If your dog is missing, you will probably print out some standard 8.5 x 11 fliers and attach them to posts in your area. That’s a good place to start, but you need to be much more aggressive with your signs. 1.Make your signs large. An 8.5 x 11 flier is fine for people out walking their dogs, but most people driving by your flier aren’t going to stop the car to get out and read the sign. By making your signs 22” by 28” or larger, people in cars will be able to see the picture easily, and read the text without getting out of their cars. Make sure your phone number can be read by someone sitting in her car. 2.Keep your text simple and brief, so that you can make it large. 3.Use a clear, simple picture. You may have cute and funny pictures of your dog, but for these posters, you jA good sign increases the chances of finding your lost dog. Photo by Jim Branson.ust want to use the simplest, cleanest, clearest pictures. You want to make it as easy as possible for someone to identify your dog if they see him running down the street. 4.Make them weather resistant. Most fliers become illegible after a day or two of stormy weather. Place your picture and text in sheet protectors to keep them clean and dry. Place the sheet protectors with the openings down, to keep the rain out. You don’t need to completely seal the opening. Just place a tab of tape on the bottom to keep the insert from sliding out. 5.In bold black lettering, write REWARD, LOST DOG. Use a thick, permanent marker. If you are making these signs for the first time, you may want to plan the letters with light pencil marks so that you get the spacing right. The lettering doesn’t have to be perfect, just clearly legible from a distance. 6.Place signs at busy intersections near the point last seen. Based on the last known location of your dog, place the signs near a busy intersection not far from the point last seen. Place your signs where people are stopped, if possible. A four-way stop is ideal, but a traffic signal will also work okay. If there are no intersections nearby, try to choose a bend in the road where people are slowing down and looking right at the sign on the curve. 7.Place signs on private property, with permission. If you place your signs on public utilities, such as stop signs or telephone poles, you run the risk of having your signs removed by the local jurisdiction. Instead, place your signs on private property near busy intersections. Get the permission of the property owner. 8.Start with 5 to 20 signs. Depending on the density of your neighborhood, you may need just a few signs or you may need dozens. If you live in a rural area with large lots and only one or two ways into the area, you may only need four signs to adequately reach anyone who might drive within a mile or two of the point last seen. If you live in a densely-populated area, you might need twenty or more signs to cover all the ways people could potentially approach your neighborhood. You want to be certain that anyone driving or walking within a mile of the point last seen would have to see your signs. 9.Maintain your signs and replace them quickly if damaged or removed. If your signs are knocked down, damaged, or removed, it is important that you replace them right away. You want people to know that your dog is still missing. Also, if someone has your dog and is thinking about keeping him, he might be taking down your signs in hopes that you will be discouraged and give up the search. Let people know that you are committed to doing whatever it takes to get your dog back. 10.Gather all your signs after your dog is found. Once your dog is safely home, be sure to go around and remove all the signs. Tattered old signs all over the place make it harder for the next dog to get found.
Posted on: Tue, 22 Oct 2013 04:40:04 +0000
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