Answer
There are no statistics for this, but the average would be a day to a week for more for the possibilities of finding your pet. However, don't give up yet!
I had a male Min Pin that went missing for over a month. I was so heartbroken and one night when I was visiting with a friend a scratch came to my door and there he was all smelly and sassy. He had been running around with a pack of dogs! He was so smelly I immediately had to give him a bath. All I can think of is he had a taste of the wild side. LOL
Put up posters on lamp standards; in vet's office (they have a bulletin board); in some grocery stores (ask permission first); haunt the Animal Shelters and ASPCA. DON'T PHONE! Often Animal Shelters and the ASPCA are so busy they could well overlook your dog. Go every single day to check it out. Go to parks or trails you may have taken your dog to.
I have read stories where dogs have been missing for 6 months or more and make their way home. Sometimes people take the pet in as their own or to at least feed them. You dog may well be in Foster Care (people that take dogs in until they are adopted out.) One heart warming story was a family camping and their beloved dog (approx., 14 years old) went missing. The family hunted for the dog but eventually had to give up and go home. They did advertise and even managed to get it on TV (at the end of the news) and lo and behold a trucker had picked the dog up. Oh, this is not the rest of the story! A whole chain of truckers took turns giving that old dog a free ride, lots of good food, love and companionship until they could eventually get the last truck to take the dog home to the owners. It was splashed all over the news. It send shivers down one's back and sure put tears in my eyes!
Wait a few months before you decide to get another pet and keep your eyes open for your pet. See if a TV station will put a picture of your dog on the news (many TV news stations love to help with a little up beat news) and you may get lucky.
Good luck!
First answer by Marcy. Last edit by Marcy. Contributor trust: 3890 [recommend contributor]. Question popularity: 8 [recommend question]
