Create an Action Plan for Finding Your Lost Dog

Step 1: Submit to the National Lost Pet Database

Make sure to submit your pet’s details to the National Lost Pet Database to make sure that if he/she turns up at a shelter that they recognize the pet as being yours and will be able to contact you.

Step 2: Put Up Lost Pet Posters

Create a Lost Pet Poster, attach a photo and fill in the details, and photocopy it for distribution around the area where your pet was last seen. Visit local newsagents and supermarkets and ask that they place it in their window. Leave a poster attached to their door if they are not home. Offer a reward, but don’t state the amount.?It is advisable to leave several identifying marks off your poster, and if the person who claims to have found your pet cannot describe these features they may not have your pet, and may simply be trying to get the reward.

Step 3: Look For Your Pet!

Walk around the neighborhood looking for your pet! And be sure to make some noise – animals can hear you from great distances. Have all your family members call the pet’s name. It’s important to stop regularly, be quiet, and listen for your pet to make a noise in reply. Bring a powerful flashlight (even during daylight hours) for checking in dark spaces – injured animals tend to hide in dark spaces.??

Step 4: Phone Vet Clinics

Call local veterinarian offices during the day. After 5 PM, call veterinarian emergency clinics. Find out if your pet was injured and taken to any of these offices or clinics for treatment. If your pet has been killed in a road accident, Animal Control should contact you if they find your pet dead along the road.?

Step 5: Visit Animal Shelters

Find your local animal shelters and visit them every day or two. It works well if several family members can take turns visiting the shelters. Leave a picture of your pet and your phone number at each shelter.?

Don’t Give Up! Pets have been known to find their way back home after being lost for several months, or even years.