Lost and Found: What to Do If Your Pet Goes Missing

When a pet goes missing, panic sets in. Being proactive by having necessary information ready in advance can help you stay focused and give you the best chance of being reunited with your furry family member.

When you welcome a new dog or cat into your home, start assembling an informational kit on your pet. This should be stored digitally and as a hard copy, and kept in an easily accessible location. Share this information with trusted family members or neighbors, and review it every few months to make necessary updates.

Building Your Pet’s Information Kit

Among the basic information you should include:

• Photos: Recent face and full-body pictures.
• Physical Description: Breed, size, color, and distinguishing features or characteristics.
• Microchip Details: Microchip numbers and registry information.
• Documentation: Proof of ownership, such as veterinary records or adoption paperwork.
• Emergency Contacts: Local animal control, shelters, rescues, your vet's office, and 24-hour emergency veterinary clinics.
• Identification: Your pet’s ID tag and license number.

Prep Your Social Media Strategy

Know the local social media outlets and community pages where you can post about a missing pet. Because posts in community groups can sometimes take time to be approved by admins, you want to get this going as soon as you have made an initial sweep of your property.

Pro Tip: It helps to craft the language of a "Missing Pet" post ahead of time. Keep it saved in your phone's notes so you can simply copy, paste, and post without having to worry about composing clear information while you’re upset.

Military-Specific Preparations

Military families living in base housing must add base-specific layers to this plan. Ensure your kit includes contact information for base security or police, on-post animal control, and the command post. If you are deploying, be sure to pass this comprehensive kit off to your pet’s caretaker.

The Immediate Action Plan

When you realize your pet has gone missing, check everywhere inside and outside of your home first. Look in regular hiding spots, closets, garages, cars, crawl spaces, and sheds.

If they aren't there, hit the ground running with an action plan. Delegate tasks to different family members or friends so you can get the word out as soon as possible:

• Have someone make phone calls to vets and shelters.
• Have someone handle online notifications and social media.
• Have another person make a flyer for distribution at local markets, area hangouts, and to neighbors.

Search Strategies: Dogs vs. Cats

There’s an old adage in animal rescue: When pets go missing, dogs run, so you must go look for them. Meanwhile, cats hide, and you need to encourage them to come back home. * Searching for Dogs: Dogs tend to travel, follow scents, and approach people. Keep moving outward if you do not find your dog in its normal hiding spots right away. Walk nearby streets, calmly calling their name, and check under porches, cars, and fences.

• Searching for Cats: Focus on the immediate area and reducing their fear. Search quietly and thoroughly within a small radius on their level, including under porches, decks, and in bushes. Ask neighbors to look in their garages, as cats have been known to get stuck in those spaces for significant amounts of time.

Note: Early morning, dusk, and late night are the best times to search for scared pets when the neighborhood is quiet.

Never Give Up Hope

If you do not find your pet after an initial search, keep a log of possible sightings and continue to reach out to and visit area shelters in person. Never give up hope. There have been countless cases of pets being found months—and even years—after going missing.