If there was a list of “Top Ten Horrible Things That Can Happen to Pet Owners,” a lost dog would be right there at the top.
Losing a pet is an awful feeling and it can happen all too easily— your dog slips his collar during a walk, a cat wiggles out through a loose screen, or your bird flies away because you forgot she was out of the cage when you answered the door. To make matters worse, Lost dog statistics are pretty grim — one in three pets will go missing in his or her lifetime, and less than 20{65e2db858ac1ac16a1d3a88427e0552dfedcf6a36460683254b8186ac70cdbfc} of dogs and 2{65e2db858ac1ac16a1d3a88427e0552dfedcf6a36460683254b8186ac70cdbfc} of cats will ever return home
In those first few frantic hours after a pet goes missing, it can be tough to focus on what needs to be done. However, having a plan of action set up in advance will make things a lot easier.
Here’s what you need to do to find a lost dog or pet:
Put a Description and Photo on Social Media
Include the pet’s last known location, your contact info, distinguishing characteristics and behavior notes (friendly, do not approach, anxious, etc.) in the description of the photo. Ask your friends to share the post far and wide; sometimes the sighting report that comes from the friend of a friend of a colleague five times removed is the information that will bring your pet home.
You can find any number of lost pet flyer templates online. Fill one out in advance for all of your pets, so you don’t have to search for the right picture after they go missing.
Post on Lost Dog Boards and Apps
There are many apps out there for missing pets: ASPCA, Lost Pets USA (and/or your local version of Lost Pets) and various iOS and Android apps. Find one that has good coverage, is easy to use and will work on your phone. Stash a photo and important information on your phone (or email it to yourself) so you can create an alert on the fly.
Apps like PiP and Finding Rover use facial recognition software to help identify lost pets. If your pet is listed with a microchip registration or lost pet service like PetHub, PetKey, 24PetWatch, or HomeAgain, activate an alert there as well.
Put Up Lost Pet Flyers
Don’t discount the effectiveness of old-school paper flyers posted or handed out at dog parks, dog runs, shelters, intersections, vet offices, retail outlets, trees, lamp posts, and schools. Ask your friends and family to help you cover as much territory as possible, spreading out in concentric circles from the last known sighting.
Check In with Animal Control and Local Shelters
Your pet might be picked up as a stray or turned in by someone in the neighborhood. Call or visit all of the shelters or facilities in your area on a daily basis until your pet is found. If there are no shelters or rescues near your home, contact a non-emergency number for your local police.
Ask for Help
Pull in all those favors and trot out the emotional blackmail if necessary. You can’t mount a successful search without help; the more people who participate in the search, the more likely it is your pet will make it home.
Gather Your Pet’s Information in Advance
Pull together the following list of information in case you ever need it:
- Photo, description, microchip and tag info
- A lost pet template, with basic info already included
- List of lost pet websites and apps, with your login info
- Contact info for police, shelters, and animal control facilities
- Contact info for all of the friends who can help you search
- List of places where you can post flyers (vets, stores, dog parks, etc.)
Give all of this information to your dog walking or pet sitting service, along with instructions for deployment in your absence.
And, most importantly — get your pets microchipped, tagged and registered, and keep that information up to date at all times.