*Anytime a pet owner and pet experience a stressful situation it isn’t good. My heart breaks for those that have lost their animals. I’m sharing this post as a gentle reminder how to best prepared when exploring nature with your dog. What would you do if you lost your dog hiking?*
While Hiking
in the mountains of Southern Utah, I will admit I hadn’t consider what I would do if I lost my dogs. Enjoying nature is something we do regularly. As we walked along the trail, large deer got uncomfortably close. The deer approached from behind, paused ever so slightly and gave us the “what are you doing in our neighborhood?” look and continued on. My oldest dog, Louie stopped and stared in disbelief. The youngest dog, Cozy took off lickety-split chasing these magnificent animals. For fear that I would lose my dogs, my heart stopped and I panicked.
The mountains of Southern Utah
are bare and isolated, that is to say, I was alone. No cell service, no one around to ask for help. What would I do if I lost my dog? I walked to my car, put Louie safely inside and started after Cozy. For a moment I could see her little white body across the field, and then ever so quickly she was out of my sight. Under these circumstances, I could only follow her direction. The tension and anxiety were intense. A little dog, “a city dog” nonetheless wouldn’t do so well overnight in the mountains. My concern escalated quickly as I realized she could easily be another animal’s snack. With tears streaming down my face, and my heart pounding, I puked hard.
My thoughts needed to be redirected,
I would never find her while in a panicked state of mind. I had never lost a dog before. I started walking again. Somehow, I remembered a dog training lesson, if a dog is lost call the dogs name like you’re playing a game. A dog that hears it’s name will come quicker if he thinks it is fun. I started to call “Cozy Pozy” which is how I call her at home. After 30 minutes of calling her she came into view, out of breath and wanting a drink. I tearfully picked her up and felt comforted being reunited. Without a doubt, we were both very happy to see each other.
Here’s what I learned from this experience.
Expect the unexpected.
Don’t panic.
Use a leash made for hiking.
Always keep a dog tag on your dog. My dogs are chipped, but a tag is a quick way to locate a missing dog’s family.
Obedience training is important.
