There are three potential events that always strike fear into my heart when it comes to my dog: a cancer diagnosis, being struck by a car, or my sweet old girl going missing. Since April 23rd is Lost Dog Awareness Day we are going to talk about how to respond if you happen to lose your dog.
According to Lost Dogs of America, you should take 5 steps if your dog goes missing.
The first thing they recommend is getting items that your pet would recognize. Items such as food, water, or a bed or article of clothing that would be familiar to your pet should be placed in the area they were last seen.
After that, you should:
Make signs and flyers. Make sure your pet’s picture and your phone number are listed. You might also want to go door-to-door in the area your pet was last seen.
Reach out to the animal shelters, vet clinics, and police departments. Let these places know your pet is missing and give them the same information that is in your flyer.
Let your microchip provider know that your pet is missing.
Make sure that you advise those looking for your pet not to chase or call them. Instead, recommend people sit still, avoiding eye contact, and use treats to lure the lost pet in.
Finally, use social media to your advantage. Post your lost pet on PetFBI.org and other local lost and found message boards and groups in Facebook and the like.
Hopefully you never have to search for a lost pet, but taking quick action could get your pet located and brought home safely.