Finding a Lost Pet...(Part 2 of 2)

by Diana Guerrero
Copyright© 1997

Here is a list of what is recommended in the event your pet is lost:

Part One Contents:
HAVE A PLAN
PROVIDE ANIMAL RELATED INFORMATION
IDENTIFICATION OPTIONS
LOCAL SEARCHES
ASSISTANCE FROM NEIGHBORS, FAMILY & FRIENDS

Part Two Contents:
POST FLIERS
LOST AND FOUND ADS IN NEWSPAPERS
A NOTE ABOUT REWARDS
VISIT SHELTERS, ANIMAL CONTROL, AND HUMANE SOCIETIES
CONTACT PET PROFESSIONALS
DEAD ANIMAL RETRIEVAL AGENCIES
HIRE A PET DETECTIVE
KEEP SEARCHING

POST FLIERS
Fliers are a good tool. They can be put up on: telephone poles, trees, bulletin boards at grocery stores, post offices and public gathering areas. Local businesses and other establishments may be helpful by putting them in a window or posting them for staff awareness. Be sure to include a reward announcement and/or medical alerts on them.

Be sure you visit the COUNTY or CITY run shelters since, by law, animals should be taken there instead of a humane society or other animal shelter. Check them all anyway since they may have other information or contacts to help you.

LOST AND FOUND ADS IN NEWSPAPERS
Most newspapers and some radio stations will provide free public service ads to announce lost and found animals. Make sure you contact those in your area and slightly outside of the area in case someone picks up your animal and transports them to another location outside of your normal stomping grounds.

A NOTE ABOUT REWARDS
Decide on a reward and stick to it. Blackmailing or lack of incentive could be a problem. Some people actually make a habit of preying upon lost animal owners. Make sure you are not tricked into sending money to someone, even if they say your pet is hurt and requires veterinary medical attention. This type of story is a ploy of some unscrupulous people that take advantage of unsuspecting pet owners who have lost their animals!

Make sure you get return numbers and/or a photograph of the pet if they are far away. Don’t send money until you have your pet in your custody. A list of questions concerning your pet, markings, habits or asking the person to detail what the animal is like will help you to find out if the animal is yours or not.

VISIT SHELTERS, ANIMAL CONTROL, AND HUMANE SOCIETIES
You should actually GO INTO every agency that works with animal control and the sheltering of strays in your area. Many will only hold an animal for three to five days and then euthanize them. Daily visits will assist you in finding your pet.

Why go in? People answering the phones will not always be aware of a new animal arrival or may have a different idea about what the animal you are describing looks like. Take the time to look or have someone who is familiar with the animal go look for you if you cannot. Make sure you take photographs into these agencies to give to staff members to assist with finding your pet. Just in case, take a file with veterinary records to help prove the animal is yours also.

There are lots of different animal welfare agencies. Knowing the difference between them is something very confusing. Many will overlap in their roles. Here is a general rule of thumb:

Animal Control Agencies
These are groups responsible for animal regulations and control. They are usually county or city agencies and can also be found under the name of "Animal Services." Many will have Animal Control Officers and patrols who are responsible for enforcing local ordinances, humane treatment of animals, and the pick up and housing of stray animals. Animals wandering around town are considered strays whether they have a collar on or not. In most areas, by law (or local ordinances), the animals that are found by the public have to be relinquished to these agencies.

Animal Shelters
These agencies often overlap with the others. Animal shelters are most commonly thought of as those agencies giving shelter to animals from a variety of situations. These could be: abused animals, rescued animals, strays, or owner relinquished animals. Sometimes they will be privately run, or perhaps contracted by the municipality to house animals in an animal control capacity. They can also be local veterinarians in small towns that do not support having a full-time agency of this sort. Humane Officers usually perform the same types of functions as Animal Control Officers.

Humane Societies
These groups vary. There are some national agencies and thousands of smaller ones across the United States. Standard guidelines are suggested by the American Humane Association (AHA) and the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), but each is a private organization and not related to the others. AHA & HSUS do not house animals but work for the national (and sometimes international) welfare of animals.

Each humane society (large or small) is a separate business responsible for their own rules and operations. Many facilities or organizations will provide sheltering for owner relinquished animals only and will not take strays; others will contract with local cities and provide animal control and sheltering functions also. Some will not have facilities but will provide foster homes for animals in their area or raise funds for animal related projects.

CONTACT PET PROFESSIONALS
Pet professionals can provide additional resources to helping you find your animal since a wide variety of animal lovers and people from a wide area will come into their businesses. Do you know what a pet professional is?

Pet professionals will be people and businesses such as: kennels, petsitters, groomers, mobile groomers or animal transporters, veterinarians, dog trainers, feed stores, etc. Take in flyers and talk with them about posting or inquiring about your lost animal. They might also have more suggestions and a network of other people you might contact.

DEAD ANIMAL RETRIEVAL AGENCIES
In order to cover all your bases you will need to contact clean up crews for your area. Although this sounds a bit morbid, it is something you need to consider. You can often supply a photograph or go down and search for your pet to have closure on the situation.

Every area can have different agencies responsible for this function. Highway services or road clean-up, public disposal agencies, waste management agencies, disposal contractors, or actual dead animal retrieval agencies exist. Check in the phone book and also with local animal control for the numbers.

HIRE A PET DETECTIVE
If you have the resources and can find one, there are actually pet detectives that will search for your animal. Many times these people have an effective network of sources to use. Be sure to check for references and what the charges will be. Fees vary greatly and you should ask about them if your animal is not found. Many may just do work involving pet theft so you need to ask.

KEEP SEARCHING
Don’t give up. Many animals can disappear for months and then turn up. Search daily and check your phone book for other ideas. Look under government agencies, pets, dogs, cats, animal behavior, zoos, feed and anything else you think relates to your pet or animals in general.

Also, parks, malls, resort areas, grocery stores, post offices, businesses, schools, and other high traffic visible areas are good places to post flyers. Ask for permission or for a board where such items are welcome first.

If you have not found your animal after several months then the outlook on finding them is getting bleak and you might not ever do so. Allow time for you and your family to grieve and process this loss before considering getting another pet. Also, use this situation to help you learn how to prevent animal loss in the future.

Consider taking this time to look around at the animals at the rescue agencies you have been visiting to see if you can find an animal that you can save. Many of those animals have been displaced by their families and will need a secure and loving home. Perhaps you can heal your losses together.