Posts of lost and wandering animals frequently appear on social media pages. One enthusiastic resident is working with rescue groups to try to end the problem by scanning microchips and putting up signage. Maranda Wyatt spends most of her days fielding calls from Lee County residents whose lost animals need microchip scans. She makes house calls and sometimes has her come over. Her goal is to reunite these animals with their owners. This is a team effort. Her group, Chasin Tail in SWFL Unleashed, works with local rescue teams to locate, scan and retrieve animals. “The sound of this world is literally the sound of a trapdoor slamming shut,” Wyatt said. And if they don't have it, she tells the finder their options. One of her main methods is to call Lee County Livestock Services or your local rescue. She also works with the county or rescue to find better homes for these dogs, like Trinity Hansen, who has a big heart for large dogs. “One of the dogs she found, we just recently adopted a dog named Snickers,'' Hansen said. “She had been abandoned at a chocolate lab, but Maranda was able to track her down a few weeks later. Hansen said the community needs passionate people like Wyatt. .'' She spends 20 to 40 to 60 hours a week at the camp. Wyatt and her team go around setting up plastic signs with few words on them to help animal owners find their lost four-legged friends. She told ABC7 that the fewer words written, the better. And don't use small paper signs. Wyatt has been doing this for 10 years this month. “We have to custom-make something for five out of 10 dogs, and we have to have custom-made door traps, devices, and even remote controls,” says Wyatt and her team. They use many tools, including drones, to find lost pets. “They look in hard-to-reach places to see if they can find the animal that way. But here's the one Within a year, she said something was different.''I had a scan and would like to see how this dog went missing.''It seems like the owner abandoned the dog.'' We have a lot of dogs. We don't need any more dogs,” Wyatt said. This is the reason why someone would give up their pet. “The housing crisis is forcing people to move, and owners and real estate agents are also not accepting pets,” she said. “This is what happens. It's a tremendous struggle for people who don't fully understand the promise. 'Hey, you know you can't potty train it, so we're going to dump this dog on Lee Boulevard.' Hansen said. And she mentioned several residents she spoke to about why they were abandoning their pets. “We need to make more resources available, or people need to get out of the mindset that we can just stop doing things that are difficult. I mean, I've yet to see a toddler side with Lehi. The solution is Yes, Animal Services can microchip a dog for $10,” she said. Lee County Livestock Services hosts vaccine and microchip events about once a month, she said. They say if an animal is found, county ordinance requires the animal be turned over to the Lee County DAS within 24 hours so the owner can pick up the pet.
Posts of lost and wandering animals frequently appear on social media pages. One enthusiastic resident is working with rescue groups to put an end to the problem by scanning people for microchips and putting up signage.
Maranda Wyatt spends most of her days fielding calls from Lee County residents who need microchip scans on lost animals. She makes house calls and sometimes I have her come over. Her goal is to reunite these animals with their owners.
It's a team effort. Her group, Chasin Tail in SWFL Unleashed, works with local rescue teams to locate, scan and retrieve animals.
“When we catch them, when we find out they've been out for months and weeks, and we catch them. The best sound in the world is literally a trapdoor slamming. It’s like the sound of it closing,” Wyatt said.
Once in good hands, they scan the microchip. And if they don't have it, she tells the finder their options. One of her main methods is to call Lee County Livestock Services or your local rescue.
She, like Trinity Hansen, who has a big heart for big dogs, works with the county and rescues to find better homes for these dogs.
“We ended up adopting one of the dogs she found. We just recently adopted a dog, Snickers,” Hansen said. “She was an abandoned chocolate lab that Maranda was able to track down a few weeks later.”
Hansen said the community needs passionate people like Wyatt.
“She spends 20 to 40 to 60 hours a week camping out, stakeout, putting up signs, trying to get these animals to safety,” she said.
Wyatt and her team go around putting up plastic signs with few words on them to help animal owners find their lost four-legged friends. She told ABC7 that the fewer words written, the better. Also, avoid using small paper signs.
Wyatt has been doing this job for 10 years this month.
“We have to custom-make things for five out of 10 dogs, and we have to custom-make traps and devices and remotes to close doors,” she says.
Wyatt and her team use many tools, including drones, to find lost pets. They look in hard-to-reach places to see if they can find animals that way.
But within the past year, she said something was different.
“I like to know how this dog went missing, because I've scanned a lot of dogs whose owners had abandoned them or didn't want them anymore,” Wyatt said. said.
Why someone would give up their pet.
“The housing crisis is forcing people to move, but owners and real estate agents won't accept pets,” she says. “This is what happens.”
It's a tremendous struggle for those who don't fully understand commitment.
“Hey, you know it can't be potty trained, so we're going to dump this dog on Lee Boulevard,” Hansen said of several residents she spoke to about their reasons for abandoning their pets. “We need to make more resources available or people need to get out of the mindset that we can just stop doing things that are difficult. I mean, I haven't yet seen a toddler side with Lehigh.”
There is a solution.
“You can microchip a dog for $10 at a veterinary clinic,” she says.
Lee County Livestock Services said it hosts vaccination and microchipping events about once a month. They say if an animal is found, county ordinance requires the animal be turned over to the Lee County DAS within 24 hours so the owner can pick up the pet.
