Step one: look for digging before you look for distance
Look for signs of digging first when a Glen of Imaal Terrier goes missing, because this powerful, low-built breed solves fences by going under them. Inspect every fence base, gate bottom, and shed edge for fresh soil, a widened gap, or a board pushed from below. Check under decking, inside open burrows along banks, behind turf and peat stacks, and in any quiet earth or drain he could enter. Call his name toward each opening, then stay silent and listen for movement, scratching, or breathing rather than a bark; a Glen working underground is famously quiet, and owners who rely on hearing a reply can stand metres from their own dog and miss him.
Step two: keep the home opening ready for a tired terrier
Keep his way back open and comfortable while a Glen of Imaal Terrier is missing. Leave the gap or gate he used as it is, set his bedding and a piece of your worn clothing beside it, and place strong-smelling food and water just inside. Terriers who have spent themselves digging and hunting often return footsore and hungry toward evening, and a familiar, easy entry matters more than a perfect repair job that day. Have a household member remain at home and check the anchor point regularly, since a Glen will slip in quietly without announcing himself.
Step three: get neighbours checking earths and quiet corners
Get neighbouring land checked at terrier level when a Glen of Imaal Terrier is out, because his likely refuges are scattered across gardens, smallholdings, and field edges. Ask each neighbour to inspect burrows, gaps beneath sheds and cabins, woodpiles, compost bays, and any bank where badgers or rabbits work, and to listen. Share a photograph that shows his long body, short bowed front legs, rough wheaten or blue-grey coat, and strong head, and mention his size so people do not confuse him with a smaller, lighter terrier. If someone finds a freshly dug entry with sounds below, they should keep the area quiet, note the spot, and phone you at once instead of digging unsupervised.
Step four: report him with an accurate, uncommon-breed description
Report a missing Glen of Imaal Terrier the same day with extra care over description, because most finders and many staff will never have met the breed. Contact the microchip registry to flag him missing and confirm your phone number, then shelters, rescues, and veterinary practices, spelling the breed name and describing him as a long, low, powerful rough-coated terrier in his actual colour. Post a clear side photograph with last-seen time and place in local groups, and alert terrier community groups too, since enthusiasts recognise a Glen instantly. Ask finders to secure him indoors, because a garden fence that holds another dog may not hold a rested Glen.
Step five: treat a possible entrapment as time-sensitive
Treat possible entrapment seriously if your Glen of Imaal Terrier has not been found and digging signs point underground. A dog in a narrowing earth faces rising heat, falling air quality, and exhaustion, so if you identify a likely occupied burrow, keep people and other dogs away, speak to him calmly from the entrance to help him orient, and seek guidance from animal rescue services, the fire service's non-emergency route, or experienced local terrier workers before moving soil. Once he is out, arrange a veterinary check the same day even if he walks away strongly, because soil in the eyes, bites, and dehydration hide well under a harsh double coat. While neighbours fan out across banks and sheds, KinsLe via its Lost Pet Alert System keeps the alert in front of nearby members, and the walker who notices fresh digging on a quiet lane can message you in the moment.