Approaching your pet
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Approaching your pet may be a little tricky. We have the hope and idea that once our lost pet sees us that they will come charging toward us with as much excitement and happy to see you to, as we do. This is not always the case. Some pets seem to go into a more feral state of mind and are not easily approached and may even bolt when approached by their owner. Hence making it even harder to get them to come back around, and deflating everything you have worked toward to find where they are staying and keeping them in the area. Great care should be taken as you approach a fearful pet. It is very important to watch the body language of the pet and let what they are telling you guide your next step. Sometimes it is best just to sit down and be still, other times it might require that you even lay down.

Follow the steps below to achieve your goal.

1. Let the pet come to you if they will. If you sit and are patient enough this could eventually happen. If your pet is frightened, he/she must be allowed to decide whether or not to approach. The pet normally will have two choices, the “fight or flight” response; if you take away the opportunity for flight, your pet's choices are limited.
2.  Do not approach them in a straight line. Facing a pet directly is more confrontational than keeping your body turned partially or completely to the side; even turning your head to the side will make a frightened pet feel less anxious.
3. No staring. A direct stare is a threat in the animal kingdom. It is perfectly fine to look at your pet; just soften your expression and don’t “hard stare” directly into her eyes.
4. Don’t hover. Leaning over a pet can cause the pet to become afraid and possibly defensive. Make yourself smaller and even lower your body when approaching them.
5. Make slow movements. Reaching toward your pet can also sometimes be seen as threatening.  Likewise, a hand moving in quickly to grab for a dog’s collar is more potentially fear-inducing than a hand moving slowly to a dog’s chest, scratching it, then moving up to take hold of the collar.
6. Stoop. Small dogs in particular are often swooped down upon when people want to pick them up. Fast, direct, overhead movements are much more frightening than slow, indirect ones.
7. Watch your smile. While humans interpret a smile as friendly, a dog might not be as fond of seeing your pearly whites. A show of teeth is, after all, a threat in the animal kingdom.
8. Do not stalk your pet. You will be imitating a predator.
9. Speak to them in a non-threatening way. Do not yell, scream, or have a panicked sound to your voice. Although I know you will be excited once you see your pet, try and control your voice to sound like you would normally if you were calling them at home, if you are like me, just like you were having a normal conversation with them at home, and lick your lips and yawn. These are natural calming behaviors for animals.
   
   Action Step  - When you find your pet