It’s every pet owner’s worst nightmare: Your furry friend is missing and you don’t know what to do. “The key is not to wait,” says Stephen Zawistowski, Ph.D. executive vice president of the ASPCA. “The sooner you start searching, the more likely you are to find your pet.”Use this step-by-step guide to ensure a reunion
- Step 1: The minute you realize your pet is missing, search your home carefully. He might just be hiding.
- Step 2: Bring a recent photo of your pet and knock on neighbors’ doors and ask if they’ve seen her.
- Step 3: Call all the animal control agencies, shelter (municipal & private) and rescue groups within 20 miles of your home. If your town doesn’t have an animal control department, call the police.
- Step 4: Make a “lost pet” flyer with photo, description, and contact info. Hand them out at dog parks and dog runs.
- Step 5: Post & read lost & found messages on online animal forums such as the Center for Lost Pets. Also, consider placing a classified ad in the local newspaper, most will you run one for free.
- Step 6: Put your pet’s bed or favorite blanket on the porch or in the front yard in plain site as invite to come home.
- Step 7: Check in with all local shelters in person. Sometimes it is hard to match them to a written description.
- Step 8: Don’t give in to doom-and-gloom thinking. Pets are more resilient than we give them credit for.
Best Lost-Pet Websites:
— www.hecenterforlostpets.com
— www.togethertag.com
— www.fidofinder.com
— www.tabbytracker.com
By Maridel Reyes
