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WHAT YOU CAN DO IF YOUR PET IS LOST IN THE RGV
WHAT YOU SHOULD DO IF YOUR PET IS LOST
STAY CALM. When you discover your beloved pet has gone missing your first response will be to PANIC.
Try to remain calm. The most important thing you can do is to get organized and act fast!
This will be a stressful, frightening and overwhelming time for you and your pet. Try to keep calm and remain focused.
BE PREPARED. Before you do anything else, make sure you have a leash or pet carrier and start searching the areas surrounding your pet's home.
FOR LOST DOGS
Take their favorite leash, toy, blanket or treats.
They can smell their scent on those items from very long distances.
Try to leave any items with their scent outside the home. Leave the gates open. Make sure they have access to get back into their home or yard.
Also, if you have more than one dog, take their buddy with you while you do your search. They may be able to pick up and track each other’s scents.
FOR LOST CATS
Place their litter box outside and also something you just wore like a t-shirt.
Cats have a great sense of smell and that could help them find their way back.
BE PATIENT. Call their name as often as you can, but especially at night.
Go outside with a flashlight and look in the bushes which will reflect their eyes.
STAY HOME
Although you could start by walking or driving around to see if your pet is visible and nearby, try to stay as close to their home as possible when calling out their name.
Many sources report that 63% Percent of lost pets are within a mile of their home.
Remember if your pet is close by, calling their name while traveling away from home may confuse them and cause them to walk towards that sound and get further lost and wander farther away from home.
MAKE A FLYER
This flyer may be one of the most important tools in spreading the word about your lost pet. This flyer can be posted in your neighborhood including popular businesses, grocery and convenient stores, Veterinary Clinics and anyone else that lets you post.
If you are not able to print it from your computer, you can save as a PDF or JPEG. You can email it to yourself. Then from your phone take a picture or screenshot. You can now upload that picture to the many lost and found resources listed below.
You can also email or text this flyer to many Pet Related services and Animal Control Offices.
KEEP IT SIMPLE. Include a recent picture with their name, the date and location of where he was last seen and your contact information.
DO NOT Include any Nicknames, Special Markings, traits or characteristics that only YOU know. Although you may think this information will be helpful in easily identifying your pet to others, it could also harm you and your pet by attracting potential scammers.
Use a bright colored background or paper & big fonts as they seem to attract the most attention.
OFFERING A REWARD
Before offering a reward, please remember that rewards mostly encourage Scammers, Thieves & Dog/Cat Napping.
Offering a $$$ REWARD $$$ may be tempting. But please keep in mind that this often encourages greedy and unkind people to capture them in order to get that Reward.
Other scammers know you are vulnerable, and they may try to contact you just because they’ve seen your flyers or posts.
Remember, that GOOD people who have FOUND lost pets are also posting on these sites and just want to help reunite them with their families.
They may have been housing or caring for them and are not asking for a “REWARD”. However, afterward, if you feel it’s safe to do so, you could offer a token of gratitude for their help.
VERY IMPORTANT...POST ON SOCIAL MEDIA
POST ON SOCIAL MEDIA
Now that your flyer or screenshot is ready, the MOST IMPORTANT way to spread the word about your lost pet is to post on Facebook or other social media as soon as possible.
The ABSOLUTE fastest and most effective way to do this is to get your post out there IMMEDIATELY!
Do not be discouraged or lose hope if you are not able to join all of these groups.
Simply ask them to share your post. By doing this, posts are screenshot by hundreds of people and shared to many sites. So many pets have been reunited by the kindness of strangers just willing to share your post!
Below are some links to Lost and Found Pets where you can easily share your post.
OTHER LOST & FOUND PET WEBSITES & LINKS
CRAIGSLIST
https://mcallen.craigslist.org/search/laf
FIDOFINDER
LOSTDOGGIE.COM
LOST DOGS OF AMERICA
https://lostdogsofamerica.org/
LOST DOGS OF TEXAS
NEXTDOOR
PAWBOOST
This is a Paid Service, but they have amazing contacts & resources with local Rescues, Shelters, social media including email, Facebook & Instagram.
PET AMBER ALERT
https://www.petamberalert.com/
This is a Paid Service, but they have amazing contacts & resources with local Rescues, Shelters, social media including email, Facebook & Instagram.
PETCO LOST LOVE
PETFBI
CONTACT ANIMAL CONTROL
ANIMAL CONTROL
Contact your local Animal Control Officers.
Their contact information is located on our site.
Call, text, email or message them immediately with the flyer or a recent picture of your missing pet.
Many of these numbers are for the actual Animal Control Officers on duty. The faster you spread the word, the better your chances are to find your pet.
Many people have texted and messaged pictures of lost animals to some of them and were overwhelmed by the fact that the ACO actually responded immediately with updates and in many cases reunited their pets with their families.
CONTACT HUMANE SOCIETIES & SHELTERS
Contact your local humane societies and animal shelters. Their contact information is located on our site.
Call, text, email or message them immediately with the flyer or a recent picture of your missing pet. The faster you spread the word, the better your chances are to find your pet.
These organizations are overwhelmed and understaffed. Do not expect them to contact you right away. Instead, be prepared to go there in person as often as you can to look for your pet.
More and more Humane Societies and Animal Shelters have photos of their intake animals in real time. Below are some tips on how to report your missing pet and see if they have been taken to the shelter.
HUMANE SOCIETY & ANIMAL SHELTER LOST & FOUND
CONTACT LOCAL VETERINARIANS
ID & RABIES TAGS
If your pet has a microchip and/or rabies or id tag make sure you check with your veterinarian.
We actually reunited a lost pup with his owner by calling the vet number on his tag. The vet was located in California and they weren’t too helpful at first. But we kept calling and finally spoke with the manager and left them our contact info. When we told them the dog was found in McAllen Texas, they were able to find the owner’s information in their records.
The owner called us back and we were able to reunite him and his lost pet.
Many Veterinarians have associations with local rescue organizations and the ability to outreach.
LOST AND FOUND PET TIPS & RESOURCES
