Return 2 Home Lost Pet Resources

Return 2 Home Lost Pet Resources Melissa and Laura are certified in lost pet rescue through MARN (Missing Animal Resource Network).
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Melissa Felts and Laura Green are volunteers who help with lost pet situations, including humanely trapping, and/or advising the pet owners how to SAFELY get their pet home. They have an assortment of humane traps and cellular trail cameras that they use when trapping dogs and cats. Many of the lost pets can be brought safely home simply by their counseling the owners on what to do and what not to

do, based on the particular situation. If you would like assistance with your lost pet, please send a message. They will do their best to get back in touch with you within 24 hours. Your message should include your phone number, the address where the pet went missing from, a description of how the pet happened to go missing, the type of pet, it's age, and whether or not it is spayed/neutered.

06/15/2026

Maxine (formerly known as Phoenix) went missing 13 days ago. She was outside on the upstairs porch (they have a porch along the main level of the house as well as one above on the second story) with one of her human brothers and a doggie brother when a delivery truck came down their road. The dog brother barked, and Maxine got scared and pushed herself through the railing and jumped from the second story to the ground! What was even more nerve wracking was that she was spayed only 3 days prior!! Her owner contacted me right away, and I versed her on the do's and don'ts, as well as the importance of signs. They put up over 100 signs! Feeding stations were set at neighbors houses, as well as at her house, all in view of cameras. But, Maxine never showed up. Sightings began to come in. She was at a house 1/2 mile away for 1 night and 1 morning, so we set a camera and trap there. But she never returned to that house. After a few days, it was evident that she relocated nearly 3 miles (as the crow flies) from home in the opposite direction. People would see her, and she would run. She seemed to be going up and down Seays road (which is about 2 1/4 miles long) and not settling. We put a camera at the Himalayan Market and that night she showed up! So, the next day we set the trap. It's a Tomahawk Live Trap gravity trap, for those who are interested. She didn't show up that night or the next night. As we gathered more intel on where she was going, and we think we finally knew where she was staying, we made plans to put out a second trap tomorrow. But, then she showed up! It took her 21 minutes to build up enough confidence to go all of the way in the trap, but she finally stepped on the trip plate and was caught! She's now home getting a bath in Dawn dishwashing liquid as she is COVERED in ticks. She'll be going to the vet this week to get started on Doxycycline in the hopes of warding off Lyme disease. Her mom, Jessica, deserves an award for all of her hard work in putting up signs, releasing trapped cats, a raccoon, an opossum, and a skunk, and even a dog (who belonged to the house next to where the trap was set). Hopefully, we can all get a good night's sleep tonight!

06/13/2026

They are playing nicer than I would have expected…so far….

Animal control called about a Pyrenees that they were having difficulty capturing. They could get close, but as soon as...
06/08/2026

Animal control called about a Pyrenees that they were having difficulty capturing. They could get close, but as soon as he saw a leash, he ran. But, he'd been hanging out at the same house since noon. So, Laura and I headed over there with the 72" trap. I was less than 10 minutes away when Laura called to tell me that she had him. She walked right up to him, said "hi buddy!" and got the snappy snare over his head. Then, "Do you want to go for a ride?" and he jumped right into her truck! We love the easy ones! I hooked up with her and we scanned him for a chip (none) and then followed them to the Spotsylvania Animal Shelter where he will stay until his owner claims him (or he can be adopted after a 10 day stray hold).

06/07/2026

Oh, fun….*sigh*

05/28/2026

Todd is home after a 2 1/2 day adventure! Todd was one of the Ridglan beagles who was adopted 3 weeks ago. An elderly parent in the house made the mistake of holding the door open for her daughter to come in, and Todd saw the opportunity and bolted. Big, bright signs were put up throughout the neighborhood. One sighting 30 minutes after his escape said that he was at the far end of the street and headed into the woods. No more sightings until the next afternoon when he returned home but ran again when he saw a human. We put a trap and camera out, but nothing showed up. I added a camera at the far end of the driveway, and put out a pile of food. At 10:30 p.m. he showed up and ate, along with a couple of foxes. But, he never made it to the backyard where the Tomahawk Live Trap was set. So, the next morning I put a Tomahawk Gravity Trap (the door is easier to set and doesn't bounce -- I love it, BUT, because of how it's made you can't bungee it open when needed) at the end of the driveway. Then, the rain came through. Finally, at 10:45 last night, he showed up! He circled the trap, then went in halfway, then came out, circled again, and finally went all of the way in. He was safe! Concerned about his limp and swollen leg, the owner took him to the Cladda Emergency Clinic and found that he was bitten by a snake. After fluids and pain meds he went home and will probably sleep most of the day (and I bet the owner wishes that she could do the same!) Welcome home, Todd! (He's, once again, wearing a collar and tracker -- any bets as to how long it will last? He's chewed through all he's had in the 3 weeks he's had a home....)

Once again, the Tomahawk Live Trap gravity trap for the win in the game against a cat! Fatz is part of a colony (althou...
05/26/2026

Once again, the Tomahawk Live Trap gravity trap for the win in the game against a cat! Fatz is part of a colony (although he's not a full-timer) where we did some TNR a couple of years ago (we "discovered" it when we were helping someone with their lost cat). We could never trap him. He was not interested in food if it was in a trap. Well, fast forward to mid-April of this year and the colony feeder contacted us because he had a HORRIBLE wound on his neck! We left a trap with her, but she could not get him, and he was very inconsistent with his schedule. But, it happens to be within a couple of blocks of a lost dog case that we are dealing with, and we have cameras and feeding stations out. Well, guess who started showing up? Fatz!! I started keeping track of when he would come, and he frequently showed up between 8 and 8:30 a.m. So, this morning, Laura left her house before 7 and headed over there with the small dog trap (it's several inches longer, taller and wider than a cat trap). Laura was able to watch "live" with our Spartan GoLive camera, and within 45 minutes he was trapped!! We dropped him off at the Virginia Kincheloe Spay / Neuter Clinic to be neutered, vaccinated, ear tipped, and given an antibiotic shot. And they can give a quick assessment to let us know if he needs to go to a regular vet clinic for treatment. Way to go, Laura!!


05/25/2026

Woo Hoo!!! 2 at once! And the last 2 that I needed to trap!!! I'm using a small dog trap with a remote control attached so that I could shut the door when the cat(s) I wanted was in it. I figured the young calico would go in with the tabby because she had been rubbing against him minutes earlier.

So, the lost pet situation hasn't been overwhelming this last week, so we've spent some time doing TNR at a house where ...
05/22/2026

So, the lost pet situation hasn't been overwhelming this last week, so we've spent some time doing TNR at a house where we TNR'd 2 years ago (her elderly indoor cat went missing and she contacted us for help. We found the cat and asked if we could help her even more by doing TNR on the outdoor cats she was feeding. She was thrilled! We trapped and fixed over 25 cats. But, as happens, more have appeared and multiplied. We've TNR'd 8 so far, and I think we have 5 left). She told us that 1 cat was pregnant, so we prioritized that one. But, before we could arrive, she gave birth. *sigh*. So, now what? The options are: 1) leave them be. If they survive (obviously, many do!), great! But, then there will be 3 more cats to trap at a later day, and 3 more mouths for this retired woman, who lives off of her social security, to feed. Then again, they may not survive due to predators, weather, etc. Or: 2) Tie up one of our bathrooms for about 2 1/2 months and foster them and the momma. Once the babies are weaned, momma can be spayed and taken back home. Once the kittens are big enough (usually 2-3 pounds in order to safely put them under anesthesia for spay/neuter) they can be vaccinated and fixed and given to a rescue in order for them to find permanent homes. Well, I guess you know which option we chose! The photos are when they were 1 day old. They are now 3 days old. Keep in mind that situations like this are not as simple as just ohhing and ahhhing over the kittens and giving the momma food and water. We don't know how friendly this UNVACCINATED momma is! Laura is being very, very careful every time she goes in the room to feed, water, and scoop her litter box. The last thing we need is for Laura to get seriously injured! Most people don't consider this when they see a stray cat who needs medical attention or has babies. But, the babies would have less chance of surviving if they were taken away from the momma at this age.
As for my spare bathroom? Another cat from this colony is living in it for a few weeks. When he was neutered this week, it was discovered that he has "pillow foot" on all 4 paws, and the back 2 ruptured! He was given an antibiotic but could not be given a steroid because of how it would react to the rabies vaccine that he was given. So, in 2 weeks he'll go back to the vet for the steroid shot. We'll see how well he's healing before we decide when he can go back home. So far, he's not trying to shred me, and I hope he stays that way. Hopefully, we won't run into any others that need to be held on to because our Inns are full! We do know that there is 1 who has some sort of mouth issue, but, hopefully, it will just mean a trip to the vet and then releasing him after treatment. Or, the weather will stay mild so that he can stay in a crate in Laura's garage for a few days.
So, remember, when you see someone asking for help with TNR, it's usually not as "simple" as trapping and fixing. There is almost always someone who needs more extensive medical help. And that jacks up the vets bills very quickly!
(And feel free to click on our "donate" button at the top of the page if you can help with the medical bills for this little group!)

On the way home after trapping Stitch, Animal Control called asking if I was available to assist with capturing a dog. ...
05/16/2026

On the way home after trapping Stitch, Animal Control called asking if I was available to assist with capturing a dog. He was friendly enough -- the deputy was able to pet him! And he took food from him. But, show him a leash and he was threatening. I was less than a mile away, so I headed right over. I tried using a snappy snare on him, but he showed the same aggression towards it that he did with a leash and catch pole. So, I pulled out the Tomahawk Live Trap. He was interested in the food, but not enough to go in. Luckily, the homeowner who's yard he was next to let us use his fenced in yard to lead the dog to, and then we set the trap again, this time in the yard. The homeowner had brought out a bowl of water for the pup. He fed him a few bites of cheese. When he placed to water bowl next to the trap, the dog walked right in! I transported him to the shelter so that he didn't have to get stressed with the catch pole to move him to the AC vehicle. He'll be on stray hold in hopes that his owner is found.

05/16/2026

Stitch escaped when his foster had him outside for a potty break, and friends of her kids came over and forgot to shut a door. He had been at the foster's house for less than an hour. He explored a few blocks away, but soon returned to the house, where he kept returning to. But, he'd run when anyone tried to approach. We set our 60" Tomahawk Live Trap, sprayed a bit of liquid smoke in the trees, and he showed up within minutes. The current foster, former foster, and I stood on the other side of a vehicle and watched through the window as well as the "live" view on our Spartan GoLive camera. He circled the trap several times. He frequently looked to see what we were doing, but we were ignoring him. Within 4 minutes he was trapped!
By the way, he's wearing a Harness Lead -- it's an escape resistant harness and slip lead combination. We swear by them for safety when walking!



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Fredericksburg, VA
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