WHAT TO DO IF YOU LOSE A PET
As soon as you find out that your dog or cat is missing, search the neighborhood,
calling its name. Tell your neighbors that your pet is missing and show them a recent
picture. Notify your mail and news paper carriers, they work on a daily basis and can
become familiar with neighborhood pets.
Create flyers with a good description or picture of your pet and your telephone
number. Post them throughout your neighborhood, on local bulletin boards (grocery
stores, etc.) and at schools.
Run a “Lost” advertisement several times in the local newspaper’s classified section
and be sure to check the “Found” ads.
Visit all the pounds and shelters in your area, your pet may be there, waiting for you.
If your pet is not there the first time you visit, try to visit these shelters a couple of
times a week and continue to do so for a while. Leave a picture of your pet and your
phone number with the shelter workers.
Many people who find a pet, keep a lost dog or cat for several weeks before turning
it in to the animal shelter. Lost pets have been known to wander the streets for
weeks or months.
Dog owners generally will come to the animal shelters to look for their lost dogs, but
it is a rare cat owner that comes to the shelter when they have lost a cat. There are
many cats in the animal shelters that have been brought in as strays. By the cat’s
manner, apparent good health and friendliness, they know it had a good home but its
owner never comes to claim it. They are either adopted out to a new family or
euthanized.
WHAT TO DO IF YOU FIND A
PET
If you find a lost pet, check to see if there is personal identification on
the collar. If there is, call the owners and hold the animal for them.
If the pet has just a license tag, call the shelter or veterinarian and give
them the license number listed on the tag. They can look up in their
records the phone number of the owners, so that you can call them.
But if there is no personal ID or license, you must call your local animal
shelter and ask them to pick up the animal or take the animal into the
shelter yourself. Caring owners of lost animals will go to the animal
shelters to find their lost pet.
If you would like to have the animal for a pet yourself, be sure to inform
the animal shelter that if the owner does not claim the animal, you would
like to adopt it. Phone the animal shelter every few days to see if its
owners have claimed the animal. If it is not claimed after the holding
period, then you may go to the shelter and adopt the animal.
You can still help the lost pet after you have turned it over to the animal
shelter by watching the lost and found ads in the newspaper. Also, look
at the ads posted on trees, signs, lamp posts and on bulletin boards
around town or at schools. Describe the pet to your mail and newspaper
carrier because they are often familiar with neighborhood pets.
If you do see an ad that matches the description of the pet you found,
call the owner and tell them that you have found a pet of that description
and it is at the animal shelter.
It is important to remember that the key to getting your pets returned
or returning someone else’s pets is an identification tag!
All pets should have them, your dogs and/or your cats. Please don’t forget
cats that are indoor pets. They are particularly vulnerable, if they were to get
out, they could easily become lost because they are not at all familiar with
their outside surroundings.
