Finding a Lost Pet

Thursday, July 5, 2012 - 10:15am
dog sitting outside

More pets are lost on the Fourth of July than any other time of year. It’s a heartbreaking scenario for pet parents, but swift action and major networking can increase the odds that you will be reunited with your cat or dog.

We recently surveyed more than 1,000 households with pets across the country to find out if they had lost a dog or cat in the past five years—and if they did, did they find that pet and where did they look?

Of those pet guardians surveyed, 15 percent had lost a dog or a cat in the past five years, and 85 percent of those lost dogs and cats were recovered.


The study's findings suggest the following are key when recovering a lost pet:

  • Searching immediately when one knows the pet is lost;
  • Searching within the neighborhood first through visual searches as well as posters and online; and
  • Checking local shelters from the first day your pet is lost.

If your pet is lost, it’s important not to panic. Enlist the help of all of your friends and neighbors and hit the streets! Read our extended article on Finding a Lost Pet for more information and helpful hints.

Tags: 
Pet Care

Comments

Wed, 07/11/2012 - 15:41 — Julia (Visitor)
Make sure that the signs/fonts are big enough so that passing cars can read the most important facts: "Lost Dog/Cat, Black/Tan Poodle" and a phone number. Also, signs at intersections are good because you get more traffic looking at your info. Best of luck!

Fri, 07/06/2012 - 12:09 — Michelle May (Visitor)
My cat slinked right out the door TWICE yesterday...and keeps crying to go back out there! Thank you for these wonderful tips! We live on a busy road and I'm terrified that he'll dart into the street! Luckily yesterday he was slow enough to be grabbed! Maybe it's time for a Harness and leash so he can go out and be protected!

Fri, 07/06/2012 - 15:42 — Julie Christensen (Visitor)
Hi Michelle. We have a cat who lives indoors but will attempt escape, when he can. We have a good harness and retractable leash for him to use on the deck or in the yard, when we are out with him. It works great and allows him to be outside with us & our dogs. We also have a pet stroller for walks in the park, that he also loves. Good luck to you if you decde to try either of these types of equipment. Julie.

Fri, 07/06/2012 - 19:03 — Laura S (Visitor)
Hi Michelle, Do you live in a house where you could build a cat enclosure? If you look online, there are tons of cool ideas. My mom has one on her back porch. Her cats (8!), go outside via a small dog door that leads them into the cat enclosure, they have perches, bedding, a litter box, etc. They get to go outside safely this way. If you can't build a cat enclosure, definately have your cat wear a collar with identification in case he gets away from you.

Fri, 07/06/2012 - 20:17 — Sue (Visitor)
I was informed that many cats have strangled themselves with cat collars. Try to find the break way so they csan get out if stuck on a branch or whatever. Micro chips work great.

Mon, 07/09/2012 - 12:11 — Val (Visitor)
Definitely use a break-away cat collar, and watch your cat the whole time he is outside. I had my cat on a leash attached to his collar and to the back porch. I ducked inside for a minute & came out to find the cat's collar and leash hanging from the neighbor's fence - he had climbed up and jumped - luckily the break-away collar broke away & I found him sitting in the neighbor's yard. The break-away collar saved his life.

Fri, 07/06/2012 - 12:29 — Lindy (Visitor)
I lost my dog last summer and she was gone for 4 months. Fortunately she was microchipped. The company provided a lost pet poster with their number on it. After 4 longs months of searching, I put those posters out just a little further in my radius and we got a call from the service stating that my dog was living in someone's house -- she had been picked up and taken home. Thank goodness for that system! Also, there are services for amber alerts, too, which we used initially and my neighbors were thrilled to know it existed. I got a lot of calls from neighbors with tips on loose dogs. All I can say is I am very grateul for the community search and the services that are available.

Fri, 07/06/2012 - 12:36 — Lindy (Visitor)
Also, I need to mention that we did go to the shelters and I wrote letters to all of the agencies and vets in a 25-mile area with a copy of the poster and my phone number, in case they would see her. I followed up every few weeks with all of them. We were at the shelters daily to the point that the staff knew who we were in a very short time. Everyone we met was wanting to help. The poster that found our baby was placed in Burger King on the main traffic route. It was my last resort (and should have been first on the list) to post on that busy road to catch as many viewers of the poster as possible.

Sat, 07/07/2012 - 20:59 — Jan N. (Visitor)
Truly good info! Thanks. I nearly lost my cat in a condo back to back neighborhood, and very hard to find it, and I was not in proper clothing but I ran out and found her fairly quickly. It is so DICEY with cats, they can slip through a sliding door when I go out to water the plants...etc..! yikes.

Fri, 07/06/2012 - 12:37 — DRESIA VAUGHN (Visitor)
I think it's an excellent idea to have a chip put in their leg this way, if they are lost, it's easy for them to type in this code or what ever and it will locate the dog right away. We have chips in our four legged loyal loving pets but still keep a close eye on them at the same time. I see so many stray animals walking around lost or confused because they have wondered away from home and the first thing I want to do is grab them, put her/him in my back yard with a six foot fence that surrounds the whole back yard until we locate their owner/s. The last thing I or anywone else want's to see is their loved one hit by a car.

Sun, 07/08/2012 - 20:09 — Jennifer (Visitor)
Putting a chip in all animals is the best idea but, most chips are put in the skin by the shoulder blades. I recommend this and not in the leg. When most animals are scanned at a shelter we scan the.whole body but, we first scan the back and shoulder blades which is pretty much standard practice to put cbips in this area even if they can migrate.

Fri, 07/06/2012 - 12:40 — liz messina (Visitor)
If the phone and internet companies can put apps on phones why can it become a tracking device for the pet chip for the owner to find the animal. Something like a gps? Seems with all the technology available some kind of device should be available to zoom in on a lost animal like the lojack system???

Fri, 07/06/2012 - 13:00 — Larry Cable (Visitor)
there is such a device Tagg at http://http://www.pettracker.com

Fri, 07/06/2012 - 12:58 — Larry Cable (Visitor)
it amazes me how many dogs I see around San Francisco that are not wearing a collar with any form of identification on it ... I recently found a tiny papillion running around in our neighborhood no collar, and after taking it down to the local Animal Control, no microchip either ... I took the dog home for the night ... no one had called in the next day to ACC, so I decided to take the dog in ... as I was driving through my neighborhood I found a couple posting a lost dog poster on a pole ... it was their dog ... I asked them if they had called AAC ... blank stares. All of my dogs wear collars, with ID tags, and they are ALL microchipped and registered with homeagain ... these simple precautions can make a lost dog a simple recovery ... use your heads people!

Fri, 07/06/2012 - 13:15 — Mitch (Visitor)
Our dog got out of the yard and we never found him. I posted flyers, went on multiple websites etc. What I went to pass on is that I was driving up to 4 miles away looking for him. I received an email the next day stating that my dog was spotted less than 1/4 mile away almost 5 hours after he went missing. My point is this. Don't assume that they have taken off and are going as fast and as far as they can. Had I spent more time in my own neighborhood I might have gotten him back. I truly hope that this helps someone.

Fri, 07/06/2012 - 13:52 — Nancy Nelligan-... (Visitor)
Contact ALL Veternarians in your area/county.

Fri, 07/06/2012 - 14:48 — Staci (Visitor)
Our dog escaped from the yard several years ago, and, when we hadn't found him by the next day, my mom told the crossing guard who worked the corner near us. She was really sympathetic and told every kid who crossed the street, and it turned out one of them had him! He was miles away, and had crossed several busy streets. We never would have looked or posted fliers there. He had on a tag, but they said he growled at them when they got close, so they were afraid to check it. They just herded him into their garage. So, be sure to tell people in your neighborhood, especially workers who come into contact with a lot of local people, and kids, who talk to a lot of other local kids at school.

Fri, 07/06/2012 - 16:02 — lori westman (Visitor)
When our scared dog got out of the fence without any identification I immediately called the police while searching the local area. Because of having no tags on him the family that spotted him and kept him in their garage ( foot was bleeding)also called the police to report the dog so I was able to get the address of where he was right away.

Fri, 07/06/2012 - 16:05 — Dan (Visitor)
I think too much attention is put on finding a lost pet a new home, and not enough attention on making it easier for the person that finds a lost pet to help find the pet owner. There is one web site dedicated to doing just that. A good identification system would provide a variety of options to the pet owner, to help their pet find it’s way home, as soon as possible. Expecting someone to hunt for a hidden ID is ridiculous. Your pet’s ID should be clearly visible, with easy instructions for the person that finds your pet. A quality identification service will direct your pet back to you, before it ends up in some shelter that has a vacancy, where your pet could be routed to a new home or worse. If you want quality identification for your pet; Google Pet*iD Short Cut Home. Pet*iD SCH is what a Pet Registry should be! You can even have a free color MISSING pet poster in your hands within five minutes, and it is smart phone friendly too. Go to http://petid.com and you will see much more. The most common Internet search phrase used by people that find lost pets is, pet identification or pet id.

Fri, 07/06/2012 - 17:29 — Julie (Visitor)
I have volunteered with a local animal rescue for 12 years. Almost every lost/found animal inquiry we have had is an animal without a collar or with a collar and no tags. Always have current contact info on readable tags on your pets. Even cats that do not go outside need tags in case they do go outside and run off. If you have bathed your dog, put its collar back on. 90% of lost dogs reported to us is someone who just bathed their dog or just came from the groomer. Unfortunately a lot of people do not know to take an animal to check for a microchip or to call animal control if they have a rabies tag (they can track the owner through it). We always try to council people on how to find the owner before surrendering an animal. But if you have lost your animal you have to be aggressive in your search and posts. There are many lost pets pages on Facebook. A local one is Lost Pets of Baton Rouge. You post a lost/found pet and an admin shares the photo and description. Everyone shares it. It can get the word around town really quickly and they have had a lot of success with it.

Fri, 07/06/2012 - 19:11 — Nansi (Visitor)
Just a hint about the phone number to put on your dogs tags. I now use my cell phone number so that we can all be out looking for our dogs, and we can receive a call if someone were to find them. As well, if we find a dog who is lost, we put a sign at the bottom of our driveway that we have found a dog. This way, if the owners are out looking for it, they may see the sign and come in.

Fri, 07/06/2012 - 20:31 — Ann (Visitor)
I found an online website that will embroider your phone # & pets name on durable reflective collar; also have tags & my baby is chipped:)). She has escaped several times over the years but she always comes back to home within 15 (terrifying for me) minutes:))))

Fri, 07/06/2012 - 21:05 — Stewart (Visitor)
We were in a new town and one of our dogs wandered away before we had an invisible fence installed. I called where's fido.com and had him back in hours. On a second move with new child, new schools, etc. The animal hospital he was taken to missed his chip because it had migrated down his shoulder(collar was off for nighttime sleeping). Again, wheresfido.com to the rescue.

Fri, 07/06/2012 - 22:59 — Barbara Garcia (Visitor)
My cats are indoor cats, but one of them got out a few years ago. I searched all over the neighborhood, calling and looking, but nothing. After 2 days I was really depressed. I got up the next morning and my other cats were surrounding the heater vent in the floor in the family room. I went over & heard a cat. I went outside & looked under the trailer and there he was. I was so happy. The next time one of my cats got out the first place I looked was under the trailer and there she was. This is kind of a long winded way of saying, search under your home. Just because your are calling their name doesn't mean they will come (especially if they are cats) because they may be so freaked out that they just can't respond.

Fri, 07/06/2012 - 23:38 — Nancy Hyden Woodward (Visitor)
At the start of your senseless article, you mentioned a lot of animals are lost around the 4th of July. But you did not offer a reason or an explanation. If you had been thoughtful, you would have noted that fireworks are a common event the night of 4 July and that many animals run away from the noise. And if you had thought some more, you would have reminded your readers to remember this for the "next time" and pln ahead to keep your pet secure at home.

Fri, 07/06/2012 - 23:52 — Tina (Visitor)
Look into a FurCode tag. People can Immediately access your animal's info with a computer or smart phone. FurCode.com

Sat, 07/07/2012 - 01:27 — Jill Mucciante (Visitor)
On June 25th, 2012 my parrot flew out our front door. Millie is a 3 month old black capped conure. In order to locate her, I brought one of my other parrots out in a cage. Maxwell called for Millie and she responded. But she was too high up in a tree. We tried for hours to get her down but she was just too scared. Then it got dark. June 26th, Maxwell came back outside but no sign of Millie. I posted pictures of Millie on every light post, telephone pole and stop light. I called all the vets and Animal Control. I posted pictures at all the pet stores and Animal Protective League. I walked the neighborhood from 5:30am until 9pm calling for Millie. I put an ad in the newspaper. And I PRAYED!! June 27th, I woked up and said "This is the day I find Millie." As the day wore on, things looked hopeless. Around 3pm, the phone rang. A lady said, "I think I found your bird, I know I found your bird." Millie had flown into their garage and landed on the lady's head. They caught her and they had seen my posters!! Millie is back home safe and sound! Two things that conntributed to her safe return was my posters and PRAYING! It worked!

Sat, 07/07/2012 - 07:40 — Patti (Visitor)
in this day and age it seems that GPS tracking chip could be embedded in with the ID chip. Sort of like Lojack for pets.

Sat, 07/07/2012 - 16:10 — Jeannine (Visitor)
They have GPS for collars, but I wonder if they emit a sound that would bother the dog.

Sat, 07/07/2012 - 07:43 — Shyanna (Visitor)
I lost my parakeet 1 died 2 flew away but I know they need a life to their own :')

Sat, 07/07/2012 - 12:12 — S. Barber (Visitor)
Lots of good ideas - here are a few for dogs I don't see.1 Apparently the majority of dogs don't actually go farther than a mile of their homes. They get going and lose steam and try to find a shady sheltered spot, like a shed, to lay low in. So keep doing a mile radius sweep every day. 2 Most shelters have available for loan have a really large wire "house" contraption that you bait with your scented clothes and food, and it shuts when they go in to check it out. Put it out in your yard and change the 'bait' daily. 3. Fire up the BBQ, the scent can be a good draw if your dog is close by but hiding where you can't see him. Also, my husband and I always keep treats in our cars for when we see a stray so we have something enticing to keep them from bolting. It's worked and resulted in happy reunions!

Sat, 07/07/2012 - 13:39 — Helle Hansen (Visitor)
Our cat was missing just a week before he should have a microchip and ear-mark. First we looked in the neighbourhood, then we put poster up in the area and at the vet.

Sat, 07/07/2012 - 15:24 — Judith Burleigh (Visitor)
I recently tamed and adopted a feral cat. She now lives with me in my home and I have had her netured and declawed (bag claws only). Dilemma: I will be moving to Wisconsin and will be driving instead of flying with my cat. Any and all tips concerning cat travel will be appreciated. Should I get my vet to give me something that will lessen her fear/apprehension of travel. I will be keeping her in a cage for trip but how do I get her to use her catbox? In the SUV? Help... thanks!

Tue, 08/14/2012 - 10:12 — naomi (Visitor)
ALL my cats have always loved cars. But I would get her used to the idea by putting her in the car for a few hours (while not driving) with her food and water and litter box. Then the next time do the same just driving around the block. Yes it is safer to always have the cat in a crate (and the crate anchored with a safety belt), but personally I have found (and heard) that my cats do not take well to this way of traveling long distances. But you have to at least make sure she is not going to jump on the dashboard or sneak under your feet as you drive (!!) so I would buy a partition that you can install behind the front seats so she can just be free to move in the back. I would make sure she has water at all times... and if you see her with her mouth open... she is too hot and you need the AC or ventilation (!).

Sat, 07/07/2012 - 16:07 — Jeannine (Visitor)
I lost my 14-year-old cat last year and searched for three days before we found her. The key to her recovery was neon colored signs with a good clear photo placed on stop signs throughout the neighborhood. She was found three blocks away after a lady saw the sign after spotting our cat. Walking the neighborhood and handing out flyers also got good response (even though they didn't see my cat). When my gate was left open and my dogs went for a walk on their own, driving around the neighborhood was key to finding them. There are also local search and rescue people with search dogs that track lost pets for a fee.

Sat, 07/07/2012 - 17:11 — Karen Apicella (Visitor)
A gentleman lost his dog in our neighborhood (Downtown Brooklyn) a few months ago and I called all the rescue organizations in the area until I found him - this really does work. Peewee got back to his family, although he was fixed and microchipped, which was probably better. He came home to loving parents and he now had the tools to track him down if ever it should happen again.

Sat, 07/07/2012 - 23:45 — Mina Yindra (Visitor)
I saw a dog running frantically down our street in front of moving vehicles tonight. By the time I got my keys and got in the car to follow him, about 60 seconds max, he was gone. I looked everywhere in the immediate area and I have no idea if someone picked him up or if he is hiding in the woods around here. It's a sickening feeling because he was obviously healthy from his appearance and must have just run away. I guess my concern is not only that I couldn't find him but, if his owners are looking for him, how will they ever know I saw him run by so they can know what area he was in at that time? I know he was a white Spaniel-looking breed with some spot markings, fairly large. Our animal control is not necessarily the most responsive when you tell them a dog is running around- how do you get the word out to anyone who is searching?

Sun, 07/08/2012 - 14:35 — Renee (Visitor)
Of all the dogs I have adopted, there have only been 2 escapes. Both times I got them back by asking if they want to go for a ride in the car. This has worked for other dogs I have seen roaming the streets as well. It's been a fool proof solution.

Sun, 07/08/2012 - 14:44 — Renee (Visitor)
Of all the dogs I have adopted, there have only been 2 escapes. Both times I got them back by asking if they want to go for a ride in the car. This has worked for other dogs I have seen roaming the streets as well. It's been a fool proof solution.

Sun, 07/08/2012 - 20:15 — jennifer (Visitor)
Also, the need to encourage people to actually register the chip in their animals needs to be encouraged. Cause I can't tell u the number of animals that have chips that were nevered registered. They will never get home otherwise.

Sun, 07/08/2012 - 20:30 — Ola Ayers (Visitor)
GPS Pet tracking http://www.sheknows.com/pets-and-animals/articles/850351/using-gps-to-track-your-pet http://www.pettracker.com/

Sun, 07/08/2012 - 23:27 — Vicki (Visitor)
I had great advice years ago from a coworker who had hunting dogs.He said leave several pieces of dirty laundry on your back porch.The dogs will pick up the scent.This has worked twice for me over the last 15 years with two different dogs.This happened with two different types of dogs both of which had been missing for several days.

Mon, 07/09/2012 - 02:05 — Mitsu (Visitor)
Whenever my cat Milo has gotten out, I can't find him for 2 to 3 weeks sometimes. I know he is probably hiding out somewhere on my property, as lost animals usually are. What I alway do is get a humane trap and put food in it. Eventually, sometimes as long as three weeks later, Milo gets hungry and enters the trap. I have suggested to people with lost pet ads, to put a humane trap out, because it is likely their pet is also hiding out somewhere on their property and will eventually get hungry.

Mon, 07/09/2012 - 20:27 — Sue (Visitor)
recently we lost our indoor cat. I was told to put his cat box outside. In three days, he came home. It works!

Tue, 07/10/2012 - 09:05 — David Hildebrand (Visitor)
Do you love your pet? Micro chip. My wife and I have rescued many dogs and not a one has had a chip. We find homes for them, but wish we could get them back to their owners.

Thu, 07/12/2012 - 15:38 — Jamie (Visitor)
As an animal control officer, this is my advice: 1. Make sure your pet is micro-chipped, and make sure you activate the chip! Many people I deal with tell me that their pet was micro-chipped at the shelter they adopted it from, but they don't realize that they need to call the 1-800 number on the pamphlet they received in order to update the information associated with that particular chip. 2. Keep your micro-chip account updated when you move or change phone numbers! 3. Register your dog with your town. Even if a dog gets loose without a collar, I can sometimes narrow down the owner by searching our registered dog files for the breed, color, and streets near where it was found. 4. Make sure your pet's collar fits well and has tags. I find many dogs with collars but no tags, or dogs that have slipped their collar. 5. Even if your pet is registered, I recommend getting customized tags engraved with your address and phone number. Some towns may not have the means to search their files by registration number, so the registration tag is no good for identifying the dog without the owner's last name. If there is a tag with the owner's name and number, we can just call them directly and save the dog a trip to the shelter. 6. If your pet gets lost, contact your local shelter and shelters in surrounding counties. Sometimes dogs cross town lines into areas where the animal control officer or citizens take it to a different shelter than the one covering your town. This is especially common in towns that border counties. 7. Contact your local animal control officer. This seems like a given, but I see posters and ads all the time for animals lost in my town that I've never been notified about. Most animal control officers will have a record of animals that they pick up, dead or alive. 8. Keep updated pictures of your pets. If they go missing, make fliers and place them in visible areas. Often, especially with cats, animal lovers think that the dog or cat that they picked up in the street is a genuine stray or an abandoned animal. These folks just keep the animal indefinitely without bring it to me or a shelter because they think it will just be euthanized, and neither myself, shelters, or the owner ever know that the pet has been found. If you put up posters, at least these good samaritans may see that the animal they found does indeed have a home.

Tue, 07/17/2012 - 14:57 — Michael ward (Visitor)
Many people do not think of giving a photo of the pet to the local mailman. he is in the area every day and drives somewhat slowly between houses. he can be on the lookout for the pet. A neighbor did it and the mailman did see him and notify owner. happy ending.

Thu, 07/19/2012 - 18:20 — karen anderson (Visitor)
I had a horrible experience with a pitbull I was taking care of. So many things went wrong that day... Springtime, winds, rain. The outcome was as bad as could be... hit and killed by car. The only "good" thing was that I found her (dead of course). I don't have much more to offer aside from what has been posted exept to say... be mindfull in Springtime... lot's of newborn wild animals, etc. KA

Fri, 08/03/2012 - 10:19 — Kathy (Visitor)
I see so many people in our neighborhood, almost always small dogs, that the owner takes them out unleashed! It is not only unsafe for their dogs but it is the law! What if their dog runs away or jumps in front of a car. I have a larger rescue dog that is not dog freindly and I dont know how many times I had to pull her away from an unleashed dog running after her. I tell them, whos fault would it be if my dog bit your dog? Yours is unleashed and they could also get seriously hurt in so many other ways. It is pure neglect, please leash your dogs, it could save their lives!!

Tue, 08/14/2012 - 09:33 — Naomi (Visitor)
Be particularly careful when you are moving: from now on I will make sure my cats stay in a room with the door closed when going back and forth from house to truck. Once one of my 2 Siamese disappeared as I was moving out, cats do get stressed when all their world gets upset. As she did not come back for a couple of days, I asked to keep my keys and "camped" in my empty old apartment every night, also made sure to leave a bunch of her things on the patio and water and food. I also brought her sibling with me. After a week or so, one night I finally heard her voice calling from a bush in from of the house, she was just very scared and would not let anyone catch her. After that she never stepped away father than a few feet from the house for her next 16 years and was generally much less kamikaze than her sister

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