Start looking for your pet IMMEDIATELY. The more you wait, the further your pet may travel. If you have a picture of your pet or a "Lost Animal" flyer (see at the bottom of this page), take it with you to show people you may encounter.

Leave a message on your answering machine and leave your machine ALWAYS on. You may want to leave your cell phone # on the message or forward your phone calls to your cell phone. Check the messages on your machine every hour (some people may release a found pet if their call is not returned quickly).

Call your friends and relatives and ask for their help.

Walk your neighborhood (with the picture or flyer, if you have one), first concentrating on 2 or 3 square block for cats and 5 to 6 for dogs. Search first in the direction you usually walk with your pet. Search your pet's favorite destinations (local park, friend's backyard, pet store...) Consider other nearby locations that your animal may be drawn to. If you moved recently, contact the new tenants at your old home.

Extend your search area to 20 blocks around your home. Search by car and on foot.

Call your pet loudly and often. Bring a leash and treats for your dog and squeak your pet's toy. A frightened pet may not want to come out of hiding: listen for whining or meowing.

If you see your dog, DO NOT CHASE HIM, he may enjoy the game of chase and run further. DO NOT FUSS OR YELL at him, he may prefer to stay away if he feels threatened. Be sweet, use baby talk, offer treats. If you are in your vehicle, open the door and invite him to come for a ride.

After an hour of search, make "Lost Animal!" posters with the information concerning your pet. Include:

a CLEAR PICTURE of your pet, preferably a full body color picture with a light background (if you don't have a good picture of your pet, you can create one by copying an image off the Internet. Use one of the major search engines, select images as the filter, put in a description of your dog and choose the closest one)

• The pet's name, breed, weight, size, age, color, markings, coat length and type, eye color, temperament and any distinctive sign.
• Your address and phone # (you may want to include your cell phone #).
• The place and date you pet was last seen.
• Write REWARD in big letters (do not specify what and how much), "Call anytime, ASAP" and maybe "Please, try to get the pet if seen".
• Including something like "May be cold and hungry" might touch people's heart and motivate them to keep an eye open.
• Write the important information in bold.
• Make sure your poster is catchy but clear and readable. If you live in a bilingual place, write it in both languages.
  
  

Make copies of your poster (preferably color copies) at your local library or copy shop and post them in your neighborhood. Make also flyers: smaller copies of your posters.

Distribute your flyer to people who spend time outside, both in and outside of your neighborhood, the mail carriers, the trash pick up services, the lawn services, the newspaper delivery persons, the park, UPS and construction workers... Place your flyer on car windshields.

Go door to door and distribute your flyers, this is very important: personal contact makes a difference and your pet may be hiding in somebody's yard or garage. DON'T BE SHY, think about your pet!

Later you may cover a wider area and leave posters in grocery stores, vet clinics, animal hospitals, pet stores, groomers, parks, intersections, school and play grounds, fire and police stations, church and synagogue bulletin boards, community bulletin boards, entry and exit to parks and grocery stores, bus stop for school. You may also want to mail your flyers to vet clinics, animal hospitals, pet stores, kennels and groomers you could not visit.

Within 24 hours, call the surrounding police departments, animal shelters, pounds (see our Links page), vet offices, kennels, groomers... You can also e-mail them the picture and description of your pet.

Visit the shelters and pounds IN PERSON as soon as possible. Once again, DON'T BE SHY! Ask to see the cages yourself, ALL the cages, including the ones in the back. Because the staff is sometimes overwhelmed and may not recognize your pet, make sure to leave a poster. EVERY DAY, visit the closest places, call the other ones. Be aware that shelters and pounds may keep stray pets only a few days before they euthanize them or place them for adoption!

Organize a search party. Give flyers to the children and teenagers of your neighborhood (motivate them by promising a reward, a party or something they would enjoy if they find your pet).

Put flyers and posters everywhere.

Leave food and/or a personal belonging with your scent on it near the entrance of your home. This may encourage your pet to stay in your absence.

Walk day and night where you think your pet may be. Be safe, go with somebody else and use a flashlight. Your dog will most likely sleep during the night and be out in the early morning.

Call the local radio stations, they often announce lost pets reports.

Place an ad with a picture in the local newspaper and in the classifieds as soon as possible as it may take several days before the ad appears (but beware of scams!)

Replace your posters as needed and take them down once your pet has been found.

Post the lost animal on the PetShelter Network, www.PetFinder.com and other on-line pet locator sites.

Visit the website of the local shelters, pounds, they sometimes post found animals on their sites.

You may ask the local shelters for a listing of their local members and mail/e-mail them your flyer. Or you may ask them to include your Lost Pet ad in their next mailing (a donation will help).

Check the Found section of your local newspapers every day.

Be thorough, persistent and DON'T GIVE UP. Continue your search for at least 6 months, pets can be recovered long after they disappeared.

 

Pets should ALWAYS wear a collar with ID tags.

Write the pet's name and a current phone # on the collar itself in big letters: tags wear off and a stranger afraid of dogs may not want to reach under your dog's chin to look at a tiny unreadable (but cute) tag.

Update the information on the tag and collar.

Neuter/spay your pets. They are less likely to stray away.

Train your pet. Your dog needs to be able to resist the temptation of an open door.

Good fences, gates, doors and windows are the basics. Check your yard frequently for potential escape routes. Keep all outside gates LOCKED.

Make sure your pet sitter knows and understand your security routine while you are gone.

Consider keeping your cat indoors only.

When outside, you dog should always be in a fenced area or on a lead. Never allow your pet to roam free outside your yard. Never leave your dog unattended in a vehicle or tied outside a business.

Prior to storms, bad weather or noisy holidays, confine your pet. In a panic, scared dogs often run away.

Leave your dog in a weatherproof kennel, in a closed garage or preferably inside your home when you leave and when workers need to enter your yard.

You can also have a pet id implanted between your pet's shoulder blades. Most shelters check for their presence on stray pets.

Keep current, preferably digital, pictures of your pet.

You may even want to create a Lost Animal flyer, ready to go, on your computer. It will save precious time if you ever need it!