BREATHE
It’s every pet parent’s nightmare: Your dog or cat has gotten loose, and you don’t know where he or she is. Don’t panic — there are many steps you can take to locate your little one. Swift action, coupled with major neighborhood networking, will increase the odds of having your furry friend back in your arms! The key is to get the information out to as many people and places as you can, so enlist the help of friends and make sure to involve your entire family in the search effort.
As soon as you notice that your pet is missing, talk to your family members or housemates and ask when they last saw your pet. It’s a good idea to search your home carefully—under beds, in closets, dark places, small places, behind bulky furniture—in case your pet may be hiding or sleeping somewhere. Shaking a food dish, treat jar or favorite toy will sometimes lure animals out of a hiding place.
If you are sure your pet is not in or around the home, take a slow ride or walk around the neighborhood. Ask friends or neighbors if they’ve seen your animal companion; be sure to bring along a recent photo to show them. Check under porches and shrubs, and ask neighbors to check in sheds and garages just in case your pet was accidentally locked in.
WORK YOUR RESOURCES
Your first calls should be to all the animal control agencies, shelters, and rescue groups in your area; one of them could have your pet in custody already. Check in with them daily by phone and be sure to visit the shelter as often as possible. What you call a “Labrador” may not be what they see. Breeds are easily mistaken for one another, and it’s best that you come in and look for your lost pet…you'll recognize them much faster than we will! Bring photos of your pet to distribute, lost posters, or anything else that may help them find your lost loved one.
Send descriptive emails about your lost pet to local friends, colleagues, and family members. Ask them to pass on the info to anyone they can. In addition, don’t forget to use social media! Create a LOST PET POSTER with information about your lost pet and share it far and wide across all of your social networks – Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Google+, etc. Don’t forget to ask your friends to share the Poster with their friends as well. Also, this area, like most places across the country, has a local “Lost Pets” Facebook pages where they post information about missing pets. You can even create your own Facebook page for your lost pet and share that across all of your social networks. Click HERE to visit the Springfield Lost Pets Facebook Page, and click HERE to visit the Lost Pets: Dayton & Surrounding Area Facebook page.
Now with your posters in hand (and hopefully a crew of supportive helpers), it’s time to hit the streets! Good places to post your flyers may include:
Dog runs and parks
Pet supply stores and pet grooming shops
Veterinary offices
Various commercial establishments, such as grocery and convenience stores, gas stations, laundromats, bars, cafes and restaurants.
Lampposts and trees. Cover extra heavily the areas where you think your pet was lost, as well as busy commercial and pedestrian sections of your town.
Around schools, at a child’s eye level. Children can be more observant than adults, especially when it comes to animals.
**Note, be sure to ask permission before posting your flyers!**
WITHOUT AN ID, IT’S JUST ANOTHER STRAY
It’s a good idea for all of your animal companions — even indoor-only pets — to always wear a collar with an ID tag or their license (as required by law). The ID tag should have your name and a current phone number. If you’ve chosen to microchip your pet, keep in mind that Microchips, ID tags, or licenses are only as good as the information provided. If you’ve moved or changed your phone number since registering and forgot to submit an update, please do so as soon as you can.
In the State of Ohio, dogs are required to display their license at all times, regardless of if they’re inside or outside dogs. This license allows for identification of your dog, and in most cases gets the dog a free ride home! Without a license, your dog can be adopted, sent to rescue, or transferred after 72 hours at the shelter. With a license, the shelter is required to hold the dog for 14 days, and will contact you to make arrangements to pick up and redeem your animal.
Microchipping is a great way to allow for permanent identification! Most veterinary offices offer this service, and we do as well! It’s a fantastic way to ensure identification, just in case your dog or cat lose their collar along the way!
DON’T GIVE UP
This one is important! We know how hard it is to stay positive at times. Use the vast resources you have available to you, and remember that many lost animals have found their way back
FOUND ANIMALS
You’ve run across a dog that’s wandering around your neighborhood, was playing in traffic, or just aimlessly walking down the street without an owner. What do you do now? Here are some guidelines for finding the animal’s owner and what to do next.
Does the dog have identification or a license?
- If the dog has a dog license on, check the Auditor’s website to see the registration info. Hopefully the information is current, and you can locate the owner this way. Call the Auditor’s Office at (937)521-1860.
Call the shelter. The owner may be looking for their buddy!
- Call the shelter and leave a Found Report. We’ll match these up with any calls we receive for lost animals. With a little luck, the animal will be home in no time! Our number is (937) 925-6602.
Talk to your neighbors.
- Many times animals don’t stray too far from home. This lost pet may have lost their way, or maybe just isn’t ready to end their adventure. Make sure your neighbors haven’t lost their little one.
Take the animal to a Vet or the shelter to check for a microchip.
- We all want to see an animal go back home. We’re happy to check the animal for a microchip and pass along how to contact the owner. Most Vet’s offices are happy to do the same.
“I can’t care for the animal, but I don’t want them on the street.”
- The Dog Warden’s Office is happy to come and pick up the stray during normal business hours. They’ll house the animal for a few days and see if the owner comes looking for them. If the owner doesn’t claim them, they’ll be placed up for adoption…and will hopefully find a new home! Clark County Dog Warden: (937)505-3223. Clark County Sheriff (non-emergency): (937)328-2560.
“I think I’d like to keep the animal if I can’t find their proper owner…”
- We know all too well how easy it is to fall in love with them! However, there are certain rules to follow to make sure the pet becomes yours legally as well as in your heart. It’s a good rule to follow through with the above listed items. At the very least you need to post somewhere publicly that you’ve found a lost animal for at least 10 days. You can do so at the shelter and/or in the newspaper. You may run a “found animal” ad in the paper for 3 days at no charge. If after the ad has run, the posting at the shelter has yielded no results, and the ten days has passed, you need to legally license the dog under your name, and get the dog inoculated against Rabies. Typically you have 30 days to do so. It’s also wise to get the animal checked out by your veterinarian to make sure there isn’t an ongoing issue with the animal.