12 Top Tips for postering and mapping
- nicky733
- Jun 2
- 3 min read
Effective missing dog poster campaigns
You’ve done the basics; stayed at the point of loss, left out scent articles and food, and found your local Dog search heroes, and read our advice here:
Sadly, your dog is still awol. What next?
Examples of good initial search posters
Awareness.
Getting clear and powerful Facebook posts and physical posters out there as fast as possible are important. We all hope your dog is found safe and well before this is necessary, but don’t let vain hope get in the way of covering all bases.
Here we go:
Where, when and how the dog went missing: ‘ Rover went missing from a walk at Parkside park around 8pm on 23.4.25’
Clear description of the dog ‘Freda is a small apricot Cockapoo, aged 4, with two white patches on her back. She was wearing a red collar. She is spayed and microchipped.
Clear photos from various angles.
Your mobile numbers
Remian glued to the phone! Sadly you may need to be prepared for scammers. People that say they have your dog must be prepared to meet you at a vet surgery and send photos, or video call to show you the dog. If they're scammers take the number and report to DogLost. reports DO often lead to conviction.
A warning not to approach, chase or grab the dog, but to report sightings to mobile numbers on the poster and NOT to post locations publicly.
A plea to supply exact details of the location seen, time, behaviour and direction of travel. Photos, video and cctv/doorbell footage are especially useful.
Invest in professionally printed and laminated posters from the start if you can. Homemade ones are great but rain will seep in and make them look old; people may stop taking notice.
Print A5 flyers and organise for door-to-door delivery in areas of very specific interest, such as where there are sightings, to target people and avoid public posting.
Gather a team. It helps to have one person coordinating the awareness campaign for you, deciding and recording where posters and flyers have gone, and creating updated ones periodically. Make a whatsapp group for the team.
Stay in touch with DogLost or your own local search team and tell them what you’re doing. They will advise and help with posters and Facebook posts.
Make it easy to collect posters The coordinator/s can leave a box of posters and cable ties on the doorstep if they’re out. Advise helpers where to poster or leaflet and get confirmation they’ve done those.
Start with the immediate area, and work outwards to a 5 then 10 mile radius. We had over 800 posters out for Milo’s search in Somerset.
Four Methods for Mapping
If this is too much, then just keep careful notes or annotate a printed out map of the search zone.
If you can, use Google MyMaps. Here are screenshots from MIlos search, showing information for the DogLost team; cameras, sightings, drone flight paths, and Doris' poster map. Purpla shaded are general postered areas, purple pawprints are speicifc posters, and red shows streets leafletted door to door
Here's a step-by-step guide:
1. Create a New Map:
Open Google Maps and navigate to "My Maps".
Sign in to your Google account if you haven't already.
Click "Create a new map".
Give the map a title and description.
Choose a visibility setting (Public, Unlisted, or Private) Be careful it’s not available to the public, You can send a link to those that need to see it.
2. Add Lines or Shapes:
Use the "Add a line" or "Add a shape" tool to represent search routes, boundaries, or other important areas. You can choose the width and colour of these
Click the tool icon and draw on the map to create your lines or shapes.
3. Customize and Organize:
Add descriptions: Provide details about each point of interest or line.
Organize by layers: Use layers to separate different types of information (e.g., last known location, search areas, sightings). Nice but not crucial if you’re a beginner at this!
Use different colors and symbols: Use different colors and symbols for each type of point of interest or line to make the map easier to read.
5. Share the Map:
Click the "Share" button in the map menu.
Choose who can access the map (Specific people, Anyone with the link, or Public on the web). Take care to share postering and leafleting info with the leaflet team only, and dog location info just with your specialist SAR team. The best way to share is via a link to the appropriate group; your awareness team OR your specialist search team. Don’t combine the two.
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