Lost Pet Prevention & Recovery
Create & Download!
If you have lost a pet, you can create and download a lost pet
flyer from PetBond.com in a matter of minutes with your pet's picture! |
It is an awful feeling when a pet is lost-the greatest fear is the unknown and the thought that you are not able to protect
your pet against all of the hazards it could face-but there is help.
Besides these useful tips that will help you prevent your pet from becoming just another statistic, the Animal Welfare Coalition of
Hampton Roads has provided you with tools in order to help you take a proactive role in recovering your pet.
It is a sad fact that in some Hampton Roads animal shelters, the percentage of pets that arrive that are classified as "stray"
can account for upwards of 70% of all animals admitted.
More tragic is the fact that at some area shelters, the percentage of animals euthanized can reach upwards of 60%. In some shelters,
dogs are only returned to their owners less than 40% of the time and for cats, less than 3% are reclaimed from shelters by their owners.
Your pet is counting on YOU!
Taking some time now to prevent your pet from being lost will save you time spent later in a frantic search.
By having the tools available here,
if your pet ever does wander off, you will increase the chances of finding your pet faster.
Helpful Websites
There are several helpful websites that can alert the animal welfare community
that your pet is missing and provide resources to help you.
Prevention Tips
License and Shots
Make certain that all of your pet's municipal animal licenses and shots are kept up to date.
Not only is this the law for all pets in many Hampton Roads cities, if your pet ever does wander away, there's no telling what illness or disease they will come in contact with. An animal license and a nametag will speak for your pet if it is found by Animal Control Officers or turned into an animal shelter.
A collar with tags will not only help identify your pet, it will double the time a shelter is required to keep it.
Have your pet microchipped!
These devices have reunited thousands of pets with their owners and unlike collars, they can't be removed.
Microchips also offer unimpeachable proof of pet ownership should someone attempt to claim your pet as their own.
Implanted under a pet's skin at your Vet's office for a nominal fee, these tiny microchips are safe, effective and last the entire life of your pet.
A microchip can also insure that if your pet is ever found sick or injured, it will get medical attention as many shelters will naturally assume that the microchipped pet has a responsible owner searching for it and may approve emergency treatment the animal may need.
Have your pet spayed or neutered
Many times animals wander away because of the urge to mate with other animals. Having your pet altered will change this behavior and prevent another litter of kittens or puppies that will all need homes.
Not only will this help keep your animals from wandering, having your pet spayed or neutered will help it live a long, healthy life.
Protect Your Pets
Keep your cat indoors and your dog confined to your yard. Animals are not permitted by law to roam at-large and doing so presents a danger to the animal.
If your pet wanders into traffic and causes an accident or bites someone it comes into contact with, you could be held responsible for these events!
Provide Your Pet With Proper I.D.
Have your pet fitted with a proper collar that has the animal's current municipal animal license, rabies tag, identification tag with contact information and a small bell. Larger tags can have more detailed information, but you don't want a tag that's too big for your pet's size.
As with microchips, a simple nametag that only costs a few dollars will not only provide extra time for a lost pet in an animal shelter, it will provide an easy way for anyone who has found your pet to contact you.
Bells & Tags
Having a small bell or tags that jingle on your pet's collar could help you hear them if they are lost and you are searching for them.
Not only will having a collar with tags help anyone who has found your pet contact you, it will double the amount of time that an Animal Control or private shelter is required to hold your pet for an owner to come and claim it.
Neighbors
Get to know your neighbors and their pets and allow them to get to know you and your pets.
Not only does this help build safer and friendlier neighborhoods, your neighbors will notice if your dog or cat is somewhere or in the possession of someone other than it's rightful owner.
Along with lost pets, pet-theft is also in increasing problem nationwide.
By everyone in your neighborhood getting to know one another, you can protect yourself and your pets.
Photographs
Keep current photos of your pet on hand that show the entire animal from different views or a close-up of the animal's face to show distinguishing features.
A photograph will better serve to describe your pet to anyone who has never seen it before and might remind them if they have seen your pet.
Just In Case..
Take the time NOW to make up some lost pet flyers complete with a good description and good photographs.
If your pet does wander away, you will need to spend your time looking for it. Having a flyer already made up and stored on your computer will save you time that would be better spent searching.
Lost Pet Recovery
If your pet has been gone for more than 24 hours, this might be a good time to place an ad in your local newspaper.
Virtually all newspapers have a lost and found pet section and will run a small ad for a week or two for a very reasonable rate.
Contact The Daily Press or The Virginian Pilot to learn more.
You should also file a lost pet report on HRLostPets.org
This website will send an e-mail alert to all animal shelters within a
30 mile radius of your ZIP code alerting Animal Control officers and animal shelters that your pet is missing.
When a pet is missing, you need to start your search as soon as possible and wasting valuable time making up a lost pet flyer isn't a good idea-so download ours!
Not only will it save you time by having the most critical information you will need already included, you will help spread the word about HRLostPets.org!
Searching for Your Pet
There are some things that are so logical, people just seem to forget about them if they are dealing with the stress of finding a lost pet.
These simple yet effective tips will help you begin an effective search and find your pet quickly.
Search Your Property
Never assume that your pet wouldn't go into places in your own home-they would and they do!
Take Some Treats
Carry the treats and shake the bag or can to alert your pet that there are treats to be had. You would be amazed at how well this works if you train your pet to the sound of treats.
Take a Flashlight
Even in the daytime, a pet can crawl into some dark places to hide, especially if they're injured.
With photos in hand..
Show pictures of your pet to anyone you encounter, these may help jar their memory in the event they have seen your pet and paid no attention to it.
Make Noise as you search
Call your pet's name, make sounds they will recognize and take along their noise-toys and have others helping you do the same.
Pets have great hearing and will be able to hear you well before you see them.
Give Them a Chance to Reply
During your search, it's important that you stop, look and listen for your pet to reply. Your dog could be under a car or your cat up in a tree and unless you listen for them, you could walk right by never seeing your pet at all.
Leave Contact Information
Do this in the event that someone you encounter sees your pet later and needs to contact you.
Enlist the Help of Kids
Getting to know the kids in your neighborhood not only helps build a stronger community, but kids are great at finding things, people and pets.
Harness their limitless energy to help you fan out over the area to conduct your search.
Ask a Mail Carrier/Delivery Driver
Let Mailmen and Newspaper Delivery Personnel Know They travel the streets for a living and see things day and night that regular folk do not.
Make sure they too have a flyer with a picture of your pet and your contact information
Let Your Pet Follow it's Nose
Leave some dirty socks, gym clothes or sweaty t-shirts, pet bedding and a cat litter outside your home so the animal can identify it's own home from a great distance.
Visit Shelters, Vets and Animal Control
Never wait long to visit these places, visit them within the first 24 hours with photos and a flyer. Continue to visit them on a regular basis until your pet is found and don't give up hope!
If You Post Flyers
Posting flyers can help tell others that your pet is missing.
Post them at grocery stores, convenience stores, club houses and anywhere else people gather or visit.
If you post them on street signs, this could be considered a violation of the law if the street sign is obstructed from view.
You can also post them onto light poles in your neighborhood so that others walking by could see them.
If your animal is found, be a good neighbor and remove all the signs you have posted.
Use the Media
Many local newspapers will publish a small lost pet report in the classified section of the local newspaper free of charge or for a small fee.
If your neighborhood, civic group or club has a newsletter, consider placing an ad there as well.
If You Offer a Reward
Never state how much the reward will be.
If someone calls to tell you that they have your animal, arrange to meet at a public place that you know to be safe such as a police station, animal shelter or animal control during shelter during normal business hours and never go alone!
If the person claiming to have your animal is reluctant or refuses to meet you at a police station, animal control shelter or some other location where they might encounter the authorities, this should be a huge RED FLAG and chances are they have good reason to avoid any type of law enforcement officials.
Some slick con artists have been known to look through the lost pet section of the newspaper in order to find their next mark.
Many times, these people will want you to give them the money and they will claim to go get your pet.
If you do this, chances are you will never see him, your money or your pet.
There have even been cases where crooks have stolen pets in the hopes of collecting a reward from a distressed pet owner.
Remember: If your instinct tells you something is wrong, chances are something is! Make certain that it is your pet they are describing, these con artists are slick, crafty and prey on people just like YOU!
They already know you are probably upset and will use this against you, don't be fooled, keep your guard up and NEVER give them anything until you have your pet safely in your possession.
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