WHAT DO I DO IF MY PET IS LOST?

**  When a Pet is lost or missing....time is of the essence.   DROP EVERYTHING  and  gather up as many people as possible immediately and assign them different tasks.

**  Several people should be physically looking for the Pet.

**  Call the Animal Shelter or Humane Society and report your Pet as Lost. In smaller rural areas there may not be an official shelter but an individual who takes in the strays and lost pets.  Try to find out who they are and how to get in contact with them.

**  In less populated towns you may want to contact the Police, Sheriff's and State Police Departments.

**  Contact any Breed Rescues in your area.

**  Physically go to the shelter at least once a day to check to see if your Pet is there.  Often times shelter workers are volunteers and can't recognize one breed from another or a male from a female.  It's true!

**  Advertise your lost Pet in the paper and cross check the Found Ads.  If your Pet is missing from somewhere other than its normal territory always leave something of yours that's familiar in case the Pet returns.

**  Contact your local Radio and Television Stations to see if they'll help you to get the word out.

**  You'll need to post fliers!    People need to be able to read the main context of the fliers    while driving past them.    Example:

LOST GOLDEN RETRIEVER REWARD PHONE NUMBER

 

**  If you can use a cell phone number, that's the best.  Pets can travel quickly and if a Lost Pet is sighted... be timely.

**  I suggest using colors that show up!  Gold Paper with Black lettering works great.   You can fill in the details in smaller print in between the main message on the fliers.

**  It's not a bad idea to include in the flier that your pet needs medication also.

**  Distribution should be as swift as possible....beginning with The Postal Service,  The Water and Gas Meter Companies and any other Services in your area where their employees have a lot of street coverage.   Ask them to put some fliers in the break rooms where their employees will see them.

**  Get a Staple Gun and plenty of Staples and start posting the fliers  on utility poles beginning in the area where the Pet was last known to be. Post the fliers on major corners where they can be seen easily by people driving past in their cars.  Just keep stapling.    Post some in your business area also.  I once posted over 300 fliers....two weeks later my Lost Golden Girl was back in my arms thanks to at least one of the 300 fliers.

**  Don't give up hope and don't quit searching for your lost Pet.  Some Pets are found several months later.

**  You may be able to get some help in your search through the Boy Scouts or Girl Scouts.  The grade schools may be willing to announce it in their classrooms also.

** Take the fliers by all of the Vet Clinics.... don't have them post them where the clients see them.  It's for their information only.  Add any physical details that may help the Vets and their staff identify your Pet. If someone should show up at their clinic with your Pet, they'll hopefully know the Pet doesn't  belong to them.  If the Vets posted the fliers where everyone could see them...chances are an opportunity would be missed since the person would be warned by the flier that the Vet's are also keeping an eye out for this particular pet.

I wish you the very best in finding your pet safe and healthy!

Copyright Barb Payne 1999. 
Permission to print, copy, and distribute for any noncommercial use granted provided copyright notice is reproduced.

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