 Act immediately!
Don't assume your pet will come home on its own.
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don't give up!
Pets can travel a great distance very fast-either on their own or with human intervention. Therefore, owners of missing pets should initially extend their search to at least a 50-mile radius. For your pet's sake, persist in your efforts. Pets have been missing for many many months before eventually being reunited with their owners.
important numbers:
Mary Jane Stockdale
614.471.7397
Capital Area Humane Society
614.777.7387
Delaware County Animal Control
740.548.PETS
Delaware County Humae Society
740.368.1915
Licking County Animal Control
740.349.6562
The Columbus Dispatch
614.888.8888
list your pet on:
PetFBI
(a Lost/Found Pet Searchable Database)
www.petfbi.org
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finding a lost pet:
Search your house and property thoroughly.
Look everywhere, even if you think your pet would never crawl into such a
tiny space.
Look behind, under, and
inside closets, washing machines, couches, clothes dryers, stoves, refrigerators, and dish
washers. Look behind water heaters, in boxes, under furniture, under
beds, in closets, in cabinets, in shelves and bookcases, in drain pipes,
in stairwells, under vehicles, in crawl spaces under
the house, inside sheds and barns, etc. In the case of cats, also look
in attic crawl spaces, on the roof, in roof gutters, and up in the
trees.
Walk the neighborhood, talk to everyone and leave your
phone number. ( Leave a description of the pet and your phone number attached to their
door if they are not home.)
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Talk to anyone you see. This includes the
postman, paperboy, children, parents waiting at the school bus stop,
school crossing guards, neighborhood crime watch groups, garbage pick-up
crews, etc. Give them a flyer (see below) or written description of your pet and your phone
number as well.
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Try to get all the neighborhood children involved. Kids
are great at finding lost pets!
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Offer a reward, but don't state the amount.
Call your pet while you walk around the neighborhood!
Animals can hear you from great distances.
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If your pet has a favorite "squeaky toy" bring
it along and use it to help you make familiar noises.
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Carry a box of your pet's favorite biscuits, chews, or
other treats and rattle it loudly while calling your pet's name.
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It's also important to stop regularly, be quiet,
and listen for your pet to make a noise in reply.
Bring a flashlight (even during daylight
hours) for checking in dark spaces.
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A frightened cat or injured dog will hide in dark spaces and
will not come to you.
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Use your flashlight to checking under cars, under decks, houses and other
dark places. Also check storage sheds, garages, dumpsters, and trash cans. Look up into trees and roofs for cats.
Place strong-scented articles outside your home to
attract your pet. Animals find their way by scent as well as sound.
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Place some of your dirty clothes outdoors. -
Place canned tuna, your cat's litterbox, bedding, and favorite toys
outside.
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Place canned dog food, your dogs bedding and favorite toys outside.
Make some very important calls!
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Call Mary Jane Stockdale at 614.471.7397. She runs a pet lost/found public service for the Central Ohio area.
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Call local veterinarian offices during the day. After 5
PM, call veterinarian emergency clinics to see if your pet was injured and taken to one of these locations for help.
VISIT the local Animal Control and humane societies, including the ones in surrounding areas.
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You must actually visit the animal control and humane
shelters every day or two. They will generally not hold animals more than three days. Enlist family members to
take turns visiting the shelters.
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YOU MUST GO LOOK! Be sure to
check all areas of the shelter/humane society.
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Leave a picture of your pet and your phone number at
each shelter. Be nice....make them like you.
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Find out the holding period of each animal control and
humane shelter. Be aware of how much time you have to claim your pet
before it is euthanized!
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Animal Control agencies usually keep an
animal for only 3 days and then they either adopt it out or kill it. You
only get one chance at this. Be there!
Search for and list your pet on PetFBI.
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PetFBI is a lost/found pet listing agency for Ohio.
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You can search for a pet matching the description of the one that you lost and list your pet as lost in the event someone finds him/her.
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Include a picture of the pet for best results.
Hang Flyers Everywhere!
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Create a simple flyer using minimal words and large letters and your pet's picture:
LOST CAT
BLACK & WHITE MALE
REWARD
740.555.5555
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Post MANY
flyers about your lost pet within a 5-mile radius of where it was lost.
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Overall, flyers or posters produce more
"finds" than anything else. But don't neglect the rest of the
tips!
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Post the flyers at waist level on telephone poles and at
eye level in such places as veterinary offices, pet shops, barber &
beauty shops, grocery stores, community bulletin boards, churches, pizza
parlors, laundromats, convenience stores, near schools, and on school
bulletin boards.
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Examine your posted flyers frequently and replace the
ones that are missing or damaged.
Place an Ad in the local newspaper.
Don't give up! Pets have been known to find
their way back home after being lost for many many months. Good luck!
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