[HN Gopher] A man who collects lost pet posters
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A man who collects lost pet posters
Author : Caiero
Score : 71 points
Date : 2024-01-26 20:27 UTC (1 days ago)
(HTM) web link (ameliatait.substack.com)
(TXT) w3m dump (ameliatait.substack.com)
| llm_nerd wrote:
| `Although he admits it's "morally questionable", he began taking
| the posters'
|
| This is ostensibly a fun read, but for the duration I couldn't
| get past the thought that someone hand drew and coloured a poster
| for beloved missing dog -- not a print out or photocopy -- and
| someone just took it because they wanted to collect them. It
| gives the whole piece a really discomforting overtone.
| Waterluvian wrote:
| Yeah it's hard to look past that. Ugly behaviour.
|
| I can't find it now but I've seen this guy on TikTok who takes
| photos of posters like this, usually people offering services
| like house cleaning, and he professionally redesigns them then
| prints some off and posts them. Interesting how the same moment
| can fork in two starkly different directions.
| ColinWright wrote:
| > Yeah it's hard to look past that. Ugly behaviour.
|
| From the article:
|
| _"... but he notes he only took a poster if there was more
| than one pinned up in the neighbourhood "_
| Waterluvian wrote:
| That doesn't mean anything. If you have two drunken lawn
| gnomes can I take one?
| mahithefish wrote:
| Same, I kept reading to see if they would answer this...
| have_faith wrote:
| Did the article say he took originals? I thought it said he
| only took one if another was still nearby, implying multiple
| copies.
| drewcoo wrote:
| > but he notes he only took a poster if there was more than
| one pinned up in the neighbourhood
|
| Not a quote from Bolles but from the article.
| somenameforme wrote:
| This was in the 70s. There were, for most people, only
| originals. The article clarifies this even: "He was touched
| by the "folk art" of missing posters - the hand-drawn dogs
| and the poetic pleas meticulously crafted in a time before
| computers and printers were household goods."
|
| And this article, which is extensively advertising for this
| guys products and bands, is helping make him money for this
| behavior.
| resoluteteeth wrote:
| > someone hand drew and coloured a poster for beloved missing
| dog -- not a print out or photocopy -- and someone just took it
| because they wanted to collect them
|
| I do think this is problematic, but I imagine that the owners
| would usually not retrieve/keep the posters anyway, so I'm not
| sure the issue is necessarily with the fact that an original is
| being taken like there might be with some other artistic
| creation (I'm not sure the owner would object to not getting
| the original back; the posters will probably just be discarded
| anyway).
|
| My concern is more that if someone put a lot of effort into
| making these posters for the purpose of attracting people's
| attention in order to get their pet back, it seems problematic
| to take it _without knowing for sure that the pet has already
| been found_ even if there are multiple posters in a
| neighborhood.
| cfeduke wrote:
| It's not problematic, its just plain wrong.
|
| Also, the phone number is right there on the flier so its not
| like the fliers owner can't be contacted after seeing a flier
| to see if the animal has been found and if the flier can be
| removed. Doing the right thing sometimes takes a bit of work.
| demondemidi wrote:
| I knew a guy who collected roadside crosses from car accidents.
| Had a shrine in the corner of his elderly parents' basement. Said
| he used the energy from them to "harmonize". Weird dude, if that
| wasn't obvious. He had hundreds from all over California and
| Nevada.
| ezekiel68 wrote:
| No wonder they never called me about my Fluffy.
| chasingthewind wrote:
| I've been seeing a lot of lost pet posters lately. One of the
| things that has struck me is that they seem pretty ineffective.
| Most of them have really small writing and when you're driving
| past them in the suburbs all you really see is that there is some
| lost dog or cat and you probably pass the sign too quickly to get
| much information or write down the phone number. I was pretty
| sure that there had to be at least 10 different websites trying
| to help solve this problem and a quick web search confirmed my
| suspicion. I have a feeling the websites aren't much help. The
| only thing that seems like it probably works is the chip
| database, but I'd be interested to see if anybody has done
| research on the most effective ways to find and reunite lost
| pets.
| mlyle wrote:
| Facebook community groups and things like Nextdoor do seem to
| help reunite pet owners with their pets.
| cf100clunk wrote:
| I am bothered each and every time I see a lost pet poster that
| does not include either the date when the pet went missing or
| when the poster was put up. My internal voice shouts "Help us
| to help YOU!"
| fsckboy wrote:
| what difference does the date make? you are seeing a picture
| of the dog who was last seen/lived in that neighborhood, have
| you seen it? if you care to, bear it in mind over the next
| hours while you are in that neighborhood. I don't think a
| lost pet poster is supposed to accomplish more than that, you
| don't need to draw a circle on a map based on how many days
| it's been
| cf100clunk wrote:
| > what difference does the date make?
|
| I'm not following your argument in the least. My point is
| about time management. I am a habitual dog walker/hiker and
| need to know whether I can offer a quick search as close as
| possible to the time the pet went missing, or whether I
| should carry on as usual knowing that my dogs seem to
| notice all living and recently demised earthbound things in
| our travels. If a tropical bird has been lost, the minutes
| and hours are critical, while the days and weeks missing
| are just plain sad.
|
| EDIT: I also live in a wintery climate, so yes, posting the
| date gone missing is critical information.
| smeej wrote:
| I think it's a safe assumption that by the time someone
| got around to putting up a sign, you're at least hours if
| not days after the fact. The "everybody go out and
| search" stage happens well before the "I guess we should
| put up posters" stage. If you're seeing a poster and not
| a search party, it's been at least a day.
|
| The post you're replying to covered it. They're meant to
| ask you you to keep your eyes open in the area, not stop
| and search. They're not asking you to interrupt what
| you're doing, just pay a little extra attention while
| you're doing it.
| cf100clunk wrote:
| > by the time someone got around to putting up a sign,
| you're at least hours if not days after the fact
|
| Not a safe assumption at all, and your term ''got around
| to'' seems to imply that those who have lost a pet might
| be lackadaisical i.e. I finally 'got around to' taking
| out the garbage.
|
| Everyone needs to put the date-gone-missing on their
| missing pet posters.
| jstarfish wrote:
| Common courtesy would have one remove the posters once
| either the animal is recovered or hope is abandoned. That's
| a pain in the ass though and you likely won't remember
| everywhere you posted bills while distraught.
|
| The next best thing is putting a timestamp or expiration
| date on it so you don't waste the time of the samaritans
| willing to dragnet for you.
|
| I do get where you're coming from though. Dates don't
| really matter to me since I habitually check corners and
| undercarriages at night looking for lost anything (I know
| where all the rabbit warrens are and have found two dogs,
| many cats and an unconscious human), but if I _know_ there
| 's a current/recent APB, I'll focus my attention while I'm
| out and about.
| jstarfish wrote:
| Same for garage sale signs.
| cj wrote:
| My assumption is there's a kid involved, and the parents know
| it's unlikely to be found, but putting in an effort to find
| it by putting up posters helps to not feel as guilty about
| losing it.
|
| Or maybe that's the pessimist in me.
| hackernewds wrote:
| everything is necessary, and nothing is enough. seems
| plausible posters are put up when a loved friend is lost
| cf100clunk wrote:
| > The only thing that seems like it probably works is the chip
| database
|
| Indeed, ear tattoos can lose their legibility over time, as
| seen in this sad case:
|
| https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/bc-farmer-lo...
| maxglute wrote:
| I don't feel like they need to be effective. Lots of pedestrian
| pet lovers will stop to check out poster on their own volition,
| especially people from the neighbourhood. They have internal
| interest to look for random pets, and being walking speed, have
| much better chance and probably already acquainted
| neighboorhood regulars vs strange outdoor pets.
|
| Now what does actually seem ineffective is color posters with
| different shot of same animal, and their fur looks different
| colour in every shot, because that's how fur behaves, but to
| human mind it's a bunch of different cats.
|
| What seems supremely ineffective are lost bird posters.
|
| I've seen the same lost cuckadoo posters in different neighbour
| hoods in my city... over multiple years. SOmeone was very
| attached.
| toast0 wrote:
| Lost pet signs don't need to be terribly legible for passing
| cars. If you found a lost pet, then you would walk around with
| the pet to see if it will lead you home (dogs often will), and
| check signs while you're walking.
|
| If that doesn't turn up anything, then you take the animal to a
| vet to check for a chip and figure out what to do after that.
| mtlmtlmtlmtl wrote:
| The reason none of these measures are very effective has little
| to do with the method.
|
| Most of the time if a pet goes missing, it's dead by the time
| such measures are taken or very soon after.
|
| Taking measures to avoid the disappearance in the first place
| can be more effective.
|
| If you have a cat that goes outside, making sure it's neutered
| massively decreases the areas they cover and risk of run-ins
| with other cats or predators. Having a cat flap is a huge help
| because the cat won't get stuck outside and go looking for
| shelter. Avoid collars because they get stuck on branches(even
| the ones that are designed to come undone easily can)
|
| And for fuck sake, the number of people who don't realise their
| short haired cats can't handle winter conditions... I see a lot
| of missing notices for shorthairs in the winter. Often with
| days or even weeks since they disappeared. All dead, almost
| guaranteed. And this goes for longhairs too, if less so.
|
| I have a Norwegian forest cat, who is better suited for cold
| weather even than most longhairs, and he barely goes outside at
| temps below -10C, and only very briefly. Longhairs still easily
| get frostbite on their ears, nose, and paws at those temps. If
| you're letting your cat outside at all in these conditions, you
| better have a flap or otherwise let them in immediately when
| they ask for it. Yes, even when you just let them out 5 minutes
| ago.
| jmull wrote:
| > Most of the time if a pet goes missing, it's dead by the
| time such measures are taken or very soon after.
|
| > Avoid collars...
|
| This is bad information. Please don't spread it.
|
| Lost dogs are recovered at about a 90% rate, and lost cats at
| about 75%. Collars are very helpful. Use a safety collar.
|
| If your pet is lost, get help from people who know how to
| find them. If possible call a local group. This directory is
| a great place to start in the US
| https://www.missinganimalresponse.com/mar-directory/
| mtlmtlmtlmtl wrote:
| "Safety" collars still get stuck. Sometimes the mechanism
| can get wet and freeze stuck.
|
| And I call bullshit on your 75% number for cats. That has
| to include false alarms where cats are just out for a
| really long time which is rare, but it happens. In those
| cases, the cat will just show up at some point completely
| unharmed all on its own. Usually it's owners freaking out
| because it hasn't happened before. Another common thing is
| some asshole in the neighbourhood takes it upon themselves
| to feed your cat, and it starts hanging out there for days
| at a time.
| hackernewds wrote:
| most people don't live in -20C conditions. this comment
| seems painfully obtuse
| mtlmtlmtlmtl wrote:
| Does that make my advice wrong? Lots of people do. I
| could talk all day about summer conditions too, if you
| want me to. But I guess winter is on mind right now.
| hackernewds wrote:
| you are speaking out of your behind, about cats and wintery
| conditions which is a minority. dogs regularly are found,
| captured and returned at very high rates through these
| techniques
| mtlmtlmtlmtl wrote:
| Yes, I'm talking about cats. Because that's what I know
| about. I never claimed to be talking about dogs, did I? And
| I'm not talking out of my ass, but a wealth of experience
| owning cats, studying their behaviour and learning about
| their biology.
|
| The fact that some people don't get real winters doesn't
| invalidate my advice. Nor does it invalidate the fact that
| I see basic knowledge like this absent from cat owners on a
| regular basis.
| Someone wrote:
| > I have a feeling the websites aren't much help
|
| Doesn't surprise me. Who would periodically go to a website to
| check whether there are any pets missing in the neighborhood?
|
| A targeted RSS feed or email service would IMO work better, but
| likely still not good.
|
| Back to the pet posters: a large reason for them is to console
| the owner or their kids.
| jstarfish wrote:
| Yeah, unless there's a bounty most people on lost pet sites
| are only there because they too have lost one. It's more like
| a memorial page in practice.
|
| Nextdoor works better for this since people go there for
| other reasons.
|
| Pet posters aren't as useful as they should be. If you find
| an animal, call the Humane Society and let them handle
| custody. Owners checking in with local shelters is step 1 in
| every "I lost my pet" procedure.
| Fezzik wrote:
| I think it depends on where you live. I live in Bend, Oregon,
| and lost pets are regularly found via Reddit posts. But this is
| a super-outdoorsy and dog friendly community, so people are
| outside a lot and like looking out for our furry friends.
| kjkjadksj wrote:
| It depends on your neighborhood. There are a ton of walkers in
| mine so I expect the signs are more effective. That being said
| there are also near wolf-sized coyotes I also see on the
| sidewalks on these morning walks...
| jmull wrote:
| Chips are good when someone finds your pet (and takes it
| somewhere with a chip reader). But many lost pets are scared
| and skittish and won't come anywhere close enough to strangers
| to be caught.
|
| The main purpose of posters is to make people aware.
|
| E.g., a lost dog will usually find an area they feel safe and
| start hanging around. People near there will see it, and if
| they know a dog is lost may call it in (getting the number from
| the poster or social media). Once people looking for the dog
| know where it is hanging out, they can trap it (maybe first
| using a drone to narrow down where the dog is).
| hackernewds wrote:
| you say things that are imagined, but in the affirmative.
| pretty sure I've never seen or heard of drones tracking down
| dogs although it is a great idea.
| jmull wrote:
| Try searching it?
|
| I don't know why anyone would argue a matter of fact from a
| position of ignorance, especially when it's a trivial
| effort to relieve.
| dfee wrote:
| I'm reminded of the Stephen King novel / Anthony Hopkins movie
| Hearts in Atlantis where missing pet posters going up were a sign
| that the government men were hot on his heels.
|
| Great movie, by the way.
| Fezzik wrote:
| And an even better book! If you thought it was impossible for
| an author to write hundreds of riveting pages about kids
| playing Hearts (the card game) in college, you are in for a
| surprise!
| MetaMonk wrote:
| Lost: my lost dog poster, last seen here. White and covered with
| black patches of Calibri
| galago wrote:
| I would "collect" them by taking photos.
| sitkack wrote:
| It does seem unethical to remove them unless they are obviously
| super old.
| kmoser wrote:
| I knew somebody who did this in NYC in the 1980s. The "funniest"
| poster he found failed to mention whether the animal was a cat or
| dog, and sadly you couldn't tell what it was from the terrible
| sketch.
| jvanderbot wrote:
| When I lived in CA, I noticed that a few nights after you start
| hearing coyote packs howling, your start seeing a lot of missing
| pet posters, mostly those little ineffective yapper type dogs.
|
| After a week the pack would move on, it seems.
| jstarfish wrote:
| One fun aspect of living on/near a military base is when
| coyotes make homes for themselves on the plains of the
| artillery range. Once the monthly shelling starts, they flee
| into the surrounding human communities. Then waves of missing-
| pet posters go up.
|
| Ruskie and Ukie troops are both dealing with rat infestations
| for the same reason. Their natural predators are driven away by
| combat, so rodents are breeding like crazy and harassing both
| sides.
| RcouF1uZ4gsC wrote:
| As an aside, is there anyone using AirTags in the collar to keep
| track of pets? Seems like it would be a fairly easy and cheap way
| to track.
| cf100clunk wrote:
| I've thought about it, but my dogs are large and might gnaw or
| mangle AirTags in an instant while wrestling. Maybe if the
| AirTags were in a skin tight pouch of ballistic material
| attached to their collars...
| CharlesW wrote:
| Searching "airtag pets found" shows a bunch of success stories.
| Anyone expecting a GPS-like pet tracking experience will be
| disappointed, and WSJ warns (https://archive.is/Qw4O2) that a
| poorly-secured AirTags might be eaten. I've been thinking about
| using the Elevation Lab TagVault myself.
| jstarfish wrote:
| Yes, but of limited use.
|
| They're not GPS so you need to have neighbors wealthy enough to
| create a neighborhood iPhone mesh. Rural/blue-collar coverage
| is spotty.
|
| The batteries are also prone to dying halfway through the
| search due to shitty luck. One of ours escaped _while_ we were
| replacing the batteries.
| jmull wrote:
| You want to be sure your pet won't chew/eat it.
|
| I use a case that slides on to a tag collar like a belt loop.
| Like these:
| https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0BGQGZLP6/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b...
|
| Also, while air tags will help in some situations, they are
| useless in many others. I use them because I don't think it
| will hurt, but I wouldn't count on them. (I also have a Fi
| collar for my risky hound, which is a GPS collar. GPS collars
| also don't always work.)
| xwowsersx wrote:
| Awesome. Don looks like a dog himself, maybe an Afghan Hound haha
| (I mean this in the most endearing way possible).
| ijhuygft776 wrote:
| I once put up lost pet posters but didn't expect anything... it
| was only for my kids.
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