Dognapping or runaway: A firsthand account of tracking mysteriously missing pups in the Waldo area

By Jeanne Beechwood

This is not an episode of Paw and Order. The Paw Patrol can’t solve this mystery…. yet. In fact, there is nothing but devastation when your beloved dog disappears without a trace. This reporter, also an avid dog lover, has experienced firsthand the tragedy of a stolen pup.

Her name was Roxie and she was a 10-year-old lemon beagle. I never found her despite looking for almost a year. A second dog was stolen from my front yard that same year. Buster was a Shih Tzu who needed a groom and the thief thought I didn’t take care of him. I had to hire an attorney, but I got Buster back. As of May 2024, the Dogster publication stated 10 million cats and dogs are stolen or lost annually in the United States.

One of these is Elvis, a red golden retriever from Waldo. Last month Elvis escaped and was picked up by a woman near West 77th Terrace who had found him before. He was returned to owner Dennis Williams, but after a second recent escape, the same woman gave the dog to someone in Belton. Williams says he is heartbroken; Elvis is all he has. 

In early June a small white poodle mix named Gorda took off to chase a squirrel on East 77th Terrace near Hickman Mills Dr. Owners Pilar and Sarahi Ortiz posted the dog’s photo on social media and offered a $1,000 reward, but to no avail. They say, however, that Gorda’s scent was picked up by a professional dog tracker in Waldo at 85th and Troost.

A third incident in Waldo happened at 85th and Holmes, where a gray and white miniature schnauzer named Blossom disappeared, possibly after a gate was left open. A second dog also ran out, but was returned. Owner Sandy Price says she has spent nearly $1,600 looking for Blossom, a rescue from someone who bred her eight times. Again, a reward has been offered and a dog tracker has been hired.

Has Waldo become a dognapping hot spot? And what is a professional dog tracker?

Karin Tarwyn goes by that title. She’s a real pet detective—a K9 handler and licensed private investigator with over 21 years of experience. Tarwyn says she has reunited thousands of dogs with their owners, and her work and techniques have been featured on CNN, PBS and other high profile media outlets. 

While home is in Nebraska, Tarwyn and her K9 team travel across the country working on cases. In mid-June she met with two of the Waldo dog owners who had been instructed to bring something with their missing dog’s smell, something only the dog had touched. This is called a scent article. 

Tarwyn began the search first for Blossom. Three of her tracking dogs smelled the scent article, including two who were air tracker and the other, a ground tracker. Unfortunately, Blossom’s scent was not found. Next was Gorda’s scent and the tracker dogs’ noses lit up. All three smelled Gorda. After crossing the street, however, the scent came to an end in some bushes. But at least it was a clue. 

Here’s what to do if your own dog goes missing. Put food and water outside immediately where the pet was last seen and monitor it. Put out smelly clothes including a bed sheet to catch the wind and spread the scent. Crack a window. Now the real work begins. 

Post a missing dog notice on Pawboost, Nextdoor, Ring.com, Lost My Doggie, KC Pet Rescue, Kansas City Pet Finder and Facebook. Blossom’s owner even bought Facebook ads for increased visibility. Pass out flyers to at least eight houses in each direction. Alert vet offices and nearby animal shelters, and check the shelters every day. Any posters you put up should be big, laminated, and show a photo of the dog. Tell your mail carrier, too, and check with KC Dog Trappers, a group of helpful volunteers.

Proactive advice from Tarwyn is to print your dog’s collar with the word REWARD plus your phone number. Make your own 100 percent-verifiable scent article by lightly rubbing gauze squares on your pet’s belly and groin area for 15 seconds. Put the gauze in a double bag and use a pen (no markers) to label it. Store in a cool, dry place and it should remain viable for two years.

Microchipping is recommended, but some studies say only 60 percent of chipped dogs are registered. Still, microchipped pets are three times more likely to be reunited with their owners, and you can ask any vet’s office to check for a chip.

If you find a stray unchipped dog, you are supposed to post at least three flyers in public places like parks, grocery stores or community bulletin boards. As the finder, you’re also required to send a copy of this flyer to the county clerk’s office, which gives the owner a chance to come forward and reunite with their dog.

It takes a village to find a lost pet. Tarwyn says 95 percent of lost pets are returned because somebody said something or saw something. Erin Morse who runs the Midwest Animal ResQ in Raytown agrees. In September 2022, three American Bullies were stolen from her rescue. One was found deceased and two had been given away. Morse recommends not to assume all stray dogs have bad owners. 

“Just because a dog has long toenails or long fur waiting to be groomed, don’t keep the dog thinking the owner didn’t take care of it,” she says. She sees hundreds and hundreds of strays come through her rescue that may have been passed from home to home. 

Any dog can go missing at any time. These days do not let your dog be outside alone, keep your dog on a leash when walking, get your dog microchipped and have a collar with a good phone number on the tags. Be diligent. Dogs are family. And every animal deserves to be in their furever home.

UPDATE: Gorda was found June 28th in a wooded area near his home. This story first appeared in the June 20 issue of The Telegraph.

If you want to hire Tarwyn to help you her phone number is 888-569-5775. If you see Elvis please go to pawboost and research 70369071 under the name Elvis. If you see Gorda please call 641-455-7814.  And if you see Blossom please call 602-317-4546. You can also go to any vet to get the found animal scanned for a chip and their owner information will come up. Be the voice for the animal if you see anything.