|
|
There is never a dull moment when you’re a pet detective. In my 14 years of tracking lost pets, I’ve assisted families in various circumstances surrounding the disappearance of a lost pet including the search for a cat who escaped his apartment after his elderly owner was bludgeoned to death by an irate neighbor, the search of an amusement park for an escaped giant boa constrictor, using my bloodhound to track a police dog who escaped from his handler, a request to use my bloodhound to track ”Skunk Ape” (Florida’s version of Bigfoot), and then the search yesterday for Wenty, a cat who escaped his cat carrier at SeaTac airport.
 Wenty The search for Wenty was complicated yet amazing. It was complicated because it involved 4 different search areas: the Tucson airport where Wenty was loaded onto the Alaskan Airlines flight, the airplane itself that he traveled on, the SeaTac tarmac area since it was suspected he may have escaped while on the plane and perhaps bolted from the plane once the cargo door was opened, and the SeaTac internal baggage area in the event he escaped after being unloaded from the plane. No baggage employee came forward to say they witnessed Wenty’s escape. His owner simply went to claim Wenty and was given a carrier that was closed yet empty.
Wenty’s escape took place on Friday night and Missing Pet Partnership became involved in the case after Wenty’s guardian found our web site on Saturday, called our office, and asked if we could help. Myself, Jim Branson, and MPP volunteer Bonnie Beltz along with MPP cat detection dog Karma responded on Sunday. We used Karma’s nose, high power spotlights, a search camera, an amplified listening device, digital wildlife cameras (to see how MPP uses wildlife cameras to solve displaced cat investigations, read the story of Binky and the story of Burley) and a coordinated plan to conduct the same type of detailed “area search” that MPP typically uses when searching for a lost cat. Thanks to Alaska Airlines, we were allowed unprecedented access to the baggage area and the tarmac area.
 Karma and Team Searching for Wenty at SeaTac (on tarmac) Based on our knowledge of displaced cat behaviors, we knew that Wenty would be hiding in silence. We also knew that Wenty’s temperament under normal circumstances would influence his behavior when displaced. Wenty is what MPP calls a “catatonic / xenophobic” cat, so we knew he would be hiding. At one point, the Alaskan Airlines staff member asked, “Is it possible that he left the airport?” Our answer was that while that was possible, it was not PROBABLE. We reiterated that at the moment he escaped, Wenty would have bolted and would most likely dart under something, looking for concealment and protection.
We searched for 3 1/2 hours. While Karma showed slight interest at one of the Alaskan Airlines baggage conveyor belts, it was only a slight indication. We felt that it was likely residual scent of a cat but certainly not a strong enough alert to indicate that a cat was hiding under there. To their credit, Alaska Airlines was willing to disassemble the conveyor belt if needed. Trust me–if Karma’s alert had been a strong alert, we would have insisted that they do that!
I should also add that Alaska Airlines bent over backwards on this case. Our volunteers, accompanied by the Alaskan Airlines supervisor, were allowed access to any and every potential hiding place. We asked if we could see what the interior cargo pit of an airplane looks like and they walked us right up to a plane that had pulled up to a gate and baggage was being unloaded. We asked if they could find the same plane that Wenty escaped from and the Alaskan Airlines employee got on her cell phone. Within five minutes we were told this: Wenty’s plane had already flown to Mexico, San Diego, and was due to return to SeaTac later that night. It would have a one hour layover before flying off to Anchorage. We asked if we could get into the cargo pit of the plane to see if there was anyway Wenty had escaped into the belly of the plane. They not only granted that permission, but told us that they’d work to find a replacement plane for the Anchorage flight so MPP could have unlimited time and access to search the plane for Wenty.
 Karma searches slabs of concrete hiding places on SeaTac tarmac So at 8:58 p.m. last night, Jim Branson and Karma along with Amy Adams and her cat detection dog Harley stood by as Wenty’s plane arrived at SeaTac. They were able to enter the cargo pit area and determined that it was completely sealed with a thick plastic barrier that was designed to protect anything from cargo from entering any area of the plane. That search of the plane helped us eliminate the potential that Wenty could be on the plane, thus increasing the possibility that he was in one of the other three places: the Tucson airport, the SeaTac tarmac, or the SeaTac baggage area. Jim worked with Alaskan employees to help set humane traps and digital wildlife cameras and encouraged them to get the word out to ALL airport employees that Wenty was lost. A plan was put into motion to have a pet detective with a search dog respond to the Tucson airport on Monday morning to conduct a search there.
As it turned out, that was not necessary. We received a call early this morning with the BEST NEWS possible…Wenty was found alive! At around 1:00 a.m., a baggage employee from United Airlines spotted a pair of white paws sticking out from under a United baggage carousel (a distance from the Alaska Airlines baggage area that we searched). Having heard that Alaska Airlines had lost a cat, the United worker got down on his belly with a flashlight, saw Wenty, and was able to grab him! He immediately called Alaska Airlines who contacted Wenty’s guardian and transported Wenty to the emergency vet for a checkup. Wenty is greasy and was a bit dehydrated, but otherwise will be fine.
 Wenty, Back Home Where He Belongs! In spite of the fact that Wenty escaped, Missing Pet Partnership would like to give PRAISE to Alaska Airlines for their unprecedented help in getting Wenty back home. While MPP helped in the search effort, it was truly the staff at Alaskan Airlines who deserve the praise here. The fact that Alaskan Airlines (a) agreed to give MPP volunteers and our search dog access to every inch that needed to be searched and (b) they (Alaskan Airlines) notified all airport employees that a cat was missing at the airport is what made all of the difference. Thankfully, there ARE corporations who have compassion and who are willing to bend over backwards to do the right thing. THANK YOU ALASKA AIRLINES for being one of those corporations!
One more thing. If you’d like to make a donation to Missing Pet Partnership to support our efforts, we would gladly accept your help! Due to the increasing number of requests for lost pet recovery assistance that come into our Seattle office, we currently have a shortage of: Seattle area volunteers, humane traps, wildlife cameras, and regular donations to help MPP pay our monthly bills (last month MPP was in the red by over $800.00). The humane cat traps we need are either the True Catch size 30-D (Dimensions: 30″ x 9″ x 11″) which are $89.00 each (found at http://www.trucatchtraps.com/small-animal-traps/30-d-wildcat-deluxe.html) or size 36-D (Dimensions 36″x12″x14″) at $99.00 each (found at http://www.trucatchtraps.com/small-animal-traps/36-d-classic-deluxe.html).
The infra red wildlife cameras that we specifically need are the Moutrie 4MP Game Spy I-40 Infrared Digital Game Camera http://www.amazon.com/Moultrie-Game-Infrared-Flash-Camera/dp/B000YADEOK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1323114844&sr=8-1 (around $170.00).
Monetary donations (even a small donation helps us!) to Missing Pet Partnership are tax deductible and can be made via PayPal on the MPP web site (www.missingpetpartnership.org) or mailed directly to Missing Pet Partnership P.O. Box 3085, Federal Way, WA 98063. Donations of equipment (cameras and humane traps) can be shipped to our shipping manager at: Missing Pet Partnership, Attn: Brian Newsham, 1229 SW 326th Place, Federal Way, WA 98023. Thank you for helping to “paw it forward” so MPP can reach out to assist more families and animals like Wenty who are in need.
You may have noticed this, but I haven’t blogged since April. What, pray tell, could be so compelling and so life changing that it could distract me from my passion for lost pet recovery and pet detective work?
Answer: TRUE LOVE!
Yes. I admit it. I fell in love with a Canadian. I’ve been, um, doing some “research” for the romance portion of the teen romance/mystery novel that I’m crafting!
 Mystery Canadian Man Whispering Sweet Nothings in My Ear However, several other things besides romance have been pulling me away from my blog. Missing Pet Partnership (MPP) has been overwhelmed with lost pet recovery work. Since I last blogged, we’ve been averaging 5 to 7 phone calls per day. That is A LOT for an all volunteer organization that has no office staff and that is struggling to survive in this economy! In addition, we held our first fundraiser (Whine Sleuth) in May, in June we trained many volunteers, in July we helped over 70 families who lost their pets due to 4th of July fireworks, we moved MPP’s office from my home to a business complex, and best of all we partnered with a local animal shelter (Regional Animal Shelter of King County in Kent, WA) to launch our first animal shelter pet detective program which we’ve called Mission Reunite.
Our vision for the Mission Reunite program is everything that Missing Pet Partnership stands for–the concept that one day if you lose your dog or cat, you can go down to your local animal shelter and actually receive sound (lost pet behavior-based) recovery advice and hands-on assistance from the animal shelter staff. I will blog more about Mission Reunite as the program rolls out.
A few weeks ago, something else happened. A woman called Missing Pet Partnership asking for help after her indoor-only cat Bunky escaped from her apartment. My plan was simple. I planned to deliver a humane trap, a wildlife camera, and offer her instructions, encouragement, and hope. Instead, I arrived walked around the apartment complex with Bunky’s guardian to determine just where she should set up the camera in hopes of catching Bunky on camera. After walking a mere 20 yards from her apartment, we came upon one of the stomach dropping signs that indicate that a coyote has killed a cat–clumps of fur…MANY clumps of fur.
 Not What I Expected to See...
The fur was the same color as Bunky’s fur and we both knew that Bunky was likely gone. As her grief set in, I asked Bunky’s guardian if she had a family member or someone she could call. “No,” she told me. “Nine months ago my husband left me just four days after my daughter and grandson were both killed in a car accident.” Within a span of a month, this woman had lost her daughter, her grandson, her husband, her house, her job, and any sense of a normal life. Bunky, she told me, had come into her life as a stray after the tragedy. He had been helping her to heal from her grief.
I didn’t know what to say. I consoled her the best I could, went home, and wept. I met with her a week later and gave her a booklet on grief and told her that I’d be praying for her. I have stuck to that commitment to pray for her, just like I’ve stuck to several other commitments in my life, including my refusal to give up on my attempts to form Missing Pet Partnership.
I plan to start blogging again. I need to share my stories instead of letting them stack up for months like pancakes. It is a commitment that I am renewing for others and for myself. No more excuses. No more delays. I did not expect to find love when I did and I did not expect to experience grief like I did on the Bunky case. But as a pet detective, my life is filled with heartwarming as well as heartbreaking stories.
My life is also filled with faith, hope and, thankfully, more love than ever before (thanks to my Canadian beau). But like the Bible says (1 Corinthians 13:13), faith and hope and love are all important, but when it comes down to finding your life partner or losing a beloved child, grandson, or even a housecat named Bunky:
“The greatest of these is love.”
OK, so I’m probably showing my age with this blog title (it’s a rip off from a 70′s K.C. & The Sunshine Band song). Oh well!
Here’s the story of Dax, a red/white Siberian Husky with a skittish (“xenophobic”) temperament, and how she was lost then recovered as told by her guardian, Marisa Jang. This is a perfect example of how Missing Pet Partnership is helping to instruct people in how to properly capture panicked stray dogs. You’ll notice that before Marisa and Brandon consulted with MPP, Dax ran from everyone, including a family member she knew! (See my final comments at the end of my blog)
 Dax Tuesday, April 26, 2011 – I came home at approximately 6:00 p.m. to discover that Dax was missing. Brandon and I immediately went out looking all around the East Hill area (Kent, WA) within a 5-mile radius from our home. We asked everyone that we saw if they’d seen Dax. Brandon, his parents, my parents, and I searched until dark and found nothing. I called the KC Animal Control & Shelter in Kent but Dax was not listed as a found stray.
Wednesday, April 27, 2011 – When Brandon got home in the early afternoon he found a posting on Craigslist about a brown and white husky running loose in the East Hill area. He immediately went to where Dax was last seen at Clark Lake Park (approximately 130 acres). He walked the 4 mile trail looking & asking anyone around to no avail. When I got home I replied to the Craig’s List posting and the gal who saw Dax (Kimberly) gave us some good advice and referred us to the Missing Pet Partnership (MPP) website. While searching a neighborhood, Brandon’s mom saw Dax at 7:52pm chewing on a dog treat of some kind on a sidewalk. When she exited her vehicle and called her name, Dax bolted at 100% because of how scared she was. Dax didn’t even recognize Brandon’s mom or her voice! We were still calling Dax’s name because a local Humane Society’s website and their volunteer call in line said to do the following steps: “Call your pet’s name loudly and often. In-between, listen carefully for a faint bark or meow that may indicate your curious friend is trapped somewhere.”
Thursday, April 28, 2011 -I went to the MPP website and after reading about skittish, xenophobic dogs, and some of the information on what to do and how they react, I called MPP and Chris (the MPP dispatcher) and volunteer Jim Branson were both able to give me tips and ideas on what to do to find Dax. I went again to the KC Animal Shelter after work to check. With no trace in sight, we again returned home for the night.
Friday, April 29, 2011 – Brandon had the day off and staked out the neighborhood where Dax was last seen with no luck. As suggested on MPP’s website, we made neon posters and figured out what spots the majority of people going home or down to the major highways would have to stop, or at least see, our neon signs. We went to the shelter, but she still was not found. At 1:00pm we got a call that Dax was seen sniffing one our neon posters but was spooked when a car drove by. Like every call or tip we received she was described as terrified (one person said “running for her life”) and extremely fast.
Saturday, April 30, 2011 - Kat Albrecht from MPP was able to come by our house. She gave us instructions on how NOT to call a panicked dog and how to use food to attract Dax but while ignoring her. She also gave us Neomarker pens and instructions for us to “tag” the back windows of our cars with Dax’s info and provided neon posters to put out. It was extremely helpful and I was so touched she and her colleague came out to give us support, information, and help. To our disappointment, not one call came in that day about Dax.
Sunday, May 1, 2011 – We went out as usual to the last places she was seen earlier in the week and to make sure our signs were not yet pulled down or fix if they had fallen down/over. The day ended with not one phone call of a sighting on Sunday.
Monday, May 2, 2011 – Brandon headed out after getting a call at 10:30am from a woman who saw our Craigslist post. She said she saw Dax Sunday evening near 113th Place SE off of 116th Ave SE. Brandon rushed over there and ended up turning down the wrong street. While trying to find his way, Brandon spotted Dax!
How Brandon got Dax back: Brandon drove close to where Dax was walking but she saw his car and trotted faster the direction she was headed**. Brandon stopped, got out with the zip lock bag of dry dog food I had given him and threw the entire bag halfway between him and Dax. She stopped, turned around and looked at him. Brandon crouched down (a calming signal) so that he was no longer standing and began acting like he was foraging for food (by using his hands to fiddle with the food), not looking at Dax. Moments later when Dax got close enough to Brandon, she sniffed him. He knew she’d recognized him when she licked the back of his neck! Brandon was then able to grab Dax by the collar and head home. Brandon said Dax howled excitedly the entire drive home!
(**Note from Kat: Many skittish dogs that have been chased by so many people on foot and even in cars can sense when someone is following them so they speed up! You’re better off to drive 5 to 7 houses up ahead of the dog so you’ll have time to stop your car, calmly climb out, and sit or kneel with food and focus on moving the food with your fingers while ignoring the dog. It is critical that you LOOK AT THE FOOD, NOT AT THE DOG! Actually, you can watch your dog out of the corner of your eye but your dog will only calm down if he senses that you’re more interested in foraging for food on the ground than in staring at him or walking towards him or calling his name. This is the same advice that we gave to Brandon and Marisa).
 Dax, Home Where She Belongs! The Dax case is the perfect example of the highly effective recovery technique of strategically placed giant, neon REWARD LOST DOG posters, the active posting of LOST RED & WHITE HUSKY Ad’s on Craig’s List, and ”Calming Signals. Every person, even one of Dax’s own family members, who called Dax simply caused her to bolt in a panic. Thankfully, three MPP volunteers (Chris the dispatcher, Jim Branson, and myself) all explained lost dog calming signals so that the moment that Brandon finally DID see Dax, he knew exactly what to do. Sadly, many animal shelters and humane socities give out improper lost pet recovery advice like, ”Call your pet’s name loudly and often.” Calling a displaced lost cat or a xenophobic lost dog (like Dax) is not only pointless, it can actually make matters worse! Please share this pet detective blog with your local shelter and ask them to refer dog and cat owners to Missing Pet Partnership’s web site.
|
|
