If your pet has gone missing, the first thing you need to do is walk around the block. You want to establish that the pet really is missing and has not been hit by a vehicle and is lying on the side of the road somewhere. Once you have confirmed the pet is not nearby you need to call your local shelter, or whoever deals with lost and found pets in your area. This could be an SPCA, a city pound, or a Humane Society. If you do not know who to call, phone your vet, some larger centers may have more than one place to call.

It is very important you call within 24 hours of your pets disappearance. Many shelters have a 72 hour policy. Which means that if your pet is not tattooed or microchipped, legally they only have to hold it for 72 hours before it is considered to be their property and they can euthanize it or put it for adoption after that. This also applies to injured animals. They cannot even treat a suffering injured animal for 72 hours without an owners consent. Generally with tattooed or microchipped animals they have to wait five to ten days.

Photo by owner.  This cat was left on my property when his owners moved away. 

So, call and file a lost pet report. If you have not heard back in 24 hours to go the shelter and look at the lost pets they have, it is possible they have your pet but your description and theirs are different. You would be surprised at how many people do not know how to correctly describe their pet. Bring a photo they can attach to your report.

You also want to check your area again. Call for the pet, and listen. In cities it is not uncommon for a cat or dog to get itself locked in somebodies garage or shed. Put notices in the mail boxes of your neighbours. Put posters, ideally with photos, up where possible. Offer a reward. Call the local radio stations, in some areas they will put this on air or many have a recording you can listen to.

Put an ad in the newspaper. Sometimes newspapers have a free listing in the classifieds for lost and found pets, but even if you have to pay for an ad it will be worth it. Again, I suggest offering a reward. How you write newspaper ad is very important. The name of the pet wont help identify it, and if it is not a commonly known breed that wont help either, so you are best to give a basic description. Such as “a fluffy, grey, and black medium sized dog”, rather than saying Keeshond. Or say “a multi colored short haired cat”, rather than saying a DSH Torbi. Make sure you include your phone number, if you can afford to have a photo included in the ad, that may help as well.

What next?

Most lost pets are recovered in the first two weeks or not at all, but it is not unusual for one to be recovered after several months. Call the shelter once a week, or go in and check again. It is possible somebody has taken in your pet thinking it was a stray. In most places this is actually a crime and can be considered theft, however, this is not a fact many people know. When a pet is found people may keep it, but they MUST report finding it so you have a chance to retrieve it. I would allow at least three months before giving up hope. Also do not discount that somebody may have taken your pet and dropped it far away. As such if you get a call about a pet matching your description from the other side of town, do not discount it.

If you do recover your pet, remove all posters, and call the shelter to remove your lost pet file. Take precautions so your pet does not go missing again. Get identification on the pet. A collar is easy to spot and gives people an idea that the pet is owned. Tattoos are another good identification tool. Microchips are gaining popularity but, as they are not visible, you should also have a collar on your pet. Take several accurate photos of your pet so you can use in the event he or she goes missing again.

Good Luck!

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