Losing your pet can be the worst feeling. But, would you know what to do if you found someone else’s best friend crossed your path?
Petsguide Magazine Online
October 2010

Losing your pet can be the worst feeling. But, would you know what to do if you found someone else’s best friend crossed your path? Petsguide has advice for those who misplaced their pet, as well as for those who can make joyful reunions a reality.

If you have lost your pet:

1) Call your local animal control office (See Petsguide’s directory listing for “Animal Control“) for recent activity in your area, including pick-ups and found pet reports.

2) Search www.petharbor.com, a service of the Humane Society, for listings and pictures of animals brought into shelters, updated hourly. If you have not found your pet after searching, register your pet as lost to receive an e-mail when a matching animal is listed by a shelter or registered as found on the site.

3) Personally visit all of the local and regional shelters in your area to look for your pet; neighboring cities often contract with different shelters. Visit as often as possible as animals are brought in continuously. If the shelter policy allows, leave your contact information with a recent photo of your pet; shelter staff cannot always provide notification, but most will provide as much assistance as possible. (See “Shelters” for contact and location information.)

4) Visit www.amberalertforpets.com or www.findtoto.com. Fees apply.

If you have found a domesticated animal without tags:

1) Register the pet as found at www.petharbor.com; matching descriptions will be emailed to owners who have registered lost pets.

2) Check “Shelters” for a shelter that will accept animals found in your city; if possible, take the animal to a no-kill shelter. At the shelter, the animal will be scanned for microchip ID and logged. Stray animals are generally held for a owner-reclamation period prior to being available for adoption; unless it is a no-kill shelter, the animal may be euthanized if the animal is not claimed or adopted.

3) Call your local animal control office to report the animal as found. If necessary, they will transport the animal to the local shelter.

4) For additional no-kill options, contact the appropriate rescue organization. (See “Adoption and Rescue” to locate area shelters.)