Tips for Finding Your Lost Pet

One in three pets will be lost in their lifetime. Better to have a plan of attack than a panic attack when your pet goes missing! 

Below are the critical first steps to take when you’ve lost your pet. And you may think "they'll never get out" – but I worked at an animal shelter for ten years, and believe me, no one expects their pet will be lost. So I also included some simple steps you can take right now, with Fluffy or Fido happily curled up at your feet, that will improve chance of finding him if he does disappear. 

IF YOUR PET GOES MISSING

Time is of the essence. As soon as you discover your dog or cat is missing, for the first hour, canvas your area by walking around and asking everyone you see if they've seen your lost pet. Give them your phone number in case they do. If you don’t have business cards, write your phone number 20 times on a piece of paper and cut it up to quickly hand out. Enlist your friends and neighbors to canvass too. Only have one person calling the pet's name, so your pet isn’t confused about which way to go.

1. Make "lost pet" flyers. The first batch doesn’t have to be fancy – 20 hand written flyers will do. The 2^nd hour your pet is lost, walk around your neighborhood again and post the flyers. When you find your pet, as a neighborly courtesy, make sure to take them all down. Here’s an easy free online lost pet flyer creator.

2. As the hours pass, post more flyers in wider circles. Even little dogs can travel fast, 3 miles in an hour is not uncommon. Most cats will stay close by. Put out an open can of tuna to draw them out of hiding. Check under bushes, inside neighbors garages, under your home.

3. Visit the East Valley and the Burbank shelters within a few hours. Leave a flyer, but understand they will not be looking for your pet. It is up to you. Visit the shelter every day, in person. Ask to look in the back/medical kennels. Look in every kennel yourself.

4. Both shelters list found pets at www.petharbor.com which updates hourly, so you can check that website frequently. Pets can be mislabeled, especially if your dog is a mixed or rarer breed. Don’t just search for "Shepherd" if your dog is a Shepherd mix. Try Lab, Collie, etc. too. 

5. Post an ad and look through the found pet ads on local websites, like Patch’s Announcements in Lost & found and on Craigslist in the pets section.

If you don't have the time to do these basic steps yourself, you can hire our local lost pet location service Ninja Dog Concepts. I was involved with them first-hand finding three dogs last year. You may have seen their Lost Bella posters in Toluca Lake this summer. 

There's a lot more you can do if your pet is lost! Check out these  reported here on Patch and the . Other ideas include making a Facebook page, organizing an intersection alert and many more on missingpetpartnership.org. 

BEFORE YOUR PET IS MISSING

1. Up-to-date ID on your pet at all times. Make sure the tag has multiple phone numbers, including your 24-hour emergency vet, and an ICE (In Case of Emergency) telephone number that is someone who can take your pet in if you are out of town or in an accident. Check your tags and collars regularly for wear not just on the engraving, but on the eyelet that the ring goes through, and the ring itself. Many tags, especially the cheap vending machine ones, wear out quickly. (That is one reason I offer only plastic and stainless steel tags on my WoofTags.com website, after seeing so many pets in shelters with unreadable worn out tags!)
2. Microchip. As a backup form of ID, in case the collar and tag come off, microchips are great. Getting your pet microchipped is a simple procedure much like a vaccination shot, using a needle, that takes a few seconds and no anesthesia needed. All vets offer microchipping, as does the SNPLA clinic at the East Valley animal shelter for just $10 walk-in.
3. Take a clear photo of your pet: a full body shot, standing up. This is likely how your pet would be seen if lost. You can even make a lost pet poster to have it ready to go, but at least have the photo in a really easy place.
4. Lock your gates with a padlock. Some unexpected (but common in our area) situations that can cause a pet to get lost are: a car accident, high winds blowing a fence down or gate open, and probably the number one reason dogs gets lost: gardeners leaving the gate open. That last one is so easily preventable!

Help local lost pets be found! If you see a lost pet flyer take a photo with your phone and post an announcement in Patch’s Lost & found here.