In the well-loved, classic Disney movie, ‘100 and One Dalmatians’ there is an imaginative scene, ‘The Twilight Bark.’ Pongo and Perdita’s 15 puppies are missing. Pongo decides “the humans have tried everything, now it’s up to us dogs and the twilight bark.” He initiates the bark, “two woofs, one yip, and a woof.” The dogs of London and in the surrounding countryside keep repeating the woofs and yips to alert all the canines across the area that help is needed to rescue Pongo’s and Perdita’s offspring. The barking chain eventually leads the human owners, Anita and Roger to Cruella de Vil’s creepy mansion in the country where much to their surprise there is a total of 99 puppies, including Pongo and Perdita’s pups waiting to be saved before they are made into a Dalmatian fur coat for the evil villain, Cruella de Vil.

If only real life was a fairy tale with dogs able to put in motion a barking chain with woofs and yips to rescue missing dogs and pets. Luckily, in today’s tech savvy world humans can send out messages through social media sources and text threads to expedite pertinent, updated information at a moment’s notice about missing pets; allowing kind, caring animal loving people to head out the door quickly by foot or in a car to search for lost pets day and night.

I had the pleasure of speaking with four women in San Clemente who are dedicated and passionate about searching and rescuing not just dogs, but also cats, birds, turtles, rabbits and other species of lost and injured animals. All four, Kimberley Steel, Tracey Denney, Tressa Krufal and Brenda Baker have an extensive background saving pets-mostly lost dogs and cats. And, although they all are devoted to rescuing pets, they also want to educate pet owners about safety measures to prevent harm, particularly keeping dogs and cats shielded from coyotes or being hit by a car. Each of these women have their own style, specialties and tools to aid with pet rescue.

Tracey volunteered with her mom from a young age at the Laguna Beach Animal Shelter. As an adult she became much more involved with animal rescue and pet safety. She works closely with Leashes of Love and started a microchip program. She also has many resources for networking throughout Southern California. She rescues not only pets, but also abandoned baby squirrels, hummingbirds, birds and other species of injured wildlife. She transports these animals to the Wildlife and Care Center in Huntington Beach where they can be rehabilitated and released. She works independently to find fosters and new families for dogs on euthanasia lists.

Tressa, her husband and their three children have fostered over 300 dogs in the last 10 years, at one time they took in 17 puppies. Krufal works with the following rescue groups, Promise4Paws, Leashes of Love, Muttley Crew, Our Family Paws Rescue and Green Dog Foundation. She likes to have lots of little treats, bacon, ham and turkey readily available to entice dogs to come to her during a rescue. She has also assisted Tracey with rescuing wildlife and once kept a bird overnight. She says, “we give animals a voice.”

Kimberley started helping people find their lost dogs about 10 years ago, eventually she left a stressful, unsatisfying career and formed her own dog walking and pet sitting business, Happy Paws Pet Care. Kimberley is very quick to get on social media to post a missing pet while seeking accurate and timely information to pass along to the others. Along with other supplies she keeps slip leashes in her waist pack and car to help quickly capture a loose dog.

Brenda’s experience with animal rescue began in 1995 when she was volunteering in the cat room and fostering at San Clemente/Dana Point Shelter. A few years later, from 1998-2002 she coordinated the regional Animal Care Conference educating and bringing together Officers, Veterinarians and shelter staff.  Baker got involved with local rescue groups and strangers, (who are now close friends) in 2017 when she posted on Nextdoor about a roaming Pitbull; reaching out to a few people she did not know. Eventually after the dog had been loose and traveling about for almost one year, they were able to capture her. Additionally, Brenda traps cats outside of the immediate text thread group. She has several traps and has learned the trapping skill through trial and error. She focuses a lot of her work on animals being spayed and neutered. Brenda started the Facebook page, San Clemente Dog Group in 2017. She’s known as Luca Baker on that page. Brenda has a chip scanner. She will scan the found dog or cat right on the spot. Half the found animals are not chipped and of those chipped half are not registered.

In 2019 a few more women connected through Nextdoor, and they all formed a group, calling themselves, Pet Search and Rescue Team. Initially their biggest focus was saving escaped dogs on the Fourth of July when the loud, explosive fireworks with their reverberating booms often terrify dogs and cats so badly that they will bolt right out the door or through a window into the dark night. The women decided to drop the name and now simply reach out to each other on a smaller text thread when they see a post on Nextdoor or Facebook or hear about a missing pet that needs to be found.

The group has an arsenal of tools, including crates, treats, traps, animal handling gloves, walkie-talkies, headlamps and flashlights, very necessary as they often search late into the night on streets, golf courses and in the canyons. The four are all volunteers, so over the years they have learned a lot from people who are professionals and participate in large rescues.

Most importantly all four women offer a slew of pet safety tips to help owners protect their furry friends from harm. The first step that is absolutely necessary for all dog and cat owners is tagging and chipping your pets, making it so much easier for an escaped or lost pet to be reunited with their owner. Always register the chip number. If you prefer your dog or cat not to have a tag you can buy collars that have your pet’s name and number embroidered on the collar. Without proper ID pets often cannot be returned to their owner, thus allowing the dog or cat to be adopted or put down.

Cats need to be kept indoors as coyotes are not the only predators to be aware of, there are hawks and owls that will swoop down and grab a cat; rat poison and cars are also a threat. 

If you see a loose dog, never, ever chase it as they will keep running further away. Use treats to bring them closer, if you can get the dog in your car, yard or home take photos and post immediately on social media. You can also take a found dog or cat to the San Clemente/Dana Point Shelter. This shelter is a no kill shelter. Generally, pet owners will call or go to a shelter first if their dog or cat is missing. If the owner is not found, dogs and cats go up for adoption after they have been assessed, trained and had any medical needs addressed. Many strays are euthanized in shelters. In 2022, California passed a law that requires that all shelters must chip every pet that is impounded. Over 100,000 dogs and cats are euthanized every year in our state. Fosters are desperately needed to save more lives. Rescue groups cover medical and food costs. Being a foster is very rewarding and essential to keep dogs and cats from being put down.

   Other safety tips besides chipping and tagging to keep your pets safe at home, not just on the Fourth of July and New Year’s when there’s lots of loud, celebratory sounds, but year-round, include, no dog doors, never leave dogs outside alone and no retractable leashes. Baby gates are helpful to keep dogs from bolting out the door. Martingale collars and harnesses are highly recommended as they do not slide off dogs. 

   Another concern is keeping your dog safe when traveling in your car or truck. Owners should safely secure their dogs in a vehicle with a dog seat belt tether. Dogs will jump out of the car and escape if you’re involved in a car accident. The last thing you want is your dog taking off across the freeway or darting down a busy street. 

   If your dog or cat does escape your home or car, post photos of the dog or cat on social media immediately, call the local animal shelters, post bright color posters at eye level on the right side of the street, include a large photo of the dog or cat with the owner’s name and phone number in large, clear lettering. Open your doors, hang some of your dirty clothes out on a fence, wall or patio. Dogs will sniff out their owners scent and return home. It’s often best to let others do the searching, so that you are home if your dog finds its way back. 

   Kimberley, Tressa, Tracey and Brenda have many success stories with reconnecting pets with their owners, they also see some very sad endings. They work with many rescue and advocacy groups and others who are all committed to saving our pets from trauma. They have met many wonderful people who often join them in rescue missions and are vehement about animal welfare. The goal is that every search and rescue event end like it did for the endearing and enduring story of the dalmatian pups in “100 and One Dalmatians.”