When you have LOST A PET:

Update ID
Be sure your contact information is current with the microchip or tattoo ID registry and your veterinarian.

Contact Animal Services & Local Shelters
Someone may have already called or turned your pet into a local shelter. Ask what the holding requirements and days/hours of operation are. Fill out missing pet reports and provide a photo and/or poster. Visit Animal Services every day if possible to view newly found pets – calling is not enough.

Start Searching Immediately
The sooner you search, the closer to home your pet may be. Walk the area to help the pet detect your scent. Take your pet’s scented articles, favorite squeak toys, treats in a container to shake, a flashlight, and a picture of your pet. Talk to people in the neighborhood with picture in hand. Give out flyers if available.

Leave a Scent
Leave articles of clothing and/or bedding with your scent and the pet’s scent outside your home and near the pet’s favorite spots.

Find Pictures
A picture can be everything when identifying a lost pet. Digital pictures can be used when posting online ads and creating flyers. Prints are proof of ownership.

Hang Posters/Flyers - SAMPLE POSTER
Place posters/flyers in the area and on public bulletin boards at feed stores, grocery stores, markets, post offices, pet supply stores, groomers, schools, laundry mats, parks, and veterinarians. Restricted areas usually include mailboxes, utility poles, and traffic signs.

Other Places to Search - See PET SEARCH LINKS

Contact Veterinarians
Call all vet clinics in the area the pet was lost and give them a complete description. Ask if a poster can be placed in a window and provide one immediately. Be sure to call the Mother Lode Emergency Pet Clinic as well.

Advertise
Place ads in local newspapers and publications, on Pets Path Home, and other online lost and found pet sites and registries. Check the publications and websites daily.

Record a Message
Include a brief message on the answering machine or voice mail of the phone number listed in your ad and poster. Do this right before posters are distributed and ads are published.

Don’t Give Up!
Keep your contact information up-to-date with all resources and don't give up - reunions have been known to happen months, even years, after losing a pet.

Successful Reunion
Congratulations! Be prepared to present proof of ownership and matching ID through current rabies documentation, veterinary records, photo(s) of you and your pet together, papers, etc. Always offer to reimburse the finder for the pet's expenses and a reward, if applicable. You may also want to have your pet examined by your vet to be sure it's okay. Pull ads and remove all posters. Go home and love your pet!

PRINT THESE TIPS

When you have FOUND A PET:

Use Caution
A lost pet is often scared, disoriented, hungry, and thirsty, and doesn’t know that a stranger wants to help. The pet may also be ill or need medication. These conditions may cause aggression, so use caution.

Confine the Pet
Find a safe, comfortable, secure, and suitable place for the pet to stay, and provide cool drinking water. Keep the pet away from your own pets in case it is ill or becomes aggressive. Use judgement in providing food since it is unknown if the pet is on a special diet.

Check for ID
Collar: if there are no tags, check the inside and outside of the collar.
Tattoo: may be located on the ear, inner thigh, or near the belly area.
Microchip: any veterinarian will scan for a microchip free of charge.

Take Notes & Photos
Note the type of pet, breed, gender, approximate age, size, color, coat, distinguishing marks, and date and location where the pet was found. Digital photos may be used for flyers and lost/found pet registries.

Contact Animal Services
Animal Services must be contacted within 8 hours of finding a pet. They may already know who the owner is, or will be on alert for a match. Fill out a found pet report (also online). Take a picture of the pet or a poster into the shelter, or if possible, stop by with the pet so they can scan for a microchip, take a picture, and see the pet in person. Oftentimes, they recognize the pet and can give you the owner's contact information. You are not obligated to release the pet to Animal Services, but all attempts must be made to find the pet's owner for 2 weeks minimum before the pet can be kept, rehomed, altered, etc.

Contact Local Shelters
Contact local shelters, fill out found pet reports if available and provide a photo and/or poster.

Start Searching Immediately
Talk to people in the neighborhood with a picture of the pet in hand and give out flyers. Look at lost and found pet registries online including Pets Path Home and search lost and found sections of local newspapers and publications.

Other Places to Search - See PET SEARCH LINKS

Hang Posters/Flyers - SAMPLE POSTER
Place posters/flyers in the area and on public bulletin boards at feed stores, grocery stores, markets, post offices, pet supply stores, groomers, schools, laundry mats, parks, and veterinarians. Restricted areas usually include mailboxes, utility poles, and traffic signs.

Contact Veterinarians
Call all vet clinics in the area the pet was found and give them a complete description. Ask if a poster can be placed in a window and provide one immediately.

Advertise
Call local newspapers and publications and ask if anyone has advertised the pet as lost; if not, place a found pet ad. Many newspapers and publications advertise found pets free of charge. Post an ad on Pets Path Home and other online lost/found pet sites and registries. Withhold some details about the pet for later use as proof of pet ownership.

Record a Message
Include a brief message on the answering machine or voice mail of the phone number listed in your ad and poster. Do this right before posters are distributed and ads are published.

How Long?
Two weeks is reasonable; yet taking into consideration that the owner may have been out of town, ill, or other factors, a longer period of time may be necessary, if possible. Keep receipts - the owner (if found) should reimburse for reasonable expenses of the pet’s maintenance during this time.

Successful Reunion
Don’t assume the pet’s owner is actually the pet’s owner. This is when withheld information about the pet is used. The owner should be asked to present proof of ownership and matching ID through current rabies documentation, veterinary records, photo(s) of the owner and the pet together, papers, etc.

Unsuccessful Search
It’s very sad when a reunion cannot be made. The best solution always is to find a good, permanent home for the pet, but this may be difficult. Contact local organizations and rescue groups for information and assistance on how best to handle the situation.

PRINT THESE TIPS