Jennifer G.
3 years ago
If you have LOST or FOUND a pet, please take the time to read this. It can greatly increase your chances of finding your pet or the pet owner.
Don't waste any time starting the search. For locating your pet, your chances of finding your baby is significantly higher in the first 24-48 hours.
Did you find someone's Pet? First, thank you for opening your heart to get the little one off the streets and to safety.
Whether you've lost or found a pet, ACS - Animal Control Services is the first place you should contact. Give them your info.
If you've lost your pet, State law allows them to put the pet up for adoption or euthanize after just 3 - 5 days...depending if micro-chipped or not. Please make the first couple of days of your search count.
Put something of yours that has your smell outside the house...dirty socks, shirt, etc. For cats, put the cat box outside, too. This will let your baby know where home is.
PUT POSTERS UP ASAP!
• Whether the animal is missing or has been found, you'll need to put up posters...not everybody uses social media. Some don't even have access to it.
https://www.pawboost.com/lost-pet-flyer-template.
• Put the posters in plastic sheet protectors to keep them dry...put the open end at the bottom and tape shut. Use thumbtacs where possible or tape that will hold up in the rain. If the finder of your pet doesn't see a sign, they may think the pet is abandoned.
IMPORTANT TO READ..GREAT ADVICE!
https://www.missinganimalresponse.com/neon-posters/
• Hang posters in your car windows, community mailboxes (next to the box or on the newspaper holder), guard gates, groomers, veterinarian offices, pet shops, give to your mailman, UPS, FedEx, AMAZON, other subdivisions, shopping malls, dog parks, coffee shops, etc. Put them in well lit places and at eye height. Keep track of where you posted so you can remove them later.
• Important to withhold at least one identifying mark or characteristic of your lost pet...in case you need it later to verify that a person has actually found your pet and is not trying to scam you.
MICROCHIPPED PETS
• FOUND PET: Take to a Vet's office or Petsmart to have the animal scanned for a microchip. Even if contact info is outdated, ask if they will use the old info to search online for the owner's new info. If the owner never registered the chip, you can still ask the service to contact the Vet or facility that inserted the chip. Hopefully they will have the owner's info.
• Post on as many lost and found sites as possible. It greatly improves the chances of the owner seeing your post. Remember that they have no clue where you are posting...and there are a lot of different places to post.
• Found Pet
Get proof of ownership!
The person claiming to be the owner should have vet bills with the animal's name and bread listed, possibly an American Kennel Club (AKC) certificate, microchip # and paperwork, Rabies Certificate or Waiver, Vaccine Records, family photos with pet, etc.
Before you give the owner their pet, snap a pic of their driver's license, have them call you from their cell so you know it's their number, and then a pic of them holding the dog by their car and plate #. This all helps just in case something goes wrong with the actual ownership status.
• LOST PET
Most folks will end up taking your pet to a local vet or Petsmart to have the microchip scanned. If your pet is chipped, call the chip company ASAP to update contact info and details.
https://www.petmicrochiplookup.org/participating_companies.aspx.
• PET NOT MICROCHIPPED? Some pet owners don't even realize their pet may have a microchip. Your vet or where you adopted/purchased your pet will likely have the chip number. Call them now to verify. If your pet actually is chipped, contact the chip company to provide your information.
• REHOMING an animal
Please don't rehome someone's animal until you have exhausted your search efforts for the owner. Remember that it can take time to find the owners or for them to find you.
• Pets are no different than our children. We love them so very much. Rehoming someone's pet before even searching for the owner will totally devastate them.
• If you can't continue to care for the found animal, find a qualified foster (ask your Vetinenarian) or contact a rescue that will search for the owner...be sure to ask if they actually search for the owner or if they just post the pet on their own rescue site and list it for adoption...that is not searching for the owner.
OWNER & FINDER
• Place an Ad in Your Local Newspaper For Lost or Found Pets!
• Keep a list of where you posted flyers and what online sites you posted on.
• Keep in mind that the animal could've been picked up and taken to another part of town or even out of town. Post in the local and statewide sites listed below. The rescues/shelters from other cities may have your animal. I have located many animals that were in small town shelters/rescue groups that owners never even checked....many were a couple miles from their home while others were 30+ miles away.
• Only posting on the Nextdoor app and Facebook really limits the exposure. Some may never see your post.
• Post the animal on as many online sites as possible. Hopefully, the finder/owner will be visiting one of those sites, too.
• Create a new email account for the posters/online posts so incoming emails doesn't get mixed up with your other emails. Make sure to add the new email account to your cell phone for easy access.
• Include where the animal was last seen or found...major cross streets, community name, city, zip, date missing or found, male/female, etc.
• Make it easy for someone to contact you. Add your cell phone number and email to the post. People need to reach you ASAP! What if your pet is running in and out of traffic and no one can catch them? But then someone sees your post. Wouldn't you want them to call and/or text you so you could get there right away? Don't make someone jump through hoops to contact you. A pet owner should be happy with being inconvenienced by lots of calls and/or emails. That means people are helping you. Getting your baby back home really needs to be priority number one.
• The animal's picture makes or breaks the chances of someone identifying the animal or not. Find a pic that best represents what they looked like the day he/she went missing, one with the hair grown out, and one with a fresh haircut.
• Include clear front & side views so all markings are shown.. You'll want your animal's pic fully visible for the people scrolling through the many posts. The markings on the face, chest and feet are always helpful when searching.
• If you just found the animal and the baby is hot, panting, its mouth open and tongue hanging out, it might be best to give it a few minutes before taking a picture. Wait for them to get a drink, cool down, and relax a few minutes. This will provide a better photo for others to help match up the owner's photo.
• List anything unique about the animal...front paws are white, scar on left ear, left ear tipped, blind in right eye, microchip tattoo (usually right ear or inside of the thigh, etc.)
• Respond to ANYONE that comments on your posts ASAP....not just the ones that call or email you.They need to know you are thankful and appreciative of their help. They are being your eyes and ears.
