While Rob, a British resident of Seoul, was away from home, his landlord paid an unannounced visit to his apartment on July 6, and his dog Luna escaped while the apartment door and front gate were left wide open.
The disappearance of the beloved beagle mix triggered a massive search in central Seoul’s Haebangchon, as well as neighboring areas where she could have fled to.
There are many things that one can try when searching for a lost dog. The first thing should be to spread the word, and get more people looking. Posts about Luna went up around social media, as well as on the neighborhood-based secondhand goods selling platform Daangn Market, also known as 토토 Karrot. One of Rob’s friends opened a Kakao group chat, and dozens of people — friends as well as strangers — joined so they could help with the search. Someone designed a bilingual poster, and volunteers helped Rob put them up around the neighborhood.
“That helped keep me busy when I was out of my mind,” said Rob, who said he felt helpless for the three and a half days that Luna was missing.
As well, during this critical time, there were other important steps to take.
It is useful to contact local veterinary clinics. When finding and catching a runaway dog, most people opt to bring the animal to the nearest veterinary clinic. The vet can scan for an RFID chip or may even know the dog as a patient. Since Luna ran away on the weekend, Rob had to wait until Monday to contact the local vets to see if she had been brought in.
One helper recommended Rob keep his front gate open so Luna could find her way home on her own. He also encouraged the same action from people who have had Luna stay over, as well as any former homes where Luna has lived previously.