How to Search for Your Lost Pet

Losing a pet is very stressful, but don’t panic. You need to stay calm to help your pet find his way home. Here is a check list of what you can do when you realize your pet is missing.

Post your lost pet to Pets911

If everyone posted to a centralized source, like PETS911, the number of pets who find their way home would skyrocket! More and more people are using the Internet for daily tasks and lost and found pets are no exception. It is not uncommon for us to hear that a family looked for a week, then as a “last resort” posted on PETS911 and got their pet back within a couple hours. PETS911 works!

Closer than you think / Go farther

• Immediately search the surrounding area, calling your dog’s name and listening for a response.
• Get as many people to help as you can because there is a lot to do and time is of the essence.
• Search around any roads in the area in case the dog or cat got hit. It’s not a nice thought but the sooner you can get your pet to a vet, the better.
• Before you venture out into another neighboorhood, check close to home. In many cases, pets don’t go very far. It is not uncommon for a house cat, for example, to get scared and hide in the neighbor’s bushes, too afraid to come out. So be sure to thoroughly search your immediate area before concentrating on areas farther away.
• It seems contradictory, but be sure you check further away from your home after you have search close by. As time goes by, pets - especially dogs - can travel 30 miles a day and more. Also, a good samartin who lives elsewhere may have picked up your pet for safekeeping.

Create flyers

• Post a photo and brief description of your pet. Post them at stores, vet offices, groomers, and anywhere else that will let you put one up. Make sure to include a phone number that is always available.
• Put out large, colorful signs about your lost dog. Someone knows what happened to your dog, but you have got to get them to see your signs, so they know how to contact you.

CHECK LOCAL SHELTERS DAILY

• Finally, and perhaps most importantly, continue to visit your local shelters every day. Don’t rely on the kennel attendant’s description of an animal; what is brown to one person can be red to another, or tan to yet another. Check the shelters for yourself! Get a list of shelters near you. If you don’t see a shelter close to your home, check the yellow pages.

Hide & seek

• Pets often hide in weird places when they’re lost. Look for your pet in unusual places around your home, including outside storm drains and ditches.
• Don’t be shy about looking in your neighbor’s backyards and wooded areas.
• Be sure to check any creeks, lakes, etc. because the dog may go there for water.

Talk to your mail carrier, everyone

• Your mail carrier, newspaper delivery person or anyone who is regularly in your neighborhood often notices wandering animals, especially during the early hours, or late at night

Door-to-door

• Go door-to-door to your neighbors with a flyer and ask if they have seen your pet. Some neighbors may be willing to help look.

Newspaper

• Put an ad in your local newspaper. It not uncommon that your pet might have wandered further than you think. Maybe someone picked him up and he’s clear across town, and the newspaper reaches a large area and increases the chances of hime coming home.

Common Scents

• If you have to go to work, or to sleep, you can leave out your pet’s favorite food in a dish, luring him with the scent.
• If you prefer not to leave out food, since it may attract other animals, try leaving a T-shirt or blanket with your scent or your pet’s scent. Animals have a much more sensitive sense of smell than humans and it is possible for them to smell it from a distance.

Be On Call

• Put a message on your answering machine/voice mail that says, “If you are calling about our lost pet, we are out looking for him/at work/sleeping (or whatever the case may be). Please call us on our cell phone at 555-555-5555.”
• You may also want to put an auto-responder on your email with a similar message as above.

Found stolen?

• Maybe you’ve found your pet, but someone claims that she isn’t yours. If you believe your pet was stolen, contact the police or sheriff to file a police report. You should also contact your local animal care and control facility for assistance.

Alert local vet offices

• Contact the veterinarians in your area. Let them know your pet is missing, and if he or she is turned in to their office and needs care, you will pay whatever amount (or up to a certain amount) to take whatever measures are needed to save his or her life. Give them your phone numbers in case they need to call you to confirm identity or if they need a credit card to start treatment.