THINK LOST NOT STRAY. (c) MPP

A dog or cat who has been lost for hours, days, or weeks might act fearful, skittish, might avoid human contact. It might have brambles and burrs in its fur. It might have ticks on it. It might be thin, thirsty, injured. What are the first words that come into peoples’ minds when they see this dog or cat?

“Abused. Abandoned. Feral. Mistreated. Starved. Unloved. Unwanted.”

What words should be coming into peoples’ minds?

“Lost, loved family member. Worried owners. Tears of relief!”

Look at it this way—if you were lost for hours, days, or weeks, you’d be in pretty poor shape, too. Yet nobody would assume that your family abused you or abandoned you. They’d assume that you’d been through a terrible ordeal and needed to get right, straight back to your loving family for recovery! It’s no different with pets.

What to do if you find a lost pet.

Check for a collar with ID tags. If there’s no ID tag but there’s a rabies or registration tag, try calling your local shelter to ask if they have owner information. Very often they will be able to give you the most recent name/phone number associated with that tag.

Take the animal to the local shelter to have it scanned for a microchip. The very best thing to do would be to leave the animal there, at the shelter—that’s where the owner is going to look to find it! You can always continue to check in on the status of the animal and retrieve it before the euthanasia date.  If you don’t feel comfortable leaving it there, at the very least you need to leave a picture and a Found report.  If the shelter is closed, take it to the nearest Emergency Vet--they have scanners there, too, and most should be willing to scan for a chip for free.

Check the neighborhood telephone poles and grocery stores for “Lost Pet” posters. Assume these are going to be the standard 8-1/2 x 11, white, easy-to-miss variety. Put up some large, neon Found Pet posters in the high-traffic areas of your neighborhood.

Print up some simple flyers saying, "Found dog/cat," with a brief description and your phone number.  Put these on the doors of the houses in a two to three block radius.

Call the newspaper and place a Found ad.  Go to the Internet websites and post the Found Pet there.