Karin Goin & her tracking dog team of Pet Detectives, inc.

The roaming dog at large is one of the toughest scenarios I encounter in my profession. The dog is usually wandering or traveling a large area and may not respond to the calls and efforts of his anxious owner. Many times he or she is frightened and lost in an area other than his known home territory. Dogs that have went missing while traveling with their owners or who are being cared for by some one other than their beloved owner, are the most likely candidates for this type of missing scenario.

Unfortunately many of these pets began operating on instinct fairly early in their missing situation. Adrenaline kicks in and continues to keep firing as they are fleeing; soon after all turns to survival. This situation is difficult because the dog may not respond to its domestic training and familiar companions. Many revert to a more feral instinct- hiding and possibly coming out only at night or staying on the road and traveling great distances. Smaller dogs in this situation can find themselves facing a more desperate situation with food and water as they are small and cannot maintain their storage resource like a larger dog.

I have worked diligently on the process of locating and ultimately the capture of these elusive canines. Through research, study and a lot of trial and error; we have come up with a systematic approach that involves behavior modification, high tech equipment, K9 tracking teams and surveillance for their recovery.

We are the noted experts at these investigations and recoveries. If you feel your dog maybe in this situation, please call as soon as possible and we can discuss your individual case. This situation is an emergency; the longer the dog is out the more difficult it can be to get her to respond to attraction and capture methods.

Please take the time to read the stories below. They are classic examples of realistic roaming dog scenarios. If you believe your dog maybe experiencing this situation, I urge you to call soon. The case review is free... and Time is of the essence.

A happy ending for a second chance dog...

She came to Wild Dog Rescue after living most of her life on a two foot chain fastened to a metal dog house. For most of her six years she lived this life through rain, snow, sleet and heat. Kismet and a chance meeting brought her to the attention of Wild Dog Rescue in Saugatuck, Michigan.

She was beyond shy and aloof to the point of xenophobia, extreme fright of everything including humans. Gradually the frightened dog allowed the Rescue Director, Lani, a small friendship. For two months she spent her life getting used to life with a human household as she recuperated from heart worm treatments.

In preparation for her spaying she was brought to a local vet where she slipped her collar as kennel staff led her outside the fenced enclosure; Scarlet was gone within seconds. The rescue and Harbor Humane Society joined together for a grueling three weeks of searching and attempts to capture the elusive canine.

Karin coached and suggested tasks and techniques the professional specialists use to recover shy, roaming dogs. After three grueling weeks and many sleepless nights, rescue director, Lani Mossey, requested an on location search to locate and capture Scarlet.

Dodger located the scent trail of the fleeing dog within minutes and strategic decisions were made as to how to proceed. After only three days, Scarlet was attracted in, conditioned to the capture methods and finally recovered as she accepted one of the capture apparatus.

Scarlet’s story is a classic case of professionals and volunteers working together for a successful homecoming. The diligent Michigan volunteers are to be commended for their consistency, compassion and loyalty to this second chance dog.

Havanese on the RUN!!!

In the best situations, sometimes accidents happen.

His family went on vacation and Yogi went on an expedition. While being boarded at a veterinary facility, the wily Havanese made a break for it and wiggled under a tiny spot in the fence. Within seconds the vet staff was in pursuit but the fleeing dog raced through traffic and disappeared.

The Veterinarians and their staff acted quickly, notifying the owners and creating public awareness immediately. After five days, Karin & the K9 tea .came to the attention of the group and a call for immediate help was put in.

Within two hours of the P.I.'s arrival, the furry dog was located down on the river. Based on behavior profile and situation, Karin made quick decisions as to how to best to capture him. All personnel, staff, pet detectives and tracking dogs were pulled back and his owner was sent to the shores of the river to call him quietly with a prearranged song. Within 45 seconds Yogi appeared through the brush and briars and crawled into his grateful owners lap. This is a surprising recovery as most dogs go into a survival mode and resist their owner’s attempts at capture. Karin’s experience with dogs in this situation and his owner’s belief in what Karin told her to do, had Yogi home within hours.

Also to note: quick thinking on the part of the wonderful staff at Carmel California Holistic Veterinary brought this frightening story to a happy ending. They acted quickly and consistently never giving up their search efforts.

A little dog's courage... A pet owner's FAITH...

Yoshi’s story is unique in many ways. Above all it brings to light the realistic outcomes that can be experienced in this situation. As skilled Private Investigators, we are not wizards with wands just humans with compassion, skills and awesome K9 partners.

The storm that hit Springfield in spring of 2007 blew down trees, electrical lines and the gate to the Howell’s back yard where two much loved canine family members were frightened and spooked into the woods.

The treasured pooches were discovered missing within hours and Shadow, the larger of the two canines, was found the next day. But the Howells knew their feisty six pound Pomeranian, Yoshi, was in a perilous situation. As they struggled to control their panic and grief, the Howells searched for methods and suggestions to help them find the cherished pup.

After days of coaching by phone, the Howells asked Karin to bring in the dog team. From the beginning it did not look good for the little dog. Cade sprang into action immediately following the little dogs scent trail straight into the woods. Upon entering the heavily wooded forests, the trail went to the river that was now running swiftly due to the recent storms. Dodger alerted with a decomp or blood alert. Something had been injured or killed along the trail and spirits sank. The dogs tracked Yoshi's scent until the trail ended.

It appeared that Yoshi had met with a fox, (scat from a fox had been discovered along the trail the dogs were following), and most likely had not survived. But there was a chance that he was still alive as no physical evidence had been found. Also the river was higher than when Yoshi went missing and the tracking dogs could not cross to the other side. The decision was made to leave the posters up and keep Yoshi in the forefront of the public’s awareness.

It was a crucial decision. Two days later a jogger called to say she thought she had seen a small fluffy dog under a bridge in the area where Cade and Dodger had tracked. Although the Howells were doubtful, Ken decided it was worth a look.

As he arrived at the bridge he noticed the water was much lower but he did not see a dog. He decided to wade into the river and approach the bridge from the riverside. As he waded up the river, a small puff of fur barked at him. He recognized his small friend and tried to approach but the injured dog backed up into an opening under the bridge and eluded capture. After some wrangling and corralling, Ken was able to get to Yoshi, grab him and hang on. He quickly gathered up the dog and headed to the vet.

The vet found that Yoshi had in fact been attacked by a predator and had injured his back. He was treated, shaved due to tick infestation and released. He was back being silly Yoshi within a month.

Yoshi's Case Study:

Our goal is to help pet owners resolve their missing pet situation. Sometimes, events are outside our control like predators and swift flowing rivers. I prefer pet owners realize this rather than believe we come in and always save the day.

Here’s what most likely happened: It is probable that Yoshi ran immediately into the woods. Once there he became confused and could not find his way back out. This is very common with many domestic dogs; Lassie finds home but many dogs do not. He wandered for a while, (roaming dog), and at some point was attacked by a small fox but his long fur made it difficult for the small predator to hang on and Yoshi got away. His neck was bruised and he received the back injury when the fox tried to roll him over. These are the typical injuries we find when an animal survives a coyote or fox attack. He could still walk and fend for himself and at some point he crossed the river which at the time was a dry river bottom.

When we arrived in Springfield eight days later, the storms had filled the river to it banks and the tracking dogs could not get across. Cade had tried to enter the water and was most likely indicating the need to cross but with the depth of the swift current I had not allowed him to stay in the water. He then attempted to follow Yoshi's trail from the other side of the river until the scent ran out and he was forced to give a no scent alert.

Yoshi is home today and is a healthy, happy Pom with a new respect for the woods. Ken and Rise Howell believe strongly in the premise:

Never Give Up if there is even a small chance… and so do I -Karin