing Pet Network. Also consult the National Center for Missing Pets in the U.S. and Petsearch in the U.K.

- If you're sure your dog has been stolen, file a report with the local police or sheriff's office. Though the laws are starting to get tougher -- in Missouri and New Jersey, pet theft is now a felony -- pet theft is still a misdemeanor in many states.

- Don't give up. Sometimes dogs are found months after they have been lost. There is also a high-tech alternative reducing the risk to your dog when you travel. Leave Sparky at home and take along AIBO, the "entertainment robot" from Sony. He (she?) won't get noseprints on your car's window glass and for $2,500 (plus shipping) you can simply get a replacement.

Thanks Sony, but we're sticking with our priceless $11 models.

Dr. Terry Riley is a psychologist and travel security authority. His column appears on Saturdays. Visit his site at http://www.appliedpsychology.com or e-mail him at riley@appliedpsychology.com.