• Contact local law enforcement agencies.
• Contact local humane societies and rescues.
• Put up posters with the dog’s picture in the area they were last seen, as well as near your home. 
• Contact your neighbors to alert them to keep an eye out for your pet.
• If you have an electric fence, be sure to turn it OFF.
• Contact local vet offices, schools, and other high-traffic community areas and see if they will let you put up posters.
• Post on Front Porch Forum (the neighborhood email newsletter) and on Facebook and share to Lost & Found Animals of Vermont. 

List your pet on Lost Pet USA at www.lostpetusa.net.

• Remain calm upon arriving at the location where the dog has been seen.
• Don’t slam the door to your vehicle.
• Don’t shout.
• Don’t rush toward the dog.
• Give the dog time to adjust to your presence.
• Start talking, using positive familiar phrases such as “want to go for a ride?” or “want a cookie?”
• Never approach a dog head on. Instead, turn, face sideways, and walk very slowly with arms close to your sides. The dog must accept every step you take, even if it takes you a half hour or longer to advance 100 feet.
• Never show your teeth if you smile– that’s the same as baring your teeth (growling) in canine language.
• Never stare at the dog– that is a challenge, and what a predator does before attacking.
• Avoid sudden body movements. Stop moving and sit down if the dog is going to bolt.
• Slowly lower yourself to the ground and assume a non-threatening position BELOW the dog’s eye level.
• Keep the dog’s attention focused on you by talking. Speak to it slowly, using soft and reassuring tones.
• Use only positive, happy phrases such as “what a good boy!” or “want a cookie?”
• Try to get closer by crawling. Let the dog’s body language be the guide as to how fast and far you go.
• Get within 40 feet or to a point where the dog will be able to see and smell the food you’re going to toss. Use high-value food treats, such as hot dogs, rotisserie chicken, or tuna fish, to attract the dog. 
• Whenever you move, do it slowly.
• To help ease the dog’s anxiety, make submissive gestures every few minutes, such as closing your eyes for a few seconds and bowing your head down and off to one side, or licking your lips.