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Women of Distinction

me, and I have made it my full-time As Babs explains, “Search and fight or flight, fly or die. It’s a very trolled setting with unpredictable
commitment.” hunt are synonymous terms, and black-and-white line. There are no variables. The fact of the matter is if
I asked Babs if there is a list of if you have a friendly, gregarious, gray areas. Because in their world, a dog feels that their life is in danger,
things to do when your dog goes happy-go-lucky dog, you wouldn’t gray areas or mistakes are deadly.” whether it be something they smell
missing. Her response was, “Call be calling me, and you would have As Babs mentioned If you in the wind, a sound that they hear,
me! There is no black-and-white your dog back, it either would’ve haven’t had your pet since birth, you something they see, or an energy
list I can provide because there stopped and come back or some- have no way to know what experi- that we don’t pick up on, that fight
are so many variables. When I body else would have found it. ences may cause this fight or flight or flight reaction could come on
know the circumstances, I can give reaction. It could be something like instantaneously.
the absolute method, but it varies a dirt bike that he has never seen The most important fact that I
based on many factors. You must before, or he witnessed a car acci- learned from Babs is that what you
remember that you are talking dent that triggered that life-or-death think you should do is probably
about dogs that are living thinking decision. Every dog is going to the least likely step to finding your
beings. Humans that are living, have an instinctual reaction at some dog. Like with people, every dog is
thinking beings, and both of whom point, and you cannot train instinct different, and the solution to recov-
have opposite instinctual reactions out of a dog. ering them is different as well. Babs
when a dog goes missing. The fact shares, “I can tell you what not to
of the matter is, it’s a recipe. When do. You don’t look for your dog. You
did it happen? Where did it happen? don’t rely solely on social media,
Why did it happen? How long has and most importantly, you have to
the dog been with you? The reason connect with somebody, be it me or
I insist on people connecting with another expert, at recovering pets
me is because, first, I have to get to get yourself dialed in with your
people on board with a different That’s a fact. And if searching for a recipe. You know, you wouldn’t just
way of thinking that aligns with dog dog was going to be productive, I dabble with chemistry to see how
behavior versus people’s panicked would tell people to do that. But a it turned out. You would consult a
behavior. Then the other piece of findable dog has already been found chemist.”
that is every dog is going to have dif- by somebody else. You’re wasting Babs adds that she is a trapper
ferent variables that are either going your time and you’re connecting by trade. That is one of her gifts
to be aversive or attractive and those with half a dozen people as you’re that has brought lost pets home to
are the things we have to navigate walking the neighborhood versus their loving families. I know from
so that we can negotiate what our hundreds or thousands managing Babs emphasized that this is having had a dog disappear that
next steps are going to be. Gener- a more effective campaign through the reason that she personally never there is no more joy than being re-
ally speaking, the very first thing social media and posters. The flip advocates for off-leash activities for united with a beloved pet that you
people need to do is stop searching. side of that is that something has your dog. What people don’t take feared you would never see again.
Searching is the worst thing people triggered flight in the dog. Their into account when doing so is that Thankfully, with Babs’s immense
can do.” absolute raw instinctual nature is you are operating in an uncon- knowledge and trapper skills, she
has brought tears of joy to the eyes
of many pet owners who have been
reunited with their missing family
members.
I asked Babs what was the lon-
gest period of time that a dog was
missing and then recovered. “There
was a dog spotted in the San Diego
County riverbed that had been
there for three and a half years,”
I asked if she had been working
with the owner for that amount of
time. “I actually worked with that
owner when the dog went missing.
I worked with him for a couple of
weeks. The dog went MIA, we had
no leads, nothing that we could do,
but when I got a call from a ranger
about a dog that was incredibly
fearful and had been reported to

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