PET LOST & FOUND SEARCHING TIPS

IF YOU LOST A PET:

(First check our “Found” gallery to see if your pet is there.)

1. Always post the clearest photo*** you have showing face and body type/markings. if you don’t know how to upload, see “How to Upload a Photo” in our Notes listed under our banner on the front page.

2. Post as much information as you can about your pet:

  • Name
  • Breed, color, size
  • Note the animal’s temperament
  • Markings, collar color
  • Day pet went missing
  • City, neighborhood and street missing from.
  • Your contact information, and if it’s ok to call you 24/7

**PLEASE NOTE: HELP ME HELP YOU: WHEN WRITING THE POST FOR YOUR LOST AND FOUND PET, PLEASE USE PROPER ENGLISH, PUNCTUATION AND GRAMMAR! I am spending too much time trying to figure out what some of you are writing and then even more time fixing it so your post communicates properly to those reading it. Please use periods at the end of your sentences and capitalize the first letter of new sentences!

3. IMPORTANT: After we repost your posting, you should make comments on updates under that posting and offer stories, info and pleas referencing how much you miss your pet. We find your interaction with our reposts and viewer comments get more shares… thousands more!

4. NOTIFY your local shelters! GO THERE and leave a poster! Also, Stevens Swan Humane Society has an online lost and found registry here: https://stevens-swan.org/contact/lost-pet/ . TIP: If you loose a pet, just don’t contact the local shelters and ask over the phone, or depend on anyone to scan your pet for its microchip. Go down and LOOK at all the pets there. We had an incident where someone asked a shelter worker if their lost pet was there and was told she wasn’t. It was. We also had a case where a shelter did NOT scan for a chip and the dog sat in jail for 2 weeks until the person who brought him there saw our post. In another situation, someone who found the dog shaved the dog and it looked nothing like the photo the family was circulating. You always have to be thorough..check with your own eyes! You know your pet better than anybody!

5. Notify your postal carrier! (and work people in the area.) If anything, leave a note, with a photo of your pet and phone number on your mailbox too, and ask the postal carrier to be on the look out!

6. Immediately post on http://www.lostmydoggie.com and other lost and found sites that reach statewide.

7. Contact animal control in your area, ( https://www.facebook.com/notes/mohawk-valley-pet-lost-found/local-animal-control-officers/596425037034551 ) and drop off flyer at your local shelters.

8. Check/ then Post on Craig’s list, not just on lost & found, but also under pets for sale. “Pet Flipping” is becoming more and more common: http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/07/15/pet-flipping-might-make-lost-pets-become-cash-cow/2517093/

9. Contact local veterinarians. You should repost the poster on local veterinarian sites. Check to see if they have a web site or Facebook page, find email address and email them the info with a photo. If they don’t, stop there and drop of a flyer.

10. Make flyers using a clear photograph and detailed description of the pet for placement in all locations of inquiry. Suggestions for flyer placement or distribution: Telephone poles, stores, gas stations, community centers, doggie parks and pet stores.

11. CHECK OUR FATALITY LISTINGS; Our members often post pets they see DOA at the side of the road and we keep track of them here: https://www.facebook.com/notes/moha…

12. SEARCH: GO DOOR-TO-DOOR and ask neighbors to check their garages & sheds. Ask if you can check their property. TRY SEARCHING MIDNIGHT-4:00AM when the night is quiet without sounds of daily life. Your voice will travel farther, and you will more likely be able to hear cries if your pet is trapped.

13. FOR CAT OWNERS: Place your cat’s litter box outside under a porch or in an open garage (safe from rain.) Also, keep dry food and fresh water handy. This will help draw your kitty back home.

14. PROFESSIONAL SEARCH HELP: If you have the financial resources, there is a tracking service out of New Jersey and one out of Maryland that proved to be helpful for several people. The service is pricey, running about $1000 for 3 hours, but there are times when it’s necessary. “Lost Pet Professionals” and “Dogs Finding Dogs” will drive up here and their dogs will locate the area of your dog and guide you in your search. (https://www.facebook.com/LostPetProfessionals ) (http://www.dogsfindingdogs.com/)

15. BUMPER STICKERS! They will reach farther than Facebook. Online places like http://buildasign.com will make them. Prices start at $2.99 and you can get 1000 at $.60 each. Can get them delivered next day.

16. IF YOUR PET IS A RUNNER, PLEASE WATCH THIS VIDEO! http://nodogaboutit.wordpress.com/2013/05/20/the-best-advice-for-capturing-a-lost-dog.

17. VISIT THE MISSING PET PARTNERSHIP WEBSITE: http://missingpetpartnership.orgThey have a wealth of fantastic information!

Lost cat behavior: http://www.missingpetpartnership.org/recovery-tips/lost-cat-behavior/

Lost dog behavior: http://www.missingpetpartnership.org/recovery-tips/lost-dog-behavior/

Displaced Cat behavior: http://www.missingpetpartnership.org/recovery-tips/displaced-cat-behavior/

Creating highly effective posters: http://www.missingpetpartnership.org/recovery-tips/posters-5555/

Panicked Pets: http://www.missingpetpartnership.org/recovery-tips/panicked-pets/

Is that MY cat? Changing Appearance of Lost pets: http://sonic.net/~pauline/mine.html

18. USING TRAPS

Best HOW TO TRAP video From HOPE FOR PAWS: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vKm…

Using a Humane Trap: http://sonic.net/~pauline/trap.html

Using a Humane Trap Part II: http://sonic.net/~pauline/trap2.html

 19. IF YOU LOST A BIRD: First, record your voice calling your bird, and the sounds she is familiar with. Post the video of your voice in your comments of your poster so if anyone sees her, they can try to lure her with your voice. Also, put the video through your car speakers and drive in your neighborhood with the volume up high. Wait a while in different areas to see if she appears.

19. DON’T GIVE UP. Keep looking for your lost pet, especially at animal control facilities. People often keep pets they find for several days (or weeks) before bringing or reporting them to the facility.

PLEASE!!! After you find your pet or find the lost pet’s home, report back here and to all the places that you left a poster with. This reduces existing paperwork and increases the agencies’ ability to match other lost pets with their owners. We also would love to be able to post a reunion photo with a story!

IF YOU FOUND A STRAY PET:

1. Check through our “Lost” gallery to see if that pet is listed.

2. Take a photo of the pet you found and post it here noting:

3. Note whether you are holding on to the pet until owner is found, or if you dropped him off at shelter.

4. NOTIFY LOCAL SHELTERS!

5. Notify your postal carrier! (and any work people in the area.) If anything, leave a note, with a photo of the pet you found on your mailbox and ask the carrier if the pet looks familiar to them.

6. If you have more than one person claiming the animal, drop the pet off at the nearest shelter and let them decide who owns the animal. They are trained with dealing with that, and that actually becomes a civil matter that you do not want to be involved in. We’ve already had 2 cases since November that went terribly wrong and the “finders” got caught in someone they didn’t want to.)

7. Immediately post on http://www.lostmydoggie.com and other lost and found sites that reach statewide.

8. Check/ then Post on Craig’s list and Facebook Marketplace

9. AND PLEASE!!! MAKE PEOPLE PROVIDE PROOF SHOWING THE PET YOU ARE TURNING OVER TO THEM IS REALLY THEIRS. There are so many dark, evil people out there.

Thank you all for helping us all!

MVPLF

OTHER RESOURCES:

https://www.pethub.com/content/tips-help-get-lost-dog-home

Cat in the Bag: http://www.catsinthebag.org/

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