TIMBERLAND ANIMAL CLINIC

17641 SE STARK

DR. MERLE F. MARKS
 
 

HAS ANYONE SEEN MY PET?
 
 

One of the most stomach wrenching feelings that anyone can experience is the realization that

your basic home confined pet has disappeared. I am sure it has probably happened to everyone

at some time or another. If not, consider yourself lucky. As a matter of fact, it happened to me

last month. Let me give you some history.

Approximately 5 years ago when I was practicing in North Portland, an elderly lady came into

my clinic with a very unkept, scrawny tan cat. She proceeded to tell me that this stray cat wouldn't leave her house.

As the neighborhood cats continued to beat up on the fellow, she

decided she would feed him but she lived by herself and really didn't want the responsibility of a

pet. He was the friendliest cat I had ever seen; we cleaned his wounds, pronounced him healthy

and she decided she would keep him. Not knowing what she would call him as he was a freeloader,

I suggested Freddy (this should ring a bell for all you Red Skelton fans). The lady's last name was

Brown, thus he became Freddy Brown. I already had all the pets I could handle but did tell her that

if some some day she could no longer keep Freddy, she could count on me to take him. Well, I saw

Freddy a couple times a year for checkups and such but, you guessed it--last year Mrs. Brown told

me that Freddy was so affectionate, he was always under foot and lately because of her age, was

falling over him frequently.

Freddy fit in extremely well, but doesn't understand how the world works. He will follow anyone

for miles just to be petted, thinks of all stray barking dogs as something to make friends

with and automobiles are just petting people with 4 wheels; real naive about the world.

For months, when we let him out for short periods, he never left the driveway. Then we turned

our backs one night and Freddy was nowhere to be found. So here's what we did and what

I recommend everyone should try upon missing an animal.
 

1)--NEVER let your pet outside without an ID tag stating name, owner, address and phone

number. Freddy had his on.

2)--Retrace normal activity routes and places they like to hangout.

3)--Talk to EVERY person you see; mailmen, joggers, kids on bikes and every neighbor

within a one block radius in every direction ASAP. Let them know a description and where you

live.

4)--NEVER assume that a certain person wouldn't have seen your pet because anyone may

give you the clue that reunites you and your pet.

5)--TIME is crucial. Do not wait till after lunch to look for your pet if it is missing at

breakfast. Animals can travel long distances is a short period of time. Wasted time is wasted clues.

6)--If missing for more than 24 hours, contact Multnomah County Animal Control on a daily

basis to see if they've turned up there. Also contact Oregon Humane Society, check lost and

found in the paper, place an ad yourself in the paper and call all local veterinary clinics to see if

they have been injured and brought in.

7)--Finally--DON'T GIVE UP! Many lost pets show up some how after many days or even

weeks after being lost.
 

As for Freddy--here's what happened. Freddy saw the next door neighbor working on his van

so he went next door to help. After helping, Freddy decided he could turn the corner and help

the neighbor 2 doors down repair his lawnmower. After repairing the lawnmower, he saw a yard

party 3 doors down on the other side of the street that he was sure he could be the life of.

All of this we were able to track because everyone said the same thing--"Oh, yeah, we saw that Freddy

Brown last night. He was here for a while and then he went that way." All because he had a

name tag on! Freddy was gone for 20 hours and was brought back to us by a neighbor around the

block whom I had talked to earlier the previous day. He turned up their front door and when

they opened the door to see who was crying, Freddy walked right in their house. Not hurt--just tired.