How to Find a Lost Pet

A pet owner's worst nightmare is when his/her pet disappears and you don't know what to do. The sooner you start the search, the more likely you are to find your beloved companion. Here are the steps that you need to take to have a good chance for a happy reunion with your pet.

1. The minute you realize your pet is missing, do a thorough search of your house to see if your pet is hiding, sleeping or injured. Don't forget to search the garage, under all the beds, in the closets and anywhere else your pet might be hiding. Shaking his food dish or activating his favorite toy may bring the pet out of hiding.
2. Take a recent photo and check with all your neighbors to determine if they have seen your pet. Check the shrubs and porches and ask your neighbor to check his garage and out buildings.
3. Call all animal shelters and animal rescue groups within 20 miles of your house to see if one of them may already have your pet.
4. Make a "lost pet" flyer with a recent photo, a brief description of your pet and your contact information. Hand these out at parks and plaster the fliers on lamp posts, community bulletin boards, veterinarian offices and pet stores.
5. Post and read notices in the lost and found portion of animal forums on the internet. Consider placing an ad in the local newspaper--most of these type of ads are free.
6. Place your pet's bed or favorite blanket on the front porch to encourage him to come home. Make sure it is in plain sight.
7. Check with all local animal shelters personally. Lost dogs are often dirty and sometimes injured and it might be difficult to match them with a photo.
8. Don't give up. Most animals are very resilient. Keep checking back with the shelters on a regular basis.

Donna works as an accountant with a large corporation. In her spare time, she enjoys reading, writing and listening to music as well as watching old movies. She has recently learned how to build websites. Check out her latest effort related to electric room heaters at http://www.electricroomheaters.org.

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