When your pet is lost, putting up posters and signs on trees and lampposts in your neighborhood is not enough. Read on for information on what you can do to improve your chances of recovering your lost pet.
As soon as you are done looking for your pet in the general vicinity of the area in which (s)he might have been lost, it is time to put together a fact-sheet.
Here is a shortlist of details that you may want to put together on a single sheet of paper:
- Your name and address:
- Your contact details (home/work phone, email, etc.):
- Date and time your was lost:
- Location where your pet was lost:
- Type of Animal: Cat, Dog, Other:
- Specific Details about your lost Animal:
- Name:
- Sex:
- Age:
- Breed/Type:
- Type of Fur:
- Type of Tail:
- Ears:
- Does your pet have a Collar?:
- Does you pet have an Animal ID or a Tag?:
- Distinguishing Marks (Color, unique stripes, etc.):
- Is your pet fixed (neutered, spayed):
- Make a few copies of a picture that clearly identifies your lost pet
- If your pet has been microchipped by the Humane Society, notify the American Kennel Club Companion Animal Recovery hotline at 1-800-252-7894 immediately.
- If your pet has been microchipped elsewhere, notify them promptly
- Notify your veterinarian, as well as all local veterinary clinics. Considering that most rabies tags include the veterinarian’s phone number, it is possible that someone may have already notified your veterinarian.
- Place an Ad in your local newspapers in their Lost and Found section. Many newspapers allow free listing for lost animals
As soon as you have put together a document with the above details, you may want to send it (via email or fax) to pet shelters and humane society in your local area.
Your local area Animal Services Center may require you to fill out a written report. If so, don’t forget to include a photograph when you fill out such a report. Most animal shelters and Humane Society chapters would keep your reports on file for about three months.
Most animal shelters would hold stray animals for up to five (5) days before they would be put up for adoption, but your local pet shelters may have a different policy. Look through the kennels at least every three days.
You should not assume, however, that you would not get your pet back just because five days have passed from the date your adorable pet animal may have eloped. It is not uncommon that some people will care for an animal for many days or weeks before turning it in at the local Humane Society.
If your pet has been microchipped, but does not have a human-readable identifying tag, several days may pass before a shelter or a veterinarian retrieves the information stored on the microchip.
Therefore, it would certainly be a good idea to remain in touch with your local animal shelters and humane society for a reasonable length of time. You may also want to ask them to alert you if an animal meeting your pet's descriptions shows up in their facility. Check with your local TV/Radio stations to find out if they have a program that accepts Lost and Found alerts for Pets.
