Georgia Lost Pet Help

GEORGIA LOST PET HELP

“Our indoor only family cat, Max, got loose during a snow day in Georgia. We were devastated and gutted and worried we would never see him again. Like everyone who is on this site looking for answers understands, they are so much more than pets, they truly are family. 

The first and second day were straight chaos. Searching, following leads, trying to make sense of where we should search and what we should prioritize to give us the best possible chance at a happy outcome. We had no confirmed sightings, only a possible sighting at a hospital a mile away, which seemed unlikely. It was dizzying to try and listen to all the noise and try to find a path. 

I wish we had Susan that first day. We did some things right, and some things very wrong. I got in touch with Susan on day 3 of Max being missing. She was calm, collected, and informative. After talking with Susan was the first time I felt like we had a plan and we were going to be successful. I felt peace. She knows it ALL. I felt so much confidence in her knowledge and her ability to truly thinks like a cat. She helped us cut out the noise and get a plan together. She made it a priority to get to us the day after we reached out. Even through rough road conditions and her car breaking down, she pushed to get to us and start the search. She brought Tracker and Willow. What the process looks like was thoroughly explained and I felt confident that this was going to help bring him home. 

It was amazing to watch the Search Dogs work and we found consistency in their tracking. Both dogs tracked to the same two houses (only 3 homes down from us). Susan had been insistent that he was most likely within a 3-4 house radius and most likely didn’t go far. We put the dogs up, did a grid search, and although we didn’t find him, I was still feeling confident at this point. 

Susan talked us through setting up feeding stations, where to put them up, how to set up cameras, and where to adjust the trap we had set outside our home. We had cameras and feeing stations out that night, adjusted our trap to the back of our home along the house, and we started praying he would show up on camera. 

My dad went out to the trap at 5am the next day and couldn’t believe it when he saw our Max in the trap. I truly don’t believe this would have been our outcome without Susan, her advice, and her dogs. We will never know for sure, but I believe Max was in the area of those homes when we searched with the dogs. He heard us, he knew we were looking, but he was still scared. He knew how to find his way home after we were out looking and he made his way during the quiet of the night. 

To simply say we are thankful would be an understatement. Day 1 and 2 were full of convincing ourselves to have hope. Day 3 was full of hesitant hope after talking with Susan. Day 4 with Susan fully involved, I was confidently hopeful that there was going to be a happy ending here. 

Even if you don’t have the funds for a full search with her dogs, having her tips will give you the best shot at bringing your beloved family member home. I cannot recommend Susan enough. She cares so much about the families she is helping and the pets she is working to bring home. Forever grateful for how she cares, how she shows up, and the work she does in this field!” 

Katherine and Max

Max - FOUND!

Georgia, Search Dogs Identified Target Search Area & Max Was Trapped! (K9 Handler Susan Long)