The panic over a missing pet

TAMPA – Nearly 10 million pets go missing every year, and fewer than 20 percent of them ever make it home.

A little Boston Terrier named Del is one of the lucky ones.

Nearly five years ago, Hannah Corsa of Tampa left him with her dad while she and her now-husband took a much-anticipated European vacation.

It wasn’t until she got home a week later that she got the bad news: Del escaped the very first day they were gone.

“My Dad said he literally just opened the door, and in that split second, he shot through the crack in the door and was gone,” she said.

Hannah sprang into action. Using an eye-catching photo of Del, she papered her father’s neighborhood with posters and fliers.

Then, people started calling with tips and sightings. A postal worker called more than once with helpful, but disturbing information: it appeared that Del was getting further and further away, headed in the direction of Corsa’s old apartment.

Del seemed to be trying to “go home.”

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Angelica Steinker of Courteous Canine in Lutz, Florida knows that panicky feeling. Several years ago, her little Jack Russell Terrier “Junior,” dug his way out of her backyard. She discovered firsthand the power of a poster with a picture.

“Most dogs are recovered through the lost dogs fliers or posters. That’s your best bet,” she said.

Steinker recovered Junior in less than 48 hours, but the experience led her to Kat Albrecht’s “Missing Pet Partnership,” a national organization dedicated to finding lost pets.

Steinker became a volunteer pet detective. She knows those first few hours of a pet’s disappearance are critical. Also, the bigger and more colorful the “lost pet” poster, the better.

“Somebody’s driving by and just has a second, a couple of seconds to see this poster. What are the most important facts about your dog or your cat that they need to know,” Steinker said.

She also says there are differences in tracking down lost dogs and lost cats. Steinker says often friendly dogs will be picked up by someone, so the question is “who has the dog?”

That gets complicated if your dog is more fearful and not likely to come to strangers. As days and weeks go by, those dogs will lose weight and start looking a little rough, raising the likelihood that even if someone finds your dog wearing a collar and ID, he or she may not call, fearing the dog was neglected.

In the case of a missing cat, it’s the personality that counts. Steinker says if they’re shy, then the question is, where is your cat hiding?

If they are gregarious, outgoing, and are used to being outside all the time, then your investigative question is, who has the cat?

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In Hannah Corsa’s case, it was the last flier she posted, miles away from where Del disappeared, that led her to him. Someone had spotted a little black dog in a mobile home park.

But when Hannah drove in, spotted him and called his name, Del actually fled from her. She drove slowly through the park as he ran, finally getting him cornered — and she had her
chance.

This time, she approached him calmly, and describes what happened next:

“I had him cornered and I said ‘You want a goody?’ And it was like a switch went off. Suddenly his ears went up, he knew exactly what I was, he jumped on me, started licking me…I burst into tears and I’m holding him,” she said.

It was a happy ending for Del and Hannah, and no surprise at all to Angelica Steinker, who knows how people feel about their animal companions.

“Pets aren’t pets anymore. They’re family members, and so people who lose a family member aren’t willing to just…let go,” Steinker said.

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There are resources out there for those who have lost pets. Here are some websites with helpful information:

http://www.missingpetpartnership.org/
http://helpfindlostpets.com/
http://www.fidofinder.com/

There’s also a Facebook page for Missing Pets of Tampa Bay:
https://www.facebook.com/common/invalid_request.php#!/missingpetsoftampabay