When a beloved pet goes missing it’s devastating. I know, in the late 1980’s I lost my beloved dog and then in early 2000 I was away on business when I received the news my beloved indoor & outdoor cat never came home. Both times I had no idea what to do or where to find support to figure out what to do. All I knew at the time was to put up small 8 1/2 x 11 flyers at the local business and driving around the area looking for my lost pets.
I like many lost pet owners I gave up after a certain amount of time. I told myself my dog must have been picked up and is now in a new home. As for my cat because I lived in a wooden area I told myself she must have been eaten by a coyote. I didn’t know any better and wanted/needed closure.
In April 2008, Kat Albrecht with Missing Pet Partnership (MPP) brought her proven lost pet recovery techniques to Seattle (Federal Way) and began recruiting volunteers and offering her Missing Animal Response (MAR) training.
The MAR training includes;
· Training in the analysis of lost pet behaviors
· Instruction in how to creatively capture skittish dogs and skittish cats
· The use of search dogs to find lost pets
· Lost pet forensics
· Search theory
· Lost pet scenarios
· Hands-on rescue techniques
In April 2009 I became a Missing Pet Partnership (MPP) volunteer helping with fundraising, marketing, and booth events; sharing with the general public MPP’s lost pet recovery techniques that could and should be used when looking for a lost pet. In January 2010 to October 2012 I stepped into the role of Volunteer Coordinator. In January 2011 to October 2012 I took on the role of Dispatch Manager and have been involved in over 600 lost pet cases, performing more than 300 lost pet consultations. When I “physically” work lost pet cases I don’t use a search dog. My main tool for both lost dog and cat cases are the big Neon Posters.
In 2010 I became a Missing Animal Response Technician (MAR) and a Community Emergency Response Team Member (CERT). In 2011 I took the MAR course for a second time.
I know what actions should be taken when a beloved pet goes missing: Time is of the essence, having a plan of action, using tools and techniques that have been proven to work, and having someone to give you support and hope on those darkest days.
I offer phone consultations, e-mail consultations, lost pet poster design & placement, assistance with public awareness campaigns for your lost pet (intersection alerts & tagging cars), wildlife camera and trap rentals, and physical searches within a 30 mile radius of Des Moines WA with a few exceptions in the surrounding areas.
