Every devoted pet owner knows how heartbreaking it is to find out that your beloved furry friend has gone missing. Our staff at the Bay Area Humane Society will try to help you get your beloved pet home. Below we have provided a few helpful tips to help recover your lost pet.
Make sure to search your own property and surrounding neighbors first, checking areas where your animal could be trapped or injured. Dogs can get trapped inside sheds and trailers, get entangled in wires under homes, and even fall into wells or swimming pools. Cats like to hide so make sure to check under sheds, decks, heavy brush, in basements, houses, and garages. The target areas to search are your property and all houses within a three-house radius. Use a flashlight and be both hopeful and patient, calling your pet in your normal “dog/cat calls.” You could even try appealing to him/her by clinking a can of food with a spoon. Just remember that even if the dog/cat doesn’t appear, he/she may still be nearby – and possibly injured, stuck, or too frightened to respond.
|
When you are putting together your lost animal poster, make sure to use bright, fluorescent poster board. At the top of the poster write “Reward” in large black letters and “Lost dog/cat” on the bottom of the poster. In the middle of the poster place a clear photo of the lost pet with a detailed description in smaller writing. The most important part is to list your name and phone number. When the poster is complete make sure to laminate it or wrap with clear tape to make the poster waterproof. Place all posters on major intersections within 1 mile radius of the place the pet went missing. Expand the posters to other major intersections outside of the 1 mile radius if not found in one week. Having this fluorescent poster on major intersections will immediately attract the eye, and everyone will know there is a lost pet.
“The main text on a lost poster should be clear to someone driving by at 55 miles per hour.”
By: Kat Albrecht
|
|
Make sure to visit all of the animal shelters in your area – and visit often. Take time to talk with the staff and provide pictures of the lost pet. If your lost pet is a cat make sure to contact any local “trap-alter-return” groups who could happen to trap your cat. For all lost pets you should contact your local Animal Control Officer to notify them as well. Below we have provided a list of local humane societies and animal control numbers.
Lakeshore Humane Society – 920-684-5401
Brown County Sheriff – 920-448-4200
Green Bay Animal Control – 920-448-3201
Bay Area Humane Society – 920-469-3110
Door County Humane Society – 920-746-1111
Fox Valley Humane Association – 920-733-1717
Oshkosh Humane Society – 920-424-2128
Cats Anonymous – 920-321-1967 (trap-alter-return group)
You should have someone available at all times to take incoming calls from potential sighters. If you have an answering machine make sure to change the message to include information about your lost pet – so individuals know they have the right number.
In many cases, it takes weeks or months before the lost pet is reunited with its family. We have seen cases where the pet was found several months and even years after being gone.
One thing that most people forget to do is place ads. Two of the major places to post lost ads are www.craigslist.com and Green Bay Press Gazette. Both of these resources are free! On craigslist just remember to post a picture with you ad as well. With the Green Bay Press Gazette you can get three lines for three days at no charge; and remember to keep contacting them after the three days and they will continue to run the ad.
Green Bay Press Gazette – 920-431-8400
If your pet is one of the lucky one’s that has a microchip implanted under the skin then make sure to contact your microchip company as soon as possible. If your pet does not have a microchip then when he/she does return make sure to bring him in and have one implanted. That little microchip reunites thousands of lost pets every year with their loving homes.
24 Petwatch – 1-866-597-2424
AVID – 1-800-652-9977
Home again – 1-888-Homeagain (1-888-466-3242)
If you happen to have questions along your search for you lost pet – please feel free to call the Bay Area Humane Society and the staff will try to help as much as possible.
Report A Lost Pet Online >>
Search Pets Found Stray >>
Claiming a Lost Pet >>
|
