About the Lost Pet Research Project

The Lost Pet Research Project is owned and operated by Lost Pet Research and Recovery.  I first created the Lost Pet Research Blog in 2011 in order to find, organize, and share useful and reliable information relating to the search and recovery of lost pets.  The blog contains summaries of research articles obtained from the scientific literature and a few of my own research projects.  

Unfortunately, there is very little published research relating directly to the search and recovery of missing pets.  So I launched the Lost Pet Research Project in 2023 to create, organize, and collaborate on new lost pet research studies.

If you are interested in learning more or participating in lost pet research projects, please visit Support/Join.  To learn more about upcoming or current research projects, check out the Lost Pet Research Projects Blog.  To learn more about past research, check out the Lost Pet Research Blog at LostPetResearch.com.

About Danielle Robertson

At this time, the Lost Pet Research Project is run solely by me, Danielle Robertson.  Hopefully, as the project gains momentum, more people will become involved.  I also operate my business Lost Pet Research and Recovery and the Lost Pet Research Blog.

I have been involved in lost pet search and recovery since 2008.  I started my lost pet recovery business in 2008 and worked with my cat detection dog Dante from 2011-2019.  At this time, I am focusing most of my energy on research, but still offer lost pet consultations and limited on-site services.

As an undergraduate I volunteered for the Central Rockies Wolf Project in Banff National Park, Alberta, Canada, and worked for the UMass Entomology Department.  I received a bachelor's degree in wildlife ecology from Hampshire College.  After college, I worked as an environmental monitor in Wyoming and a veterinary technician in Massachusetts among other jobs.  

I later studied coyotes and foxes as part of the Yellowstone Ecological Research Center Canid Ecology Project.  I started a master's degree program at the University of Wyoming, but later dropped out for personal reasons.

In 2007, I moved back to Massachusetts, adopted my dog Dante and began studying for a career in dog training and behavioral consulting.  But what I really wanted was a job where I could work with my dog.  While researching different careers that involved working with dogs, I learned about Kat Albrecht’s work as a pet detective and her use of trained search dogs to help locate missing pets.  

In 2008, I traveled to Seattle to receive my certification as a Missing Animal Response (MAR) Technician from Missing Pet Partnership.  (This training is now offered by the Missing Animal Response Network.)  I began by offering my services as a lost pet search and recovery specialist (i.e. pet detective) as a volunteer, and in 2009, I launched my first business Compassionate Pet Services.  My original plan was to offer lost pet services in addition to pet sitting and dog/cat training and behavioral consultations.  However, in 2013, I decided to focus exclusively on finding lost pets and changed my business name to Lost Pet Research and Recovery.

Since I started my business, I have learned a lot about lost pet behavior both from helping people find their lost pets and from continuing to expand my own education through seminars, books, and scientific journals.  However, perhaps due to my background in wildlife biology, I have become increasingly frustrated with the lack of research behind much of the information shared and methods used in lost pet search and recovery.  

In 2011, I started the Lost Pet Research blog with several goals in mind: 1) to summarize published journal articles related to lost pet behavior and recovery topics; 2) to explore different areas of lost pet search and recovery that are controversial and suggest further research; and 3) to share the results of some of my own research projects.  

Now in 2023, I am (at least temporarily) pulling back from offering lost pet search and recovery services in order to focus more energy on lost pet research projects.  My hope is that this will ultimately help far more people find their missing pets by increasing knowledge and improving recovery methods in the lost pet search and recovery community.  

my dog Dante and me in the Sierra Nevada Mountains, CA

Me and cat detection dog Dante in the Sierra Nevada Mountains, CA