"The biggest thing people do when their dog goes missing is to chase them or drive around and yell for them, but this doesn't work," said Donna Flyte Barney of Hound Hunters. "The problem is dog owners often use the dog's name when they're in trouble. If a dog runs off, it already know it's in trouble, so yelling their name probably won't work."

Instead Barney suggests to search calmly and immediately for the dog and follow up with good fliers or leaflets."In Bailey's case a lot of people from the Jim Thorpe area called in, then handed out the fliers and leaflets," she said. "Posting fliers in visible areas is very important."Barney warns against posting a reward on the notices right away."People will go out and try and catch the dog or chase it. It doesn't matter how fast you run, you can't catch a dog."Barney advises owners, "The best thing you can do is get your dog microchipped. It's also important to keep licensing information updated. It's responsible ownership and so important for the dog. A lot of people don't realize when they are microchipped it's just a number given to the dog. It's up to the owner to update the information."Another good rule of thumb is to learn state laws regarding pet ownership."In Pennsylvania dogs are considered personal property. Just because you find one doesn't mean you can take possession of the animal."Specific information to share when helping an owner find their furry companion are the details, location, time and date, area landmarks and what the dog was doing at the time it was observed.