Lost Dog? Beware of Scammers... #FindDigger

The last 112 days has been a roller-coaster of emotion for our family.  Having a boarding facility lose our dog Digger while we were on vacation...literally as we were walking into the “Happiest Place on Earth”, Disneyland, has completely turned our lives upside-down.  Every day brings new leads and new messages from people sharing pictures of found dogs, hoping it’s Digger.  All dead-ends so far, but we keep at it.

Quite literally thousands of new people have come into our lives.  Those thousands of people have spanned the entire spectrum...from fantastic people we could never thank enough, to the truly rotten people who prey on the misfortune of others.

The fantastic people are those volunteers who have given ALL of their free-time to Digger & my family.  They haven’t slowed down.  The people who help search, scanning databases of found dogs, searching shelters and rescues, sharing pictures, and just praying.

The rotten have oozed out of the crevices of hell slowly.  They started with those who vilified Digger as the guilty party, ripped my family on social media, and ripped down and removed thousands of dollars worth of signs.  Now, a new level of rotten has arrived...the scammers.

This has happened three times already...with yesterday’s being possibly the most ridiculous.

It started with a text that said, “Hello are you there i found your dog where are you located”.  I replied asking for a picture.  They responded with “Okay i found your Digger on the street”, followed by “So how do you want me to bring it to you?”.  I called, and it was a Google Voice account.  Once I got through that mess, the person answered, and didn’t speak much English at all.  I again asked for a picture.  I received nothing.  They then texted again saying, “Okay, Yes am going to bring it you but are you registered with the FedEx shipping company?”.

After a playful exchange back-and-forth asking him if he was planning to ship my dog in a box, and refusing to tell me where he was, he sent me a note saying “Okay if you are really interested in your dog quickly get back to me asap so we can proced on it okay”.

I called again, and he put someone on the phone who spoke better English.  I put it on speaker phone so my co-workers could hear the exchange.  This person asked me for a list of personally identifiable information (address, account #’s, etc.).  I replied that I’d be happy to provide that information if he can first provide me with his social security number, his mother’s maiden name, his bank account password, and his cat’s name.  He said, without hesitation, that he’d provide that after I gave my info.

Without going into the full transcript, I finally determined that this person is in India.  He confirmed that his intention was to get all of my info, and it became very clear that he didn’t have any dog.  His story was that he had Digger, and was planning to put him in a box, bring him over to the local FedEx office, and ship him to us.  Unreal.

This was the third time we’ve received such a text...and all three had Google Voice accounts, and spoke almost zero English.

When you’ve lost a family member, beware of the scammers...who prey on your desperation to get him back.   So, our advice is to be careful...if they won’t share a picture, they aren’t being truthful.  Don’t EVER provide any personally identifiable information or account information of any kind.

There are awful people out there.  But, there are many more amazing people who keep us focused on finding Digger.

www.finddigger.com

Happy Halloween! Could Today be the Day we #FindDigger? #Palatine

Today could potentially be a big day for the #FindDigger search...with your help.  He’s been gone from where he was being watched at Baxter & Beasley in #Palatine while we were on vacation for 87 days now.  Someone has him.  

So today, Halloween, many of you will be going door-to-door with your children.  For those of you who are, we ask that you keep an eye out for Digger.  Dogs run to the door when the doorbell rings.  Dogs will be in yards.  Keep your phone handy, and snap a picture if you can.  It’s the only way we’re going to be able to focus the search and bring our boy home.  We’d rather receive a hundred pictures of dogs who aren’t Digger, versus not getting the one that is...

And keep in mind, he could be anywhere!  Dogs are found sometimes hundreds or thousands of miles away, so regardless where you are, we’d appreciate you keeping an eye out.

If you’re staying home, answering the door for trick-or-treaters, here’s the link to the flyer if you want to print & post it (many of you have asked).  Others have posted ideas like dropping a small flyer into the bags of trick-or-treaters, wrapping candy with a flyer, etc.  We love the creativity and the effort...thank you!

Digger is a 45 pound male German Shepherd / Beagle mix, brown & black, with a little tan mixed in on his underside.  He is micro-chipped.  He was not wearing a collar, as B&B took it off when checking him in.  Many more details on the story, efforts to find him, pictures and other resources can be found at www.finddigger.com.  

Send those pictures to tacaponi@gmail, or text them to 847-567-4550. We can also be found on Facebook at "Find Digger" and DM'd through there.

Thank you!

- Todd & Christy Caponi

#Halloween #LostDog #FoundDog #MissingDog #Chicago #ArlingtonHeights #RollingMeadows #Barrington #Inverness #DeerPark #Kildeer #LakeZurich #BuffaloGrove #HoffmanEstates #Algonquin #SouthElgin #Elgin #MountProspect #DesPlaines #Evanston #Skokie

"Can We Keep It?" The Likely Scenario for #FindDigger

I’ll start as I always do with a loud and hearty thank you to all of you who have given the latter portion of your summer to help my family find our lost loved one.  Digger has now been gone for 38 days.  August 5th, as we entered Disneyland (aka “The Happiest Place on Earth”), the facility we chose and trusted to take care of our 3 rescued boys called with the news that one had been lost.  Ironically, the entrance gates to “The Happiest Place on Earth” were the beginning of the most depressing rollercoaster ride my family has experienced, and the ride won’t end.

Digger - a dog actually named after a burger my wife & I had in Door County.  Digger - who we jokingly referred to as “our favorite” around the other two dogs.

Maybe he’s entered the witness protection program.  Maybe our other two dogs kicked him out of the boarding facility because of the “Digger’s our favorite” jokes. Maybe somebody has him.

A few days ago, an adorable kitten went running through our yard.  One of our girls saw it and yelled, “Can we keep it?!?”.  Can you imagine...someone in our own house, after all this, asking that?  What does that tell you?  It tells you that the conversation around keeping an animal found on the street happens every single day.  And, it tells you that the answer is likely “yes” more than we’d all like to imagine.

If you want to depress yourself, go into Twitter and just search the keywords together “found dog” and “keeping it”.  The number of people out there who proclaim ignorantly on social media, “Found a dog today.  Keeping it!” is staggering.

There are families, like ours, that are suffering because of a gaping hole left in their family due to the loss of a pet.  This isn’t a third world country.  There isn’t a contingent of wild, stray dogs that run the streets day and night around here.  This isn’t Belize.  If you found a bicycle, a briefcase, a purse or any other thing on the street, would you just keep it, then proudly proclaim to the world on social media in an attempt to rack up likes & favorites?  Or does that only apply to living, breathing things?

If you find a dog on the street, please do the right thing.  Think safety first.  Then think "Lost", not "Stray".  By law you are required to turn found dogs over to local authorities.  Go to Google and just search “what to do when you find a lost dog”.  It’s easy.  Make sure, whatever you do, that you have the dog scanned for a microchip.  Digger is microchipped.  We’re counting on you to do the right thing.  See previous posts for reward information.

Does your neighbor have a new dog that resembles Digger?  Hear some barking in the neighborhood you don't remember before?  Digger can be a loud mouth (he is part beagle).  If you see a dog you think looks like Digger, take a picture and send it to me.

Thank you!

Todd Caponi

#finddigger #palatine #arlingtonheights #rollingmeadows #barrington #deerpark #kildeer #lakezurich #hoffmanestates #buffalogrove #schaumburg #chicago #lostdog #founddog

The #FindDigger Photo Reward

Tomorrow will be 4 weeks since the facility in #Palatine where we were having our 3 dogs boarded while we were on vacation, lost one of them...Digger.  During that time, the effort to try to find him has been exhaustive, having deployed every technique and communication strategy available to find him...including 100’s of volunteers.  Unfortunately, we’re still searching.

During that time, we have received multiple reports of potential spottings of Digger.  Sometimes multiple reports in one day, in multiple locations far apart.  Without the ability to confirm that it’s actually him, it makes focusing our search practically impossible.

Rewards for his safe return are fraught with danger.  We’ve been advised by every expert (including Lost Dogs Illinois) to NOT offer a reward.  The number of stories of people chasing dogs into traffic, holding out for higher rewards (which faces legal ramifications for those who do so), and scams are plenty...and scary.

With that, we’ve decided to take a different approach.  We’re offering $500 to the first person who is able to capture & submit to us a clear picture of Digger, inclusive of the specific time and the specific location.  

Rules:

Photos must be clearly identifiable as Digger as judged by Digger’s family.  Photos that have been taken before September 1st, 2015 at 12am CT will be disqualified.  Photos that have been digitally altered will not be eligible for the reward.  The objective of this reward is to attempt to identify his specific location & time of that spotting.  It’s not a photo contest.

All images must be submitted through Facebook private message to Find Digger, via text message to 847-567-4550, or via email to tacaponi@gmail.com. including including your name, specific time the photo was taken, and the specific location of your photo submission.

Do NOT chase him.  Putting yourself or Digger in harms way will NOT be rewarded.

Reward will only be given to the first person who is able to submit the photo meeting the criteria above.

#lostdog #arlingtonheights #rollingmeadows #deerpark #kildeer #lakezurich #missingdog

Day 24 #FindDigger Update: Sightings, Missing Signs & Staying Positive

Saturday Morning Update:

Today is day 24...and unfortunately we have nothing new to report in terms of confirmed sightings. Our 100% focus continues to be on getting our Digger back. That’s it.

With that, the Daily Herald published an update in this morning’s paper, we had 1,500 more postcards sent to residences throughout the suspected areas, and we had personal letters sent to every veterinarian within a 10 mile circle to keep an eye out & ask them to please scan any pets who come in without shot records for a microchip.

We also picked up and put in a bunch more of the nice, pricey yellow weatherproof signs. Within hours, a few of them were stolen once again. (I’ll reiterate with 100% confirmed certainty that the village is not taking them)

The best news is the way this community continues to come together to help. Nobody has given up. A month ago we were getting ready to go on vacation. We boarded our dogs, and didn’t give it another thought. But here we are now...the last 24 days being a nightmare of epic proportions...that vacation ruined, our kids last weeks of summer spent searching, every phone call another rollercoaster ride (we've had 2 calls in just the last 30 minutes with potential sightings), and very little sleep. You’ve kept us going.

As we wake up with rain this morning, our Digger is out there somewhere...and we really have no idea where. Is he safe? Is getting wet?

Almost all of you have commented on how positive we've stayed. Almost every conversation includes someone telling me how amazed they are at how we've handled this. "I would have died if it was my dog...there’s no price high enough". "I would have gone NUCLEAR". "Sue them!". Instead, I hope you agree that we’ve taken the opposite path as much as humanly possible. I've cracked a couple of times, but held it together for the most part.

There still are those out there that believe this was somehow Digger’s fault, and now my fault that we have yet to find him. I’ve attached one note I received yesterday. Yet we still manage to keep it together.

My wife & I comfort in knowing that there are so many of you who have inspired us with your messages of support, hope, and prayers. Our family loves all of you. Seriously. Tears daily. Keep searching...we are. Stay positive. We aren't giving up. We must #FindDigger. If you see him, take a picture then get a hold of me or the police.

Two Weeks Ago Today - Our Dog "Digger" Was Lost | #finddigger

Today is the two-week marker since our dog, Digger, was lost from the boarding facility responsible for watching him while we were away on vacation.  

While we've had a few new potential sightings in the past 24 hours, we're still searching.  
At this point, we have exhausted every channel to find him and get the word out.  The number of people out looking is unreal.  A woman stopped me yesterday to tell me that, after a sighting was posted on Facebook, she rushed her 3 kids into the car and drove over to help.  It's everywhere!  

If these sightings aren't him, we believe he's either entered the witness protection program, or someone has him. So please keep sharing! Here's all of the channels that we've used...and I'm sure I'm missing a couple:

1) Websites: Helpinglostpets.com, Lost Dogs Illinois, LostFoundPets.us, and many others
2) Twitter: @tcaponi
3) Facebook: "Find Digger", my page, and many, many, many other people's pages. The explosion of shares & views is amazing...thank you!
4) LinkedIn: The blog post "When Someone Loses Your Dog...and Marketing Gets Personal" has now been viewed by over 4,000 people.  
5) Instagram - @tcaponi (although I don't really do much with this channel)
6) TV - WGN TV News ran the story August 9th & 10th.
7) Newspaper - Top story on the front page of The Daily Herald on Saturday. They also posted another article about it on Monday.
8) Flyers & Signs - Started with paper signs, but now we are putting up nice, bright yellow in-the-ground signs as well. 
9) Direct Mail - We have 1,000 direct mail postcards going out to local residences this week...they're already in the mail.
10) Telemarketing - We have called 12 police stations and continue to, animal control for Cook, Lake, McHenry &  Dupage counties, shelters, veterinarians, homeless shelters, a racetrack, and so many other people it's hard to count.
11) Word-of-mouth - The amazing volunteers have been walking the streets searching from dawn until dark, talking to every dog owner they come across.
12) Car magnets - We now have cars driving around, including mine, with a magnet on both sides that has Digger & the associated info on them.

We have also had a helicopter do a search, we've had generous people providing psychic and medium sessions, trying to connect to Digger, help us understand what happened, and where he might be. We've cut up and left out our worn clothes, rattling his dog bowl, cranked YouTube videos of him howling with our kids, we've had the kids call out for him, we've hung out and played in parks with our other dogs, we've taken those other dogs on searches (one getting sprayed by a skunk), and we've still come up empty. We've also tried to enlist the help of dogs to help sniff him out, but haven't been successful in setting that up.

Again, please keep sharing. If there's something we've missed, happy to explore it. Digger is microchipped, so tell your vet friends to scan every dog that comes in without shot records. 


And, if you see Digger, DON'T CHASE HIM. Call 911, call or text me at 847-567-4550, and if you want to try to grab him, get down on the ground eye-level and call him...he's super friendly and will (pre-this experience...who knows now) come to you.  He's 40-45 pounds, a shepherd / beagle mix, brown hair w/ black & tan coloring, and his family & dog brothers really miss him.

Thank you!!!

Back to the Future of Consumer Engagement (via @PowerofReviews)

Republished from PowerReviews' blog found here: http://www.powerreviews.com/back-to-the-future-of-consumer-engagement/

It was 1995.  It was a time when people were washing their clothes on rocks, using chickens as barter to purchase goods, and written communication was as easy as strapping a note to a pigeon.  Or was it?  Maybe 1995 wasn’t so long ago.  Maybe less has changed in that 20 years than we thought.

HBR 1995: Psychology, Buyer Behavior, and the Evolving Ways We Learn and Engage

I was reading a couple of Harvard Business Reviews from 20 years ago…as I’m a bit of a geek about psychology, buyer behavior, consumer engagement and the reality of the rapidly evolving way we learn and engage.  Two issues in 1995…one in March of 1995 with an article titled, “Do You Want to Keep Your Customers Forever?”, and another in July of 1995 with an article titled, “Real Time Marketing” really stuck out.  Here are a few interesting quotes:

• “Today, consumers can get better information—information that is unbiased, comparative, accurate, and immediate—through on-line services, CD-ROM catalogs, and fax-response systems, and eventually they will be able to obtain it through interactive TV.”
• “As the continuing boom in catalog and home-TV shopping attests, consumers and organizations can buy goods and services over the phone and through dedicated on-line services as easily as, if not more easily than, in person, and security measures will almost certainly be in place soon that will make it possible to purchase products through the Internet.”
• “For retailers, the message is clear: if they want to maintain or increase their competitive advantage, they must begin establishing learning relationships with their best customers today.”

Yesterday’s eCommerce

What was “better information” back then?  Marketers were dealing with an exploding set of options with which to spend their budget dollar, get their message out, and engage their consumers…in 1995.  Buying goods and services from catalogs, over the phone, and through home-TV shopping was yesterday’s eCommerce.  Information availability was exploding, even if it included avenues like fax-response and CD-ROM.  But the advice was almost exactly the same as it is now…focus on establishing learning relationships with the consumer.  Your consumers are talking about you…be a part of the conversation.

Four Strategies for Establishing Learning Relationships with the Consumer

How do you do that?  The same article outlined four required strategies…that haven’t changed much in those 20 years:

1. Establish an information strategy for initiating dialogues with customers and remembering their preferences
2. Establish a production/delivery strategy for fulfilling what the company learns about individual customers
3. Establish an organizational strategy for managing both customers and capabilities
4. Establish an assessment strategy for evaluating performance

“The power of the new media lies in their ability to draw the individual customer into a conversation with the company.”  Yes…this was the message 20 years ago, and it fundamentally hasn’t changed.  While fax-response and CD-ROM catalogs have gone the way of washing your clothes on rocks, the question for all of us is…are we there yet?

TODD CAPONI / Author
As SVP of Sales, Todd is responsible for driving all sales activity across the organization and leading PowerReviews’ sales team. With more than 20 years of sales experience, Todd excels at driving sales for enterprise software organizations. Before coming to PowerReviews, Todd held various sales leadership roles at ExactTarget rebuilding a sales enablement program and turning around struggling sales teams. In addition to holding a variety of other sales leadership roles, he owned and operated a sales training and consulting company. During his tenure at Right Hemisphere, Todd was recognized with an American Business Award “Stevie” for his work as Worldwide VP of Sales.

- See more at: http://www.powerreviews.com/back-to-the-future-of-consumer-engagement/#sthash.wqL5mVC3.dpuf 

My @Skymall Eulogy: My Top 5 + 1 Products I'm Going to Miss

As apparently everyone seems to know, I'm a big fan of the Skymall catalog on my flights.  Over the past few years, once the electrical devices needed to be put in the "off" position, the Skymall was my take-off and landing entertainment.

Now, with Skymall seemingly coming to an end, the bandwagon has been hopped upon...with a number of articles highlighting the best products we're all going to miss.  In my eulogy to the Skymall, I've decided to write my own...Top 5 products I'm going to miss, plus an honorable mention.

#5 - The iGrow Laser Hair Growing Helmet.  "In weeks", after wearing this helmet, you'll get thicker, fuller looking hair.  You'll be alone, but at least your hair will be fuller.

#4 - The Men's Padded Butt Enhancer Brief.  First of all, this product should come with a free psychologist appointment.  However, I was especially interested in the fact that it's fast-drying...just in case.  It's breathable, too.  Whew!

#3 - The Hot Dog Scented T-Shirt.  I'm sure the cologne industry shuttered when they saw this...having spent years developing scents, probably over a lunch time hot dog, when the answer was right under their nose.  Smell like a hot dog all day long.  

#2 - The Paper Towel Dispenser / Power Adapter.  Because I want to have electricity running through the kitchen accessory that I only use when my hands are wet.  Brilliant!

#1 - The Power Nap Head Pillow.  This guy is sitting in public with this thing on...and there isn't a crowd around him?  Although I've matured a bit, that earhole would be an awfully attractive basketball hoop while waiting for a flight.  I must admit, this may not have come from the SkyMall catalog, but if it didn't, then who cares...it should have.  

Honorable Mention:  The Paligamist, Pajama Obsessed Dad.  It's not because these pajamas are so cheesy that I point this page out.  I just want to make sure this guy's 3 wives and 7 kids know that he's living a triple life.  A triple life with a strange addiction...to pajamas.

I'll be on multiple flights again this upcoming week...so I may be taking the copy with me as suggested, hoping it may someday be a collectible.