https://www.barkandwhiskers.com/p/0c9ef4ec-1330-4a8a-9843-208abcd1c049/
https://www.barkandwhiskers.com/2015-08-03-nl-missing-pets/
According to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA), nearly one in five animals goes missing after being frightened by loud noises such as fireworks and thunderstorms.1
The good news is that, according to estimates, more than 90% of lost dogs and 75% of lost kittens eventually find their way home. But if you’ve ever lost a pet, you know how incredibly upsetting it can be for everyone in the family.
10 steps to take if your pet goes missing
- Create flyers with your dog’s photo, your phone number, and information about a reward to return if you are able to offer one. Provide a specific enough description of your pet so that it can be recognized, but include at least one identifying characteristic that you can use to verify whether a person responding to the flyer actually owns your dog.
- Post your flyers in the area where your dog was last seen, in grocery stores, community centers, veterinary offices, animal shelters, mailboxes – anywhere the flyer has a chance of being noticed by many people in your neighborhood or community.
- Visit your local animal shelters, humane society, and rescue organizations. File a lost pet report with every shelter and animal control office within 60 miles of your home and visit the nearest shelters daily or as often as possible.
- Spread the word to all veterinary clinics in your area. Many people who find a lost pet take it to their own veterinarian or another clinic close to where the pet was found.
- Walk and drive around your neighborhood and the area where your pet was last seen as often as possible, and recruit friends and family to do the same. While you are away, talk to neighbors and passersby and let them know that you are desperate to find your pet. Be sure to take plenty of flyers with you and hand them out.
- Leave some of your pet’s favorite food and fresh water outside your home in case he finds his way back on his own. Consider placing the bowls in a humane trap that will hold your pet until you can retrieve it.
- Place ads in local newspapers and online on sites such as Missing Animal Network, Animal search, FindFido.com, Center for lost animalsAnd Craigslist. If you receive a call from someone saying they have your pet, be careful. Ask the caller to describe your pet in enough detail that you can be relatively sure it is your dog. You can also ask the caller to give you the information on the identification tag.
- Conduct online searches for pets that match your pet’s description. It’s possible that someone owns your dog or cat and is trying to sell it.
- Don’t give up on your search too quickly and be aggressive. Dogs and cats missing for months have been returned to their owners.
- Take care of yourself. It is very easy when a pet misses sleep, skips meals, abandons normal daily routines, and goes from stress to exhaustion and back again. To the best of your ability, try to take care of yourself while you search for your pet. Eat healthy, meditate, and try to exercise every day.
Some facts about rescued animals
A few years ago, the ASPCA surveyed 1,000 pet owners to find out how lost pets are most often found and brought home.2
According to the survey results, the most important steps in finding a lost pet were:
- Immediate search
- Visually search the local area and neighborhood, view flyers and use internet resources
- Check local shelters from the first day the animal goes missing
Of the pet owners surveyed, 15% had lost a cat or dog in the previous five years. Eighty-five percent of these animals were found – 74 percent of lost cats and 93 percent of lost dogs.
Among the dogs recovered…
- 49 percent were found by homeowners searching their neighborhood
- 15 percent were found thanks to the presence of either a Identification tag or microchip
- 6 percent were found in a shelter
Among the kittens rescued…
- 59 percent returned home alone
- 30 percent were found by homeowners searching their neighborhood
- 2 percent were found in a shelter
An ounce of prevention…
The quickest way to locate a lost pet is to use a GPS tracker during high-risk events, such as fireworks, backyard parties, or barbecues. You have several options to choose from, including Pod Tracker, Pawtrack for catsAnd Loc8tor for pets. These collars allow you to easily track your pet from your computer. So, as soon as you realize your dog or cat is gone, you can identify where they are in your neighborhood.
Some animals are not lost…they are stolen
Having a beloved pet stolen is far more traumatic than losing material possessions to thieves.
Dogs are the most common targets and are stolen for a variety of reasons. Some are used as gifts, others become the thief’s personal pet, and others are sold quickly for cash, often over the Internet.
Puppies, toy breeds and purebreds that look expensive or unusual are most often taken. Some of the most stolen breeds include Yorkshire Terriers, Poodles, Pomeranians, Shih Tzus, Bulldogs and Corgis.
Steps to protect your dog from thieves:
- If your dog is alone in the garden, make sure your fence is secure and your gate is not only closed, but also locked.
- Never leave your dog outside when you are not home.
- Never let your pet roam freely in the neighborhood.
- Do not leave your pet tied up outside unsupervised in your garden, at the local café or elsewhere. It only takes a few seconds for a thief to untie or cut your puppy’s leash and take off with him.
- Do not leave your dog in an unlocked parked car or in a car with the windows rolled down enough that the dog can be removed through a window.
- Make sure your pet wears a collar with current identification tag always. Rather than printing the dog’s name on the tag, write “Reward for Return” instead, along with at least one current phone number. (It’s better if a thief can’t call your dog by name.) My pets’ tags say “REWARD IF FOUND, NEEDS MEDICATION” with my phone number on them.
- Keep recent photos of your pet handy. They have to show her from different angles, the color of her dress, her face in close-up and all her unusual physical characteristics. Keep photos with your proof of ownership documents like adoption papers, bill of sale, etc.
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