What to Do if Your Pet Becomes Lost

Did you know that The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) estimates 6-8 million animals enter shelters each year? And of those, only about 30 percent of dogs and less than 5 percent of cats are reunited with their owners? 

How would you be able to identify your pet if it were lost? Is your pet tagged, chipped or tattooed?  

Collars and Tags – Outfit your pet with a collar and tags that include your pet’s name, your name and contact information, your veterinarian’s contact information and rabies vaccination information. Be sure to keep the collar on your pet at all times. Consider adding your pet sitter’s name as a secondary contact.

Microchip Identification System – This option involves implanting a capsule under your pet’s skin. If your pet is lost, its microchip can be scanned for relevant information that you provide to one of the registering agencies.

Tattoo Identification System – This is a permanent identification system that involves marking a code on your pet’s skin. The person who finds your pet can then call whichever registry is associated with the tattoo to find the owner’s contact information.

The HSUS recommends following these steps to help increase the chance that you and your pet will be reunited if the unthinkable ever happens and your pet becomes lost:

• Contact local animal shelters and animal control agencies.

File a lost pet report with every shelter within a 60-mile radius of your home and visit the nearest shelters daily, if possible. To find your local shelter go to Pets911 or check your phone book. If there is no shelter in your community, contact the local police department. Provide these agencies with an accurate description and a recent photograph of your pet. Notify the police if you believe your pet was stolen.

• Search the neighborhood.

Walk or drive through your neighborhood several times each day. Ask neighbors, letter carriers and delivery people if they have seen your pet. Hand out a recent photograph of your pet and information on how you can be reached if your pet is found.

• Advertise.

Post notices at grocery stores, community centers, veterinary offices, traffic intersections, online at Pets911and Findtoto.com, at pet supply stores and other locations. Also, place advertisements in newspapers and with radio stations. Include your pet’s sex, age, weight, breed, color and any special markings. When describing your pet, leave out one identifying characteristic and ask the person who finds your pet to describe it.

• Be wary of pet-recovery scams.

When talking to a stranger who claims to have found your pet, ask him to describe the pet thoroughly before you offer any information. If he does not include the identifying characteristic you left out of the advertisements, he may not really have your pet. Be particularly wary of people who insist that you give or wire them money for the return of your pet.

• Don’t give up your search.

Animals who have been lost for months have been reunited with their owners. A pet—even an indoor pet—has a better chance of being returned if it always wears a collar and an ID tag with your name, address and telephone number. Ask your local animal shelter or veterinarian if permanent methods of identification (such as microchips) are available in your area.

To find a professional pet sitter in your area, visit the PSI Locator.

Reprinted by permission of The Humane Society of the United States.