Oh no! Did Rover escape? We are sure he didn't just run away because you are such a excellent care giver! So, what do you do now? Here are a few tips on ways to give Rover a voice us dumb humans can understand besides "ruff, ruff":

• First things first - report his loss to the police, to animal control, and your local shelter. This is very important because you are much more likely to get back a dog that has been reported to these three places.

•Canvas your neighborhood enlisting the help of friends and neighbors. With the help of people who know you and know Rover you can cover more ground and save time by not having to explain all those particular details of what makes Rover look like he does. Plus, since these people probably know your hound, they will also know his interests and what parts of town might appeal to his peculiarities.

•Call your local post office to let them know the "little heathen" is on the loose! Not only will this protect your mailman, but they will also be on the look out for him.

•If anyone DOES spot Spot, make sure to tell them NOT to chase him. Dogs love nothing more than a good game of wild goose chase. He will see this as play time rather than "my people are at home having heart attacks because they miss me so desperately" time. If your little furball likes car rides, use that to your advantage. A escaped dog is much more likely to hop into the car with a cheerfully said, "Let's go for a ride!" If, however, you are on foot when you see your Houdini, offer him his favorite goodie or call his name and run in the opposite direction from him TOWARDS home. Use a little doggie psychology on him! Get him to chase you! Dogs view this as a totally different game. It's fun to try to catch the human, but it's bad for the human to try to catch the doggie.

Should none of the above bring success in bringing your wayward pooch home, then here are a few more options you can try:

•Have a bunch of brightly colored flyers made up and post them where ever allowed. Offer a reward. Include a picture of your pet. Try to find a picture that doesn't clearly show one of your pets descriptive markings. You can use that to your advantage when you start getting calls to cash in on that reward to make sure it's really Rover! Also, while you are waiting for the calls to start coming in, try to think of an uncommonly used word to which your pet would respond. This is something that you could have the caller say to your pet to confirm his identity.

•Take copies of your flyer to the police, animal control, your local shelter, all vet offices in your area, and to any schools in a 15 - 20 mile radius. Granted, kids aren't outside as much as they used to be but I'm betting your pooch still enjoys a short person a whole bunch! Odds are if your Rover sees one of these mini-humans, he'd be more likely to go hang out with them for a hour or so before going on his way to check out more good locations to sniff.

•You can also place an ad in a widely distributed newspaper in your area.