{"id":3484,"date":"2013-09-13T03:59:10","date_gmt":"2013-09-13T03:59:10","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.gypsydogops.com\/?p=3484"},"modified":"2014-06-17T02:26:39","modified_gmt":"2014-06-17T02:26:39","slug":"after-almost-a-month-of-being-lost-vern-is-back-home","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.gypsydogops.com\/?p=3484","title":{"rendered":"After almost a month of being lost, Vern is back home."},"content":{"rendered":"<p>After almost a month of being lost, Vern is back home. His owners had just moved into the neighborhood when Vern the kitty bolted out the door. And from the dramatic beginnings of that great escape, Vern became a neighborhood celebrity of sorts.<\/p>\n<p>What\u2019s a cat doing on a dog blog? Vern\u2019s story is about knowing what to do when you lose your pet. \u00a0I have seen lost pets come and go over my years in the neighborhood, but very few people have worked as hard as Cayce to get their pet back. She did everything right and she was rewarded for all her hard work.<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.gypsydogops.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/09\/VernsFBPot.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-3494 alignleft\" style=\"border: 5px solid white;\" src=\"http:\/\/www.gypsydogops.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/09\/VernsFBPot-300x201.jpg\" alt=\"VernsFBPot\" width=\"300\" height=\"201\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.gypsydogops.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/09\/VernsFBPot-300x201.jpg 300w, http:\/\/www.gypsydogops.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/09\/VernsFBPot.jpg 864w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a>First, Cayce posted on neighborhood websites. This in turn had the neighbors all looking out for her kitty.\u00a0 Finding Vern was no small task. Looking for a\u00a0 black and white tuxedo kitty in\u00a0THIS neighborhood is like saying meet me at the taco stand and then saying it\u2019s on Davis. \u00a0Asking if anyone has seen a new cat in the neighborhood cat colony is like asking did the sun come up today?<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_3490\" style=\"width: 310px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.gypsydogops.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/09\/Clancy.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3490\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-3490 \" style=\"border: 5px solid white;\" src=\"http:\/\/www.gypsydogops.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/09\/Clancy-300x275.jpg\" alt=\"Clancy\" width=\"300\" height=\"275\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.gypsydogops.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/09\/Clancy-300x275.jpg 300w, http:\/\/www.gypsydogops.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/09\/Clancy.jpg 444w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-3490\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Kitty that was found and rescued around the time Vern was lost. It&#8217;s not Vern, it&#8217;s Clancy!<\/p><\/div>\n<p>I\u2019m going to start a post called, \u201cneighborhood black and white tuxedo cats that look like Vern, but are not Vern. \u00a0After many false identifications, Vern was finally verified and found.<\/p>\n<p>\u201dIf your kitty was lost, would you know what to do? Would you know how to look for them? Looking for a kitty is a very different process than <a title=\"How to find a lost dog\" href=\"http:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/Find-a-Lost-Dog\" target=\"_blank\">looking for a lost dog<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Kitties are often found close by hiding in the bushes.\u00a0\u00a0When cats find themselves in unfamiliar places (for an inside kitty, this would be outside) they usually become scared and hide.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>The longer the cat is gone, the further away it may be. This was the case for Vern. Statistics show most owners don&#8217;t start looking for their cat for several days. It&#8217;s important to get the word out immediately. Here are a few tips on how to get the word out about your lost cat:<\/p>\n<p><strong>Notify neighbors, the local shelter, neighborhood associations and website<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Post a picture online<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<ul>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.petharbor.com\/\">http:\/\/www.petharbor.com\/<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.petfinder.org\/\" target=\"_blank\">http:\/\/www.petfinder.org\/<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.lostandfound.com\/\" target=\"_blank\">http:\/\/www.lostandfound.com\/<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.missingpet.net\/\" target=\"_blank\">http:\/\/www.missingpet.net\/<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.fidooakcliff.org\/lost-found\/\">http:\/\/www.fidooakcliff.org\/lost-found\/<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/ul>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Post fliers at local vets and at the local shelters<\/strong><br \/>\nShelters usually have a place to post pictures of lost and found dogs on a physical bulletin board at the shelter as well as online<\/p>\n<p><strong>Distribute fliers in your neighborhood<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<ul>\n<ul>\n<li><b>Make sure to put a big picture and contact info<\/b>\n<ul>\n<li>There are tons of templates online<\/li>\n<li><b>(If your pet is found \u2013 please retrieve all your signs)<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/ul>\n<\/ul>\n<div id=\"attachment_3487\" style=\"width: 247px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.gypsydogops.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/09\/photo-13.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3487\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-3487   \" style=\"border: 5px solid white;\" src=\"http:\/\/www.gypsydogops.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/09\/photo-13-237x300.jpg\" alt=\"photo (13)\" width=\"237\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.gypsydogops.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/09\/photo-13-237x300.jpg 237w, http:\/\/www.gypsydogops.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/09\/photo-13-812x1024.jpg 812w, http:\/\/www.gypsydogops.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/09\/photo-13.jpg 1377w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 237px) 100vw, 237px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-3487\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Cayce\u2019s poster was laminated with packing tape and ready to withstand the elements. After a month, the sign was in good condition and still legible and in place on the telephone pole on Tyler Street.<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Time is of the essence for many reason. Get started right away! For more information on what to do when you lose or find a cat, visit these links:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<ul>\n<ul>\n<ul>\n<li>What to do when you lose your cat, or <a title=\"Find a lost cat\" href=\"http:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/Find-a-Lost-Cat\" target=\"_blank\">how to find a lost cat<\/a><\/li>\n<li>Here&#8217;s a great link for <a title=\"What do to when you find a lost cat\" href=\"http:\/\/www.syvhumane.org\/foundcat.htm\" target=\"_blank\">What to do if you find a cat<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/ul>\n<\/ul>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">Vern\u2019s return was in no small part to all the posters that were put around the neighborhood, \u00a0the pics of him posted on facebook, and to the caring hearts that make up our neighborhood. Another very smart thing that Cayce did was chip Vern. If Vern did not find his way home, eventually, Vern probably would have been trapped by one of the neighbors and put in a Trap, Neuter, and Release program. Once at the vet, the vet would have found his chip and he would have been returned to his owners. <a title=\"Home Again link\" href=\"http:\/\/public.homeagain.com\/\" target=\"_blank\">MicroCHIP <\/a>your pets and advocate for <a title=\"Local Trap, Neuter, and Release\" href=\"http:\/\/www.dallasanimalservices.org\/trap_neuter_return.html\" target=\"_blank\">TNR programs<\/a> \u2013 the process has a high potential to reunite a kitty with their owner!<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.gypsydogops.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/09\/CayceVern_e.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-3488 alignleft\" style=\"border: 5px solid white;\" src=\"http:\/\/www.gypsydogops.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/09\/CayceVern_e-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"CayceVern_e\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.gypsydogops.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/09\/CayceVern_e-225x300.jpg 225w, http:\/\/www.gypsydogops.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/09\/CayceVern_e.jpg 720w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 225px) 100vw, 225px\" \/><\/a>We did not need to TNR Vern, as Vern\u2019s story ended with neighbors helping Cayce finding Vern. We were all crying our eyes out when the news got out and the pictures of Cayce hugging Vern circulated. As one of the neighbors so aptly put it: \u201cHappy ending. Welcome to Winnetka Heights <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/cayce.smith.16\" target=\"_blank\" data-reactid=\".r[2r4dd].[1][4][1]{comment10151823187876480_10151823432936480}.[0].{right}.[0].{left}.[0].[0].[0][2].[0].[1]\" data-hovercard=\"\/ajax\/hovercard\/hovercard.php?id=100004261753426&amp;extragetparams=%7B%22hc_location%22%3A%22ufi%22%7D\">Cayce Smith<\/a>. This is our &#8220;hood&#8221;.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>After almost a month of being lost, Vern is back home. His owners had just moved into the neighborhood when Vern the kitty bolted out the door. And from the dramatic beginnings of that great escape, Vern became a neighborhood celebrity of sorts. What\u2019s a cat doing on a dog blog? Vern\u2019s story is about knowing what to do when you lose your pet. \u00a0I have seen lost pets come and go over my years in the neighborhood, but very few people have worked as hard as Cayce to get their pet back. She did everything right and she was rewarded for all her hard work. First, Cayce posted on neighborhood websites. This in turn had the neighbors all looking out for her kitty.\u00a0 Finding Vern was no small task. Looking for a\u00a0 black and white tuxedo kitty in\u00a0THIS neighborhood is like saying meet me at the taco stand and then saying it\u2019s on Davis. \u00a0Asking if anyone has seen a new cat in the neighborhood cat colony is like asking did the sun come up today? I\u2019m going to start a post called, \u201cneighborhood black and white tuxedo cats that look like Vern, but are not Vern. \u00a0After many false identifications, Vern was finally verified and found. \u201dIf your kitty was lost, would you know what to do? Would you know how to look for them? Looking for a kitty is a very different process than looking for a lost dog. Kitties are often found close by hiding in the bushes.\u00a0\u00a0When cats find themselves in unfamiliar places (for an inside kitty, this would be outside) they usually become scared and hide. &nbsp; The longer the cat is gone, the further away it may be. This was the case for Vern. Statistics show most owners don&#8217;t start looking for their cat for several days. It&#8217;s important to get the word out immediately. Here are a few tips on how to get the word out about your lost cat: Notify neighbors, the local shelter, neighborhood associations and website Post a picture online http:\/\/www.petharbor.com\/ http:\/\/www.petfinder.org\/ http:\/\/www.lostandfound.com\/ http:\/\/www.missingpet.net\/ http:\/\/www.fidooakcliff.org\/lost-found\/ Post fliers at local vets and at the local shelters Shelters usually have a place to post pictures of lost and found dogs on a physical bulletin board at the shelter as well as online Distribute fliers in your neighborhood Make sure to put a big picture and contact info There are tons of templates online (If your pet is found \u2013 please retrieve all your signs) Time is of the essence for many reason. Get started right away! For more information on what to do when you lose or find a cat, visit these links: What to do when you lose your cat, or how to find a lost cat Here&#8217;s a great link for What to do if you find a cat &nbsp; Vern\u2019s return was in no small part to all the posters that were put around the neighborhood, \u00a0the pics of him posted on facebook, and to the caring hearts that make up our neighborhood. Another very smart thing that Cayce did was chip Vern. If Vern did not find his way home, eventually, Vern probably would have been trapped by one of the neighbors and put in a Trap, Neuter, and Release program. Once at the vet, the vet would have found his chip and he would have been returned to his owners. MicroCHIP your pets and advocate for TNR programs \u2013 the process has a high potential to reunite a kitty with their owner! We did not need to TNR Vern, as Vern\u2019s story ended with neighbors helping Cayce finding Vern. We were all crying our eyes out when the news got out and the pictures of Cayce hugging Vern circulated. As one of the neighbors so aptly put it: \u201cHappy ending. Welcome to Winnetka Heights Cayce Smith. This is our &#8220;hood&#8221;. &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":3488,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[25,10],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3484","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-success-stories","category-this-that"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"http:\/\/www.gypsydogops.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/09\/CayceVern_e.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.gypsydogops.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3484","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.gypsydogops.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.gypsydogops.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.gypsydogops.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.gypsydogops.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3484"}],"version-history":[{"count":35,"href":"http:\/\/www.gypsydogops.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3484\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5231,"href":"http:\/\/www.gypsydogops.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3484\/revisions\/5231"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.gypsydogops.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/3488"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.gypsydogops.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3484"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.gypsydogops.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3484"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.gypsydogops.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3484"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}