Lost Pet Detection
818 442-2952
caninesearchdog@hotmail.com
I specialize in finding cats and small breed or toy dogs, although my team has been called out to locate ferrets, rabbits, tortoises, snakes and even monkeys!
Ellie Mae is the only Certified Trailing Dog in the State of California used to help locate missing pets. She has been responsible for helping to locate hundreds of lost pets.
Apache, my Jack Russell Terrier, and Glory my second Bloodhound, have proven crucial in
locating evidence and/or eye witnesses. They have also been responsible for numerous "finds."
However, the Search Dogs are ONE tool that can be used when a pet goes missing. They can be vital in the recovery of a pet, but sometimes other techniques used in combination with the Search Dogs are more effective.
Trailing dogs are utilized to establish a Direction of Travel. A DOT can be crucial in the recovery of a lost pet and can give you clues as to how your pet was traveling. More importantly, it can lead to evidence, eye witnesses and it will target the area in which to deploy resources - expanding out from there if needed. It is extremely effective.
My training has been with Bloodhound Coalition Members, volunteer Sheriff K9 handlers and California Rescue Dog Association/Area Search and Trailing Dog personnel. Kat Albrecht, a retired police officer and award winning Bloodhound handler is my mentor. I am a member of the National Search Dog Alliance and a former member of the NSDA Education Committee. I have been called out to find missing pets by Riverside Sheriff Department personnel, major pet outlets, celebrities, veterinarians, and a major motion picture television studio.
In February 2008, I was a Guest Speaker at the Western Veterinary Conference in Las Vegas where over 13,000 veterinarians and staff attended. I also spoke at the July 2009 American Veterinary Conference in Seattle regarding my work as a pet detective and bloodhound handler.
Ellie Mae has passed a difficult Certification test given by retired police officer, Kat Albrecht (www.missingpetpartnership.org).
Apache and me getting ready to search under a huge building for a lost cat. (Which was found alive!)
Credentials
.
Landa & Ellie Mae - The only Certified Trailing Bloodhound
in the State of California used to locate missing pets!
Landa & Apache
Jack Russell Terrier Evidence Search - Location Check Dog
Ellie Mae locating fur
and blood remains....
Landa & Glory
Trailing Dog - Working a lost dog case and finding evidence of a coyote impact site.
FOUND in target search area
2 days lost
Ebenezer, an Indoor-Only Xenophobic Himilayan went missing shortly after a move on 2/26/09. On 2/28/09, our team of Search Dogs targeted a search area and left the owner with search techniques.
Within one hour after our team left the scene, Ebenezer was FOUND ALIVE in the Target Search Area!!!! "Bumped" out of hiding by Search Dogs.
"Thank you guys so much...I was so worried...Ebenezer is still freaked out about the move, but home safe and sound...I just didn't know what to do and am so glad I called on your team."
tlatta@md7.com
San Diego, CA
FOUND in target search area
7 days lost
Saki, an Indoor-Only Cautious type cat escaped outside on 2/21/09. The owners had one possible lead in a week. On 2/28/09, the Search Dogs targeted a search area in a direction where the owners had not focused on.
Within 24 hours Saki was spotted and captured in the Target Search Area as specified by the Search Dogs. "Bumped" out of hiding by Search Dogs.
"We are both so grateful to you. We were not focusing on that area at all. Your dogs, tips and techniques were all right on!"
sheleej@yahoo.com
Ebenezer reunited with Tim!!!
SAKI
1. National Search Dog Alliance Member and former member of the NSDA Education Committee.
2. Extensive training with Kat Albercht, founder of Missing Pet Partnership. Kat is a retired police officer, award-winning Bloodhound handler and Search & Rescue Manager. She is also a published author of "The Lost Pet Chronicles" and "Dog Detectives, Finding Fido".
3. Coached by a Founder of the Bloodhound Coaltion. Also, extensive training with retired California Rescue Dog Association (CARDA) members and Bloodhound Coalition members - names given upon request.
4. Attended Advanced Trailing Dog Training seminar with Marcia Koenig, Director of many National Search Dog Disaster Groups.
5. Guest speaker at the 80th annual Western Veterinary Conference in Las Vegas, NV 2008 where over 13,000 veterinarians, technicians and students attended.
6. Beginning Animal Movement / Tracking training seminar with published author, Jim Lowery.
7. Shown in Kat Albrecht’s book "Dog Detectives, Finding Fido..”
8. Seen on major TV news channels, including news in Palm Springs, San Diego, Ventura County, Los Angeles, Orange County & Riverside.
9. Many magazine articles written on me and Ellie Mae featuring my work as a Pet Detective, including Animal Wellness and Southwest Airline Magazine.
10. Seen in newspapers such as San Diego Union Tribune, Ventura County Star, Foothill Sentinel & the Whittier Tribune.
11. FRONT PAGE of the Los Angeles Daily News - October 20, 2008.
12. Four and one-half years actively working lost pet cases in the field.
13. Published Co-author of “Pick of the Pack” - NSDA 2008.
14. Called out on cases by Riverside County Sheriff Department, Pet Smart, CBS Studios and major celebrities.
15. Featured on Animal Planet “DOGS 101" in November 2008.
16. Guest speaker at the American Veterinary Medical Association convention - July 2009 in Seattle, WA
17. Featured in ALL ANIMALS, May/June 2009 issue.
18. Filmed for segment on www.petstv.com in 2009
19. Two page story in "Your Cats Magazine", November 2009 issue. View online at www.yourcat.co.uk
20. One of the main feature stories in www.valleylifemagazine.com April/May 2010
21. June 2010 www.petage.com - Interviewed for article on "Dealing with Animal Escapes from your Grooming and Boarding Facility".
22. June 2010 www.voiceofthevillage.org "Local Pet Detective Helps Locate the Lost"
Volume 1, Issue 8, Page 16...view online
FOUND just beyond the target search area
10 DAYS LOST
DISPLACED FROM A MOVE
Kai, an indoor only cat that had just moved with his family has slipped outside on 5/18/09. There were no calls, sightings or leads in 5 days. I was called in with the Search Dogs on 5/23/09. The dogs all led to a similar area in a field two blocks away which backed up to the 118 freeway. A plan of action was given to the owners. The owners followed my plan and three days later on 5/28/09, he was sighted just beyond the target area. Kai had gotten about 1/2 mile from his home.
"Kai was found last night! My girlfriend is very very happy. Thank you SO MUCH...we were losing hope. He was in the exact direction your dogs led, but further away...it seems he may have crossed the 118 freeway or a very major street to end up where he did...unbelieveable."
david.saldena.1@gmail.com
Simi Valley, CA
Kai, an orange tabby
indoor only
displaced cat
Lost 10 days
SHADOW
Shadow FOUND
August 8, 2009
Outdoor Access Cat
Lost 5 days
Bloodhounds have WALK UP FIND
on fur remains- FORENSIC TEST CONFIRMED MATCH.....interesting to note that even though Shadow was an all black cat, parts of the fur found were tipped in white.
Thanks again for everything, Landa. This job must be tough for you, having to give unhappy news to distraught pet owners. I know you help recover many lost pets, but the stories that don't end so happily must be hard on you, as well as the pet owners themselves. Thank you for taking the time to come and help my family with our tragedy. I could kick myself a thousand times for allowing Shadow to be an outdoor cat, and not having any clue how high the dangers were, what with predators and coyotes around here, but I just didn't know. My family had to learn the hard way, and Shadow paid a very steep price
jennifer.word@yahoo.com
Oak Park, CA
Calliou FOUND
October 27, 2009
Lost 5 days
Indoor Only Cat
Bloodhounds have a WALK UP FIND
on matching fur remains
Hollywood Hills, CA
Thank you for the closure, we had a service for Calliou on Sunday.
mckeanwest@yahoo.com
Calliou on hearth
Search Dogs brought in on day 11
Annabelle was humanely trapped in the target search area on the 14th day!!
From: meghop@charter.net
Date: Sun, 1 Nov 2009 08:14:30 -0800
Landa I can't believe it - we got Annabelle back this morning! 14 days missing!!
She was waiting for us in the backyard trap, the one on our side of the wall where you had us place it after working your dogs. I had to do a double take when I saw her because I was half asleep and her fur had darkened from being outside I think.
I can't begin to thank you for all your help and support - we never would have caught her without you and your dogs - we were trapping in the wrong places and wouldn't have known how to do the flyers or develop leads on where she was seen. You are a sweet person that truly cares about your clients and their pets, and that's your greatest asset.
Santa Barbara, CA
Some 2010 '''FINDS"
New Years Day FIND!!!
This darling little yorkie mix went missing on 12/30/09. There were no leads or sightings. I was called out on New Years morning. Ellie Mae and Glory established a correct and crucial direction of travel leading to the recovery of Paisley the same day!!!!
"Landa: How does one even put words to an experience that transcends what language provides us? Simply put: without your help we never would have seen Paisley again. Tonight, our family enjoyed a wonderful night together as any family would and we're thankful for our time together....impossible without your fierce help and focused search. From the bottom of our hearts (and paws)...thank you"
derek@lather.com
Pasadena, CA
Paisley
Lilly lost 1/11/10 Indoor only cat
No sightings or clues as to her whereabouts!
Search Dogs brought in on 1/15/10 - the fourth day lost. A very specific search area was targeted, and resources were deployed.
The next morning; Lilly was found in the target area and is home safe and sound!
This is a case where I believe the Search Dogs "bumped" the cat out of hiding.
"Thank you so very much....".
drhillebrand1@yahoo.com
Burbank,CA
Lilly safe at home!!
PUMA
PUMA lost 1/20/10 during a thunderstorm
Outdoor access cat
No sightings or leads
Search Dogs brought in on 1/24/10 and targeted a nearby search area...The next morning, Puma came home!
This is a case where I believe the owners walked the scent trail and Puma followed them home.
"We are so excited and thankful that Puma is home..thank you for all your advice and work"
tricky365@aol.com
Long Beach, CA
ANNABELLE
I find that 90% of the people who are searching for their lost pets are utilizing incorrect resources and/or have "tunnel vision" as to what happened to their pet.
Owner behavior can greatly effect whether the pet is found !
PLEASE NOTE: I AM NOT A LICENSED PRIVATE INVESTIGATOR. IF YOU REQUIRE THIS SERVICE, BEST TO RESEARCH ONLINE OR IN THE PHONE BOOK.
Lily, lost on 2/15/10 when her paw accidentally hit the "down" button on the window and she jumped out on Pacific Coast Highway! There were sightings the first couple of hours, but then nothing for 4 days. We were called out to help organize a search effort on 2/18/10. It took us 8 hours to get a "confirmed" sighting which led to the capture of Lily the next morning!
Hi Landa..... Today is a healing day for all of us. Lily is the least affected by this. She only had one tiny nightmare last night but she heard my voice and it went away. Her paw pads are very worn down but don't seem to hurt her now that she's on grass and carpet.
I'm following up on thank you's to phone sightings that came in due to your hard work. I've already referred you to Westside and to one specific dog who took off last night. Thanks to you we learn and pass it on. Thank you for your steadiness and good spirits and big thanks to that gorgeous doggie of yours. I've never been that close to a Bloodhound before. Sounds silly but it's true. What a wonderful, spiritual dog. I want to do something very special for you. Lily sends her love. Wish you could have seen her.
References from this client given upon request.
MALIBU, CA
LILY
PISTOL
My boyfriend and I adopted my cat, Pistol, exactly one month before my father passed away. It was an extremely dark time in our lives, but Pistol gave us a sense of peace that nothing else could. When she disappeared on the morning of Feb. 27, 2010, we were terrified. We checked all over our condominium complex but could not find her anywhere. This was extremely unsettling because she never strayed away from the community courtyard and always came home when we called for her. We didn’t know what to do. Early the next morning we made calls to every animal hospital and shelter in our county, we made posters, we went door-to-door and asked all our neighbors if they had seen her, and we posted ads in our local newspaper. By the end of the day, we had no leads and we were tired and emotionally spent. We feared the worst.
I found Landa's service online, and after our first telephone conversation, I already felt more empowered. She gave me all the information I needed to begin a large scale campaign to find my cat. On the morning of the third day, Landa arrived at my house after a two hour drive. Her presence alone was incredibly reassuring. It was clear she knew what she was doing. I no longer felt helpless. Within the first fifteen minutes of her arrival, Landa got me started on a giant Lost Cat banner and before I knew it, her lovely dogs were on the trail. After a few hours, Landa brought us along to retrace her steps. She informed us that all three of her dogs indicated that Pistol traveled into the next apartment complex and headed past the fence lining the 101 freeway. The dogs even found some of Pistols fur on the fence. I was horrified! I didn’t want to believe that my cat had crossed the freeway, but I trusted the dogs. My boyfriend and I prayed that she either made it across or was still hiding in the brush nearby. After debriefing us, Landa headed back to Los Angeles. On her way out, she found a deceased tabby cat in the middle of the freeway and bravely ran out into the lanes and brought it back so we could identify it. It wasn’t Pistol, but we were still shaken. The odds of a cat making it across the freeway safely were extremely poor. Even so, I followed Landa’s instructions and posted signs around the perimeter she created for us. As soon as I arrived home, I received a call. The caller claimed Pistol had been hanging out in his backyard for two days and he and his neighbors had been feeding her. We rushed over.
It was Pistol! She had indeed crossed the 101 freeway exactly where Landa said she had and traveled in a straight line until she found her rescuers down the road!!!!! I was completely amazed! Landa and her team were spot on! I can honestly say that if I had not called Lost Pet Detection, I would never have known to place signs across the freeway, and I never would have found my beloved cat. Landa’s service is invaluable. When you hire Landa, you don’t just hire her search dogs, you hire the entire package. She not only found my cat, she educated me on how to prevent her escape ever again. She knows what does and does not work when finding lost pets. She is worth every single penny and much, much more! Everyone in my complex was flabbergasted when I told them the pet detective found my cat. Landa is now a celebrity in my neighborhood! If I were missing, she is the person I would want looking for me!
srosestevens@yahoo.com
Santa Barbara, CA
Me and Ellie Mae filming with Animal Planet
DUCKIE
Early morning on Monday 3/15/10, my indoor only cat, Duckie, slipped outside through a door I had accidentally left open. I realized within an hour that she was gone, and my husband and I frantically began searching our yard and neighboring yards, and calling for her. I was terrified- she had never gotten out in LA, she is declawed, and she wasn't wearing a collar. We spent all day making flyers and walking around looking for her. My husband found Lost Pet Detection through a google search, and I contacted Landa that afternoon. I received a phone consultation, which included the Lost Cat Manual, and learned some techniques that I would not have thought of otherwise. Landa was great about calming my fears, and it really helped to have some concrete things I could do to try to get Duckie back, instead of just fretting and hoping that she would come back on her own. Landa came out on Friday with her dogs after Duckie had been missing for 4 days.
The dogs found Duckie's scent trail and were able to pinpoint four buildings where she most likely was hiding. That evening, my husband and I set up a humane trap in that area. Right after we set up the trap, I walked through the area to point out to my husband some places the dogs had indicated Duckie had been. Right away, we saw Duckie in the bushes near one of the locations the search dogs had indicated. She darted into a crawl space and within 10 minutes we managed to coax her out. I know that Landa and her dogs were key to getting Duckie back. It seemed like the dogs had likely "bumped" Duckie out of her hiding spot, and we were able to find her just by going to the area the dogs had indicated. I am so glad I didn't wait to call Landa, because I think I would still be searching for my cat. She helped immensely- cutting down on the time and stress it took to get Duckie home.
mklott@gmail.com
Hollywood, CA
Hoochie
FOUND DAY OF SEARCH!!!
LOST 7 DAYS
Hoochie lost 4/7/10...there were two sightings the first couple of hours she went missing and then nothing . I was called in on the 7th day. Ellie Mae and my jack russell terrier, Apache, ran a trail a few blocks to a busy local SMOG station where the scent trail ended.
A plan was immediately put into action. Within TWO hours Hoochie was home!
I am so thankful to you and your team....As you know, I couldn't eat or sleep all week..and was doubtful that I would ever see Hoochie again. You really gave me hope and I know you did a lot of extra work for me...rose90815@charter.net
Long Beach, CA
INDOOR ONLY CAT - LOST 5 DAYS WHEN THE BLOODHOUNDS WERE BROUGHT OUT. CAMPARI WAS
FOUND THE NEXT EVENING EXACTLY WHERE THE SEARCH DOGS HAD PIN POINTED...THIS WAS A VERY BUSY RESIDENTIAL AREA AT THE BEACH WHERE HUNDREDS OF DOGS WERE BEING WALKED.........
Mon 5/10/10 11:56 PM
Landa: I FOUND CAMPARI TONIGHT! She was in the bushes outside of the parking garage--right where your dogs indicated! She actually ran into the garage and I had to call her to come out. She is OK--very dirty but OK:)
THANK YOU SO MUCH! If you ever need a testimonial, Id be happy to help. andreacannistraci@mac.com HERMOSA BEACH, CA
Campari
CHEETAH
6/23/10 Outdoor Access Cat - LOST SEVEN DAYS
FOUND DECEASED DAY OF SEARCH
WALK UP FIND by team of Search Dogs - This was a very residential neighborhood. It took 3 1/2 hrs. with 5 search dogs and 2 handlers to find remains.
"Although I was hoping for a different outcome, I had a feeling that it was bad news. Thank you girls so much for the closure you brought my family."
kevin.l.rice@jpl.nasa.gov
Rancho Cucamonga
Booney.
6/17/10 Outdoor Access Cat - Lost Eight Days
Search dogs located fur remains day of search - forensics showed fur was 'CONSISTENT' with known fur
"It was really nice meeting you both and your truly amazing dogs. Though the news was awful, it wasn't unexpected with his sudden disappearance. Coyotes. No one around here considers them an issue anymore, but obviously things have changed. I'll definitely be speaking to my neighbors to warn them.
I did go to the flagged area this afternoon where your dogs found the fur, and was able to follow bits of fur down to the fence, where the coyote must have jumped over. There was one big tuft on the other side of the chain link that appears obviously Siamese--dark tips, lighter at the base, I'm sure it's Boon. The color on this last sample is just like him.
I'm sorry you didn't get to meet him. He was such a lovely boy. We are so going to miss him. He will also be the last cat we ever own who is allowed free access outside."
ilandr@earthlink.net CAMARILLO, CA
