Lost & Found Wheatens

Found Wheaten Terriers…

If you believe that you have found a Wheaten Terrier please contact one of our Rescue team members immediately from the Wheaten Rescue groups. We will help you confirm it is a Wheaten and find the owner of the dog. If the owner cannot be found we will foster the dog until the search can be completed.

Check for a microchip!

AKC Reunite Microchip Information
Microchips are great for tamper-proof permanent identification, but nothing replaces a collar with up-to-date identification tags. If your Wheaten is wearing a collar with tags when it’s found, it can be a quick process to read the tag and contact you – if the information on the tags is up-to-date. If a pet is not wearing a collar and tags, or if the collar is lost or removed, then the presence of a microchip might be the only way your dogs owner can be found. Anyone can take a found dog to any vet or shelter to be scanned free of charge.

Lost Wheaten Terriers – What To Do…

We are sorry to hear that your Wheaten is missing. The first 24-48 hours are the most critical, and the effort you put in during this critical time will dramatically increase the likelihood that you will recover your pet safely. However, searches can go on much longer than this time period. Your ongoing, sustained, and proactive involvement is critical to success.

Feel free to call our rescue team or one of the rescue groups in your area for assistance or moral support.

Even if your Wheaten was lost in an unfamiliar area, approximately 80% of lost pets are found within 1 mile of where they went missing (even if this location is hundreds of miles from their home). Using that probability, we will concentrate on this area first. But note that 20% of lost pets travel further – sometimes much further – so you may have to increase your search radius.

The strategy also may be a bit different if your dog is young/healthy, or old/sick/medically compromised, and if your dog is confident/social or shy/skittish. This guide will lead you through the critical steps to take to bring your lost pet home as quickly as possible. We suggest you print out a copy and keep it with you as you go about your lost pet search steps.

Create a Flyer

Flyers can be posted at schools, community mailboxes, bulletin boards, traffic signs, and other locations where people walk or drive by. We suggest placing them in sheet protectors to protect the signs somewhat from inclement weather. Be sure to include the following:

• Good quality photo of your pet, PREFERABLY one with your pet in a standing or walking position is best.
• Detailed description of pet – e.g., 4-year old Wheaten, neutered male, not wearing a collar or ID.
• Address where he/she went missing from or closest cross streets.
• Was your Wheaten wearing a collar and ID tag? Are they microchipped?
• Circumstances of how he was lost.
• What is his normal temperament?
• If he is accustomed to the area, how often has he gone on walks? Does he have a standard route?
• Is your dog healthy or are there any medical issues?
• Critical! Don’t forget your contact information – include multiple options, phone, email, text.

Lost Pet Action Plan

If you can do this safely and there are no other pets or small children to worry about, prop open all yard gates, and even front doors, so that the lost pup can choose to easily return to the yard and home if he so chooses.

‍STOP doing laundry and cleaning your yard; you will want to preserve all “scent material” which may become very important in the search. This includes not scooping your yard and not laundering your pet’s bedding, or even some items of your family’s laundry. Scent is the most powerful sense to an animal, and these scent items can be used strategically

Search your home and yard. Are you sure your Wheaten isn’t just hiding? Nervous pets can hide in shockingly small areas when frightened. Do a thorough search and don’t forget to look behind dressers, in closets, in and around shrubs, etc.

Set up food and water, a feeding station, in your yard. If your Wheaten is hiding close by, this food and water can draw him back. Refresh the food at least once a day, preferably twice.

Place scent items, such as waste from your dog or items of clothing from a person with whom your dog is bonded, near the feeding station or in the front yard.

Animal Shelters

Have someone contact and preferably visit the shelters as many times as possible in case your Wheaten is found.

Tell everyone! Mail Carrier, Groomers, Vets, & Pet Food Stores

Contact your mail carrier, groomer, your Veterinarian, and your usual pet food store. Reach out to all groomers & vets within 10-15 miles. Check back regularly.

Search

Assemble your helpers! Notify all responsible adults, even teens, in your family – recruit close friends or neighbors to assist in the search. This is not the time to be shy – don’t hesitate to ask for help. If you live close to a school check there, contact crossing guards and give you phone number to the office employee.

Conduct a search on foot or by car. Package up some smelly snacks (not kibble or dry dog treats – make it good!) in a zip lock bag, and take along your pet’s favorite squeaky toy. Begin walking or driving your neighborhood SLOWLY, looking closely in other yards.

Do not have a multitude of people calling out the pet’s name: If 5 different people are calling “Baily!” in 5 different areas or on 5 different streets, the pet will have no idea which direction they are supposed to go. Also, calling a pet’s name, clapping or whistling can also trigger a panicked “Oh no – they’re looking for me!” flight response in a pet and can be counterproductive. We recommend that only an owner with whom the pet is bonded should call the pet’s name. Others in the search party should merely search and, when the animal is spotted, notify the owner of the exact location.

Microchipped?

If your pet is microchipped, notify your microchip company and report him missing! Your veterinarian or the shelter or rescue group from whom you adopted your pet should be able to tell you the name of the microchip company they use, their phone number, and your pet’s microchip number if you can’t find it.

If your pet is located, the first priority is to keep the pet calm and do nothing that could drive him into a roadway or other dangerous area. The owner should proceed quickly to the scene with a favorite toy, treats, and a slip leash (or carrier, in the case of a cat). Once on scene, we recommend that the owner sit down, slightly angled away from the pet. The owner should begin talking softly just so the pet can hear their voice and identify them as familiar. Whenever possible, allow the pet to approach the owner. Try not to make any rapid movement or gestures.

Online and Social Media Sites

Not a big computer user? Not on social media? That’s OK – recruit a family member, child, grandchild, friend, or neighbor to handle this part of the work. Don’t skip it! Many people communicate about lost and found pets on these sites; don’t miss this opportunity to communicate about or search for your lost pet! Use Facebook, WhatsApp, Craigslist, Nextdoor, Pawboost, and …

Contact Us

Feel free to contact the National Wheaten Rescue Chair at rescue@nationalwheatenrescueinc.org or one of the rescue groups in your area for assistance or moral support.