My pet isn’t missing.
What can I do now in case it ever is?

ID TAGS

Your dog should always be wearing an ID tag with, at the least, your phone number (with an answering machine). It should also be registered with the local county and be wearing that tag. It should be wearing these at all times, even when in the house—the whole point is that you never know when a pet will accidentally get out!

Cats often can't be convinced to keep collars on, but you never know until you try…

MICROCHIPS

All pets should be microchipped. This is a tiny bead, about the size of a grain of rice, put under the skin between the shoulder blades. Each chip has a unique number which you register with the chip’s company. Shelters have scanners, and when an animal comes in, the first thing they do is scan for a microchip. If the animal has one, the scanner gives the number, the shelter calls the company and gets your name, address, and phone number.

NOTE: There has been some concern recently about microchips causing cancer. The tumors which were found were in 1% of a group of lab-mice which had been specifically bred to be prone to cancer.  The materials used in microchips are inert in the same way that a rod placed on a broken bone is inert.  There is always a chance that the body will react to something foreign, but the risks of your pet being euthanized in a shelter after being lost is MUCH greater than the chance of your pet getting cancer from a microchip.

PHOTOS

Take several good quality photos of your pet from different angles. Get several good face shots, whole body shots, side shots. If your pet is groomed, take pictures before and after. Keep these photos current, as their looks can change as they age. Give copies of the photos to someone outside of your house, in case of a fire, flood, or other disaster.

SCENT SAMPLES

This is especially helpful in multiple-pet households.  If you ever end up using a trailing dog, it's great to have a "clean" scent sample.  You're going to collect a sample to go inside of a ziploc bag, and you need to be sure not to touch the inside of the bag.  (From here on, the inside of the bag is the "clean" side, and the outside is the "dirty" side.  Holding the bag by the dirty side, peel it back around your hand, so the clean side is exposed.  (Don't touch this part!)  Take off the first few paper towels from a roll, and with the clean side of the ziplock, tear off the next one down.  (Don't touch the "clean" paper towel with your hand or the dirty side of the bag.  Rub this paper towel all over your pet--back, sides, belly, groin, tail, mouth.  Try to get some hair on the towel.  Without touching the paper towel or the clean side of the ziploc, turn it right-side-out, tuck in the paper towel, and zip it shut.  Put this in the freezer.  Theoretically, in a good freezer, scent should stay fresh indefinitely, but it's probably a good idea to repeat this process every 3 - 6 months to get a fresh sample.

DNA SAMPLES

A DNA sample is probably not ever going to be needed, but the two times it might would be if unidentifiable animal remains were found and you wanted to find out if it's your lost pet, or if your pet ever gets stolen and the new owners say you have no way to prove it's yours.

Buy a new box of q-tips.  Open it carefully, being sure not to touch the cotton part of the swabs.  Take a swab and rub it along the gums and cheeks of your pet.  Go ahead and use both sides, and even use a second one if you're not sure that you got any skin cells.  Hold the swabs by the center part, and don't set them down until the cotton parts are completely dry.  (At least 30 seconds.)  Roll a couple of paper towels off of the roll, and then just touching the very edge, pull off the next one.  Put the swabs in the center of the paper towel and fold it up.  Put this whole thing in a ziploc (without touching the inside of the bag), zip it up, and put it in the freezer.  Theoretically, in a good freezer, DNA should stay fresh indefinitely, but it's probably a good idea to repeat this process every 3 - 6 months to get a fresh sample.