I got two yellow labs about a year ago. I named them Cloud and Barret. (Yes, after Final Fantasy VII characters.) Most days since then, they’ve been the only ones to keep me company. Friday (over a week ago), they escaped from the back yard while I was at work. Days went by without me seeing either of them. I posted ads on Craigslist and the local newspaper. Yesterday, I found Cloud at the pound. Turns out they’d had him since Wednesday but couldn’t be bothered to find my report and call me. Those people seem less compassionate than people who work at Walmart. Finding Cloud temporarily renewed my hope of finding Barret, but it’s not looking good. I fear someone abducted him. Frankly, I’ve always thought it should be a felony to steal someone’s pets, just one step lower than kidnapping children. Here is a picture of the two of them. Barret is the one sitting up.
Dang, snailboy. That truly sucks. I hope Barret turns up soon.
OMG those are beautiful dogs!!
I hope you find him soon 
Oh, no, “Come Home Fast” thoughts to Barret. Keeping my fingers crossed that he shows up.
That’s awful! What handsome dogs they are. My favorite individual dog in the universe is a yellow lab. Best dogs ever.
I hope Barret shows up soon. He should be at home looking silly like in that pic.
You still might find him, snailboy. If he wasn’t caught by the people from the pound who found Cloud, he might be hiding somewhere nearby and scared. Sometimes pets can remain hidden quite a while. You don’t mention whether your dogs are neutered or not, but if he’s intact he’s likely to wander further.
A bit of advice, but you probably did all this, forgive me if I repeat stuff you know:
Here’s what else you can do:
Go out to look for your dog early in the morning/dawn or very late at night (when it’s quiet out), with a box of his favourite treats. Make sure to bring a leash & collar.
Distribute “Lost Dog” flyers, with a recent picture, in your neighbourhood: poles, alleys, veterinary clinics, convenience stores, grocery stores, pet shops, and other internet sites.
Hopefully Barret had a pet tag or some other form of pet identification. If he didn’t, when you find your pet make that the FIRST thing you do after a good hugging.
There are other sites that are good to get the word out and they are listed below. All someone would have to do is make a detailed statement and then cut and past into the database of each website. Please ALWAYS remember to list your city and immediate surroundings where the pet was lost AND provide a picture whenever possible.
http://www.missingpetpartnership.org/index.php
Leave no stone unturned. You’d be surprised how often people go out of their way to help you find a lost pet.
Good luck, and don’t lose hope, be patient. You have an extra ace since you can bring Cloud with you on your searches.
Thanks guys. Despite being brothers, they have significantly different personalities. Cloud is the more playful one and Barret is the more affectionate one. When I get in the floor and start wrestling with them, Cloud will try to bite my head off while Barret will just walk around with one of his toys in his mouth. I have my yin without my yang.
No, they’re not neutered. I’ve really considered it, but they’ve never been aggressive or shown any other problems.
I’ve driven around the neighborhood pretty much every day, especially in the area where his brother was found. I figured he might come to the sound of my truck.
I think I’ll do that next week. The ladies down the street said they’d help me with it.
Unfortunately, they both ripped their tags off a while ago. I almost bought some new ones a couple of weeks ago but the store didn’t have the ones I wanted. I’m going to look into the microchip option.
I’ll check those out.
Good luck with that, Snailboy, I’ll keep rooting for you and Barret.
When I read your post, I was so upset for you that I forgot to mention the obvious: they are both absolutely beautiful dogs, and I know you must be heartbroken about Barret. Labs are just wonderful dogs, so loving and intelligent. I hope he finds his way home soon. Hang in there, and good luck.
Good luck. Hope you are reunited soon.
Good luck. Here’s hoping you find him soon.
I hope you find him soon, snailboy. I forgot to mention that if you promise a reward on your posters, you shouldn’t specify the amount. You don’t want people stealing other people’s lab pooches and trying to claim the reward. It would just cause unnecessary heartache for you.
We always tell people to go to the shelters and check in person. Do not rely on them calling you.
Follow all the other suggestions. People don’t necessarily kidnap other people’s dogs but people will rationalize keeping someone else’s dog. “Oh, he was running loose, he’s not neutered, obviously his owner doesn’t take care of him. I wil give him a good home.” Putting out flyers will help to show that you do care and want your dog back.
When you get them back, hie thee to the vet and get them neutered and microchipped. Neutering will make them less likely to want to roam and even if they aren’t aggressive now, it doesn’t mean they won’t be later. Dogs tend to try to assert dominance at around two years of age.
Good luck.
A few years ago, when I was living in Chicago, someone persistently put up MANY LARGE SIGNS about their missing dog all over my neighborhood. For a LONG time. They were very, very noticeable. Then one day, I spotted a new version, saying that someone who saw one of their signs had indeed seen someone steal their dog, and using the information the witness had provided, they had managed to track down the dog thief and had gotten their dog back. Apparently, they had received a lot of inquiries about the dog, just based on the sheer number of (and size) of the posters and felt the need to give the neighborhood an update.
Good luck, snailboy. Most people are sympathetic to the loss of a missing pet. You just need to get the information out there.
Thanks for your support. I’ve had several people call me but none were my dog. I’m pretty sure someone saw him walking around and decided to take him. I don’t know what I’d do if I caught up with that person. What are the criminal penalties?
I need to make a sign. I live fairly close to one of the busiest intersections in Longview. I figure a sign there would be read by most people in the area. Any suggestions on how to make it large and visible?
Use a color picture if you have one and use large, easy-to-read text and don’t be too wordy. Make it big.
Good luck.
One thing that’s been huge for fnding lost pets locally is to send the more popular local blogs pics of the dogs. makes a nice human interest post for the blog owner and people are surprising aware of stray animals hanging around. Many dogs and owners have been re-located this way.
Put tear-away strips with your phone number beneath the posters in case someone who doesn’t have a cellphone sees your dog. It doesn’t have to be very large, people on foot will read it, not people who are already driving, for instance.
When my son lost his cat recently while he was moving (she was returned), he made 61 posters with color pictures using the printer on his computer and he covered all the area around his former residence. Be sure to mention him to any children you see in the area, they’re very good at spotting animals. If you choose to offer a reward, don’t say how much.
Oh, I’m so sorry.
Keep on trying for as long as it takes. Continue calling shelters in your area. Put up signs all over your town. Put as much up on the internet as possible.
He could be in a shelter. He could be at a rescue. He could be in someone’s home. He could also be kidnapped - but even if he is, he could later end up back with you if you continue to advertise in your area.
I’ve seen a lot of pets reunited with happy owners in my day! Persistence is what makes the difference.
I put tough nylon buckle collars on my dogs and attach Boomerang CollarTagsto them. They don’t come off, even when they are tearing through the woods.
Microchipping has limited usefulness, IMO, since so few shelters have a scanner.
I’ve found that calling shelters doesn’t help, going there and looking at the pets is better. Even their websites with pictures of found pets are usually way out of date.
Don’t be too quick to be mad - if I saw a uncollared, uneutered dog wandering around, I’d take it too - for the dog’s safety. I’d try to find the owner, but with no chip or collar, it could be hard.
I’ve found dogs can roam farther than you’d think. Like others have said, don’t call shelters - visit in person. Call the sheriff, the police, vets, animal control in neighboring areas and visit as many shelters as you can.
Good luck, I hope you find him soon.