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Finding a Lost Pet
Visit Every Shelter
It's important that you visit every animal shelter in the County to look for your pet because animals can often wander far from home. It's also necessary for you to personally look for your pet in every shelter because the description you give of your pet over the phone may not be the description another person would provide for that animal. For instance, what one person considers a black dog with white markings may appear to another person as a white dog with black markings.
If you don't find your pet at a particular shelter, leave a lost report and current photo of your pet with the staff.
Act Fast
- Check each shelter daily until your pet is found. Don't assume that a shelter will house your animal any longer than several days.
- Notify people who are familiar with your pet that it's lost (i.e. local shops, milkman, postmen and neighbourhood children).
- Contact veterinary practices in your area. They may have "Lost and Found" bulletin boards in their offices.
- Read the "found" ads and take out a "lost" ad in your local community newspaper.
- If your neighbourhood permits it, post flyers in the area where you live.
Don't Give Up
Some pets are found after months and months of searching!
Why Pets Stray
One of the most common reasons a pet will stray from home is because it isn't spayed or neutered (also known as sterilized or altered) and is looking for another dog or cat with which to mate. Spaying or neutering your pet will eliminate your pet's reproductive instincts and, therefore, decrease the chances of it straying from home to search for a mate.
Your Pet's Ticket Home
Your dog or cat should always wear an I.D. tag with your present address and phone number. Make sure that the veterinary office where your pet received its last vaccination has your current address and phone number, too.
Your dog or cat's collar should fit around your pet's neck so that you can fit two of your fingers underneath the collar. If you have a puppy or kitten, adjust or change its collar as it grows. Cats and kittens should wear "break-away" safety collars.
In addition to wearing current tags, consider getting your dog or cat a microchip identification implant. If your pet ever loses its collar and I.D. tags, its microchip I.D. will help it return home to you. This is because many shelters and veterinary practices check lost pets for microchip I.D.'s with special scanners. For details about microchip I.D. implants, consult your veterinarian. If your pet has a microchip I.D. implant, make sure the registry for the implant's manufacturer has your current address and phone number on file, too.
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