Sammie’s Missing
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What It’s Like and What to Do When You Have A Missing Dog
First things first,
How your dog went missing
How your dog goes missing makes a big difference. Our dog is missing now because she was scared of what happened to us in our car and that she made a poo in the car when we were hit by a car.
Our story
Our dog Sammie went missing today July 16, 2017, between 12:30PM and 12:40PM CST, just two to three cars away from the corner of 178th Place and 94th Avenue in Tinley Park, Illinois. She is a rescue whose birthday and origin were unknown when we met her. We had just celebrated her birthday the day before. We picked the 20th of July, but rather than wait until the following Saturday on July 22nd, we decided it’s better sooner than later to give her a party. She is such a good girl, but also very cautious and innocent.
Our car was rear-ended, totaled really when we stopped in a slow and careful manner as we saw several cars queued up, so as to let another car make a left turn East onto 178th Place. We are going to get checked out because we do feel the ramifications of the collision now that the adrenal has faded and after hours of searching the 5 mile radius of the neighborhood for our dog Sammie.
Sammie was so scared when it happened that she jumped up into the front of the car onto my lap, I have the scratches from her claws to prove it. She wanted me to hold her. My husband got out of the car to do the proper thing and make sure to exchange information with the person who hit us. I was scared that the person or persons in the car behind us might not stop. I was scared that we’d be left with a huge bill to pay and unable to find the person who did this to us. Unfortunately Sammie found enough space to jump out the only window that was partly opened. I chased her down 94th, I saw all these cars stopping to let her cross so as not to hurt her. A car asked if I would like help and they said to hop in. We caught up with her over at the Country Inn Suites near the Interstate-80 and LaGrange Road. We caught up to her, she was going like 10-15 mph, and as my face was parallel to hers, myself in the car and she running along the grass, she turned and smiled. She didn’t stop.
Later, as I ran past the Country Inn & Suites I saw a man and his two daughters by theTexas Roadhouse Restaurant. It looked like they were near her since they were on their foot and not in a car. I was so scared and eager to get her back in my arms to hug that I ran out of the car of the gentleman who offered to help me chase her. We scanned the whole area of tall grass and what looked like corn stalks. I thought she might be hiding within the folds of stalks. Unfortunately she psyched us out and ran away. We had reached the other side of the grass and tall stalks, which was separated by a deep cavernous ditch. We saw Sammie run from within the thick of the grass and tall stalks towards the Country Inn & Suites. She had been hiding. Later I would find out from my husband that she had pooed a little the car from fear. We think maybe she was afraid that she was in trouble for making a poo. We would never hurt our baby Sammie, but being a rescue she has encountered some form of trauma that she will always remember and in the moment of this car collision her instincts told her “unsafe” and the fact that she pooed made her feel she “disappointed” us.
Social Media
After we drove around the five mile radius of where she was last seen and our home, I went to social media to post on local Facebook Groups, created advertising campaigns on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, made sure to call the police again to make sure they had all the information they needed about her, called PAWS of Tinley Park (local animal shelter where the police bring strays), listed her missing on the microchip site she is registered with, and listed her missing on Lost Dogs of Illinois.
- Make a graphic
- Have details ready
- List contact information
- Have a link to your pets microchip listing
- Target people in your area for effective use of your advertising budget
- Make flyers, post around your town (some will say no to them)
- Make outdoor signs
- Bring your dog’s favorite toy that makes a sound as you call their name
Keep Looking, Keep Reaching Out
We reached out to all our neighbors, we asked our friends to share about Sammie missing on social media, we made flyers and put them up in local public places, big outdoor signs we’ll get done by midday tomorrow, and tonight we are going out to drive again. At night it’s quieter both because people are most likely sleeping but also because there are less cars on the road, and your dog may be more likely to venture out from hiding. In the end, all you can do is hope and remain optimistic. Whatever will be will be, but you have to keep the faith and keep positive that everything will be ok. Plan for the worst, but do everything you can for the best. Never give up, because you never know. One day your dog might turn out years later. Never lose hope.
Update: Sammie Came Home!
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