Help! My Pet Is Lost!

  It’s something that you thought would never happen to you, but it has. Your faithful companion is gone. No, I don’t mean that your spouse has run off with your best friend. Worse than that, your pet is missing! How could this have happened? He never, never leaves the yard!

Rule Number One with pets- never say never! Even the best trained dog can see a rabbit and give chase. A cat who never leaves the yard can be chased off by a dog, or take flight from a loud noise. Regardless of how it happens, it happens all the time. Unfortunately, it can be much harder to find a pet than to lose one!  

Did you know if your pets becomes missing, you have only a 1 in 10 chance of ever seeing them again? Even with the current measures in place, this is the reality of the situation. Each year over 20 million pets are processed through the various animal shelters in North America. Beyond just this statistic, more than 10 million dogs and cats are euthanized in shelters yearly. This is a terrible statistic especially when you consider that many of these pets have a family somewhere that wants it back but doesn't know where to look for it.

Each time a pet is euthanized, it costs a shelter approximately $65 which translates into over $700 million annually spent doing something no one wants to do.

The first step to take in recovering a lost pet must be taken before the pet is even lost. Since pets cannot tell anyone who they are and where they live, they must carry identification at all times. This is usually accomplished by putting a collar with ID tags on your pet. The ID may be a current rabies tag issued by your veterinarian, a city tag, or a name tag with your own address and phone number. Collars should fit properly, or they will slip off. A properly fitted collar should be just snug enough that you can slide two fingers between the collar and your pet’s neck.

Pets can be more permanently identified by means of tattoos and microchips. Check with your veterinarian for information on how to obtain these ID’s.

When you discover your pet missing, search your immediate vicinity. Since a lost pet may be scared and hiding, don’t rally the troops and send out hundreds of strangers calling for Fido or Kitty. Instead, have the people that your pet knows well and trusts go out to look. Go out in your car, too, to search. Your pet probably knows the sound of your car as well as your own voice; he listens for it every day when you come home.

As soon as possible, call all the veterinary clinics within a few miles. If your pet is injured, some kind soul may take it to a nearby vet for treatment. Leave a description of your pet with them, or, better yet, take a photo to them. If your pet has any unusual markings, be sure to describe them. Call any rescue groups that have a lost and found, such as Animal Aid, Tulsa SPCA, ARF,   and any rescue group for your dog’s breed, if it is a purebred or looks like one. Visit the city animal shelter daily, in case your pet is picked up or turned in.

Posting flyers around the area is helpful, especially if it includes a clear photo. Place an ad in the lost and found columns of the news paper. A reward is nice, but most people sincerely want to find a lost pet’s owner, not collect a reward. Keep in mind, however, that the person who finds your pet and gets him back to you probably incurred some expense in the process. Don't be taken in by some of the Lost Pet Scams. (See related article)

It is easy to get discouraged and give up, but don’t quit. I see many owners recover their pets by following these steps.       

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