Years ago, missing pets were not even on the con artists radar but all that changed with increased reach of the Internet and social media. It is now common for grief stricken pet owners to receive, emails, texts and calls from scammers as well as the inexperienced amateur offering fraudulent or ineffective services.
With regards to tracking dogs and K9 handlers, it is crucial to ascertain if the individual you are considering hiring is a certified professional or an inexperienced hobbyist hoping to be able to help or an outright swindler hoping to make a buck.
Below are questions to ask and things to consider before hiring anyone offering their services or help with a missing pet.
Scams, Con-Artists & Ethics
Before You Hire Anyone... Ask Questions!
All tracking dogs and K9 Handlers are NOT Created Equal.
Make sure you hire the best TEAM based on the needs of your missing pet's situation.
A K9 Handler's greatest tools are her trained dogs and her ability to understand what they are telling her. There is no better tool to confirm that a sighting was in fact your cat or to alert that your dog has been picked up in a car than what can be provided by a professionally trained and certified tracking dog.
If you are considering hiring a tracking dog team, please understand that not all K9 Handlers or Tracking dogs are equal or even similar. We will go on further to say that the training of tracking and scent dogs varies from professional and effective to downright ridiculous. Many pet detectives, MAR technicians, search and rescue handlers and other dog experts are not necessarily capable of performing a search and investigation for a missing pet as their training has not been effective for the work they mean to undertake.
Be very careful when interviewing candidates or you may end up being very discouraged as have others who have hired inexperienced K9 handlers to help in their search only to find out that the handler and dog had limited experience both in the art of tracking and at working a missing pet crisis.
The following are concerns and situations to be aware of.
The Search Dog Online Scam
Be aware of Internet scams that claim a pet detective or search dog handler will come look for your pet. They ask you to pay on line without talking to anyone. This is a scam.
DO NOT Wire money to a Bank Account or CASH APP
People who do this work professionally will have some legitimate way in which you can pay for services. Most professionals will be able to take credit and debit cards, PayPal or Venmo. There is usually a good reason that someone cannot take at least one of these methods. Also DO NOT send money to an account that does not belong to the individual stating they are a pet detective or have tracking dogs.
Amateurs Certified through Online Classes or Webinars
Beware of organizations that offer certified Pet Detectives trained online or in a webinar. This type of work cannot be learned and experienced through online classes. Individuals interested in doing this type of work must receive hands-on training and mentoring by legitimate professionals versed in all the aspects of tracking and case work. This simply cannot be done in an online class, reading of a book or video training.
What are your credentials, background and history?
It is important to know how the prospective K9 handler got into this field. Are they from search and rescue? Law enforcement as a K9 handler? The professional you need will have at least two years in this industry and/or is being mentored by a veteran professional. They should have learned their handling skills from a recognized professional or trainer. Certification and effectiveness in this field cannot be achieved by reading a book, taking online classes, webinars or video learning.
Check their background... the most common con today... I was in law enforcement.
Today it is not uncommon for the con-artist to entice a pet owner with amazing credentials. Usually this is a scam or at least stretching the truth with delusional thinking. You can always ask which agency as well as the city and state and then call them. There is at least one guy out there making law enforcement claims but if you call the agency, that is not the whole truth. see the next preventative...
Google their name... their full name
It is important when you Google or CHAT GPT a name to have the correct legal name. So if the individual goes by Bob his information may be under Robert. The same for Bill is William, Jim is James, etc. In at least one case, the individual uses several spellings for his last name. You might not be able to get full history but you might get red flags or an article about the person... or even a mug shot. You will also need to search with a city and state. example: San Jose, California or Gillette, Wyoming.
Are the tracking dogs on your team Scent Specific?
Anyone doing this work professionally will use scent specific tracking dogs. This mean the tracking dogs will follow the specific scent of your pet. You must ask if the K9 handler's working dogs are scent specific as there is an organization that promotes the use of non-scent specific dogs for missing cats. This is almost always a futile and ineffective search process so be aware of this. The K9 Handler and tracking dogs must move your search forward with valuable information or by finding your pet.
Do the K9s on your team have trained alerts?
It is required that the K9 Handler's K9 Team can check sightings and that the K9s on the team have a clear alert for "no scent." This is imperative for working missing pet cases.
Can I go with you on the search?
Be particularly cautious of anyone who does not want you to go with them on the search for your pet. If the individual asks you to stay at home and wait for their call, it is best to pass on this opportunity. There is no mystery or reason that a pet owner cannot view the investigative and/or search process. K9s that do this work have been exposed and proofed to work regardless the distraction. As professionals, we find that many times the pet owner provides valuable information that moves the search forward. If the pet detective says you cannot go... do not hire them.