A Good Tip is a Good Tip, Even One Coming From 5,800 Miles Away, Especially if it Helps Find a Lost Pet

Rancho Coastal Humane Society (RCHS) friend and supporter Suzanne Temple recently contacted us on Facebook from her home in Osaka, Japan. She saw a post about how rescuers finally found a dog that had been lost in the woods.

The post described that a dog went missing and the pet parent was advised to leave out an article of clothing at the place where the dog was last seen. Sure enough, the next morning, the dog was found sitting on its owner’s coat. The scent coaxed the dog home.

We found plenty of similar “scent” stories around RCHS.

One staff member says that, when he goes away overnight, he leaves something he’s worn recently in his dog’s bed. His dog curls up in the bed, surrounded by his daddy’s “aroma.” (Actually….it was a smelly shirt that had been used for running. But, for the dog, that made it even better!)

A Cattery volunteer told us that, when there’s lightning or fireworks or something else that frightens her cat, she can almost always find her cat in the closet in a laundry basket. Not sitting on top of the laundry, but burrowed under the shirts, pants, and towels that have her mommy’s smell and give the cat comfort.

Let’s take it a step further. Many of us are preparing to go back to an office or job site after working from home this past year. Your bath towel or shirt could provide comfort for your pet while it adjusts to your new, “old schedule.” 

If your kids have been home-schooling since last March, imagine the confusion for your pets when they go back to class. Anything from a pair of pajamas to some “ripe” socks can comfort a pet.

Our pets give us so much and ask for so little. Use your scent to keep them comfortable during times of fear or confusion!

And while you’re at it… make sure your pet has a Microchip ID that will help anyone who finds it, find you.

Thank you, Suzanne! Domo arigato gozaimasu!