We are often asked if we can find a pet with the help of a sniffer dog. The answer is yes – BUT – no!

A well-trained team with a tracking dog could possibly find an animal. However, the success rate is almost zero because of the following variables.
First, you need a good, highly trained tracking dog that responds to a reference scent, which in this case would be that of your animal. It must perform well in all conditions and on all types of terrain (asphalt, forest, fields, residential areas, etc.) and this is not something that all dogs can do. Next, the amount of time since your animal disappeared is important. The longer the delay, the less scent there is, not to mention the weather conditions, which can be unfavourable to following a scent. As time goes by, the number of odours that contaminate the environment also increases.

Secondly, no company may act as a peace officer and unfortunately the fact that we are looking for a pet does not give us all of those rights. This means that we can’t just walk onto your neighbours’ properties as we please. We must legally have permission from each of them before we can continue to follow a trail on their land. So, imagine that your cat has crossed the properties of 10 neighbours in a residential area; it is impossible to stop the search to ask for permission, only to have to go and ask the next neighbour, and so on.

Thirdly, there are costs related to the salaries of the employees and to travelling to the location of the search. These are important because we may not be close to your home and the search could take several hours.

Therefore, we only offer the service in very rare cases and we do not generally suggest using this type of service, even though other companies offer it and promise a good success rate. Their interest seems to be more in making money from your pet’s disappearance than in ensuring that you have a real chance of finding your pet. There is no company that actually trains in order to find animals, it is just an additional service with which they can make money.

We are all very attached to our animals and we really understand you, but the efficiency rate of a search of this kind is almost nil. It is important to be careful when it comes to what you are offered with the use of a tracking dog. We suggest that you use social networks, contact your local animal rescue service and talk to your neighbours.

Good luck in your search!