SHelter And REscue

How To Find A Lost Cat Or Dog
From http://PetRescue.com

First, search your property thoroughly. Cats and small dogs can get
into some mighty strange places.

� We once had a cat that got stuck in an 8" ventilation pipe
for 2 days right next to the house! We searched frantically, night
and day, for him all during this time. Finally we heard his pitiful,
faint cries coming from the pipe and saved him! (We immediately
installed a screen over the outlet so that this would never happen
again.)

� The point is, look in EVERY nook and cranny. Don't assume
that your pet would never crawl into some tiny space.

� Look behind, under, and inside washing machines, clothes
dryers, stoves, refrigerators, and dish washers. Look behind water
heaters, in boxes, under furniture, under beds, in closets, in
cabinets, in shelves and bookcases, in drain pipes, in sewer drains,
in culvert pipes, under vehicles, in crawl spaces under the house,
inside sheds and barns, etc. In the case of cats, also look in attic
crawl spaces, on the roof, in roof gutters, and up in the trees.

Walk the neighborhood, talk to everybody, and leave your phone number.

� Go to each house in the area where your pet was lost and
talk to the residents. Write down a description of your lost pet and
your phone number and leave it with them. Leave it attached to their
door if they are not home.

� Talk to everybody you run across. This includes the
postman, paperboy, children, parents waiting at the school bus stop,
school crossing guards, neighborhood crime watch groups, garbage pick-
up crews, etc. Give them a written description of your pet and your
phone number as well.

� Try to get all the neighborhood children involved. Kids are
great at finding lost pets!

� Ask everybody if they saw or heard anything unusual in the
neighborhood and carefully write down everything they tell you. This
could include strange vehicles, work crews, people, or activities.
Get detailed descriptions of everything.

� Don't travel alone. Take a friend or family member with
you.

� Don't write down your name or address. Because of scam
artists and other criminals in our society, it is never a good idea
to publicize this information.

� Offer a reward, but don't state the amount.

Make some noise while you walk around the neighborhood! Animals can
hear you from great distances.

� Have all your family members call the pet's name.

� If your pet has a favorite "squeaky toy" bring it along and
use it to help you make familiar noises.

� Use an "Acme Dog Whistle" to get your pet's attention. The
high-pitched sound from these whistles can carry up to a mile or
more. Cats are attracted to this sound as well as dogs. (Note: this
whistle is the "silent" ultrasonic type, but has a simple adjustment
that lowers the tone into the human audible range. Use this audible
tone when searching for your pet because the sound will carry
farther)

� Carry a box of your pet's favorite biscuits, chews, or
other treats and rattle it loudly while calling your pet's name.

� Make any other noise that your pet is familiar with.

� It's also important to stop regularly, be quiet, and listen
for your pet to make a noise in reply.

� The neighbors will think you're crazy, but hey, this is
your pet's life we're talking about here!

Bring a powerful flashlight (even during daylight hours) for checking
in dark spaces.

� A frightened or injured cat will hide in dark spaces and
will not come to you. An injured dog will also hide in dark places.

� Use your flashlight for checking under houses and other
dark spots. Also check storage sheds, garages, dumpsters, trash cans,
and under cars. Don't forget to look in trees for a cat.

Place strong-scented articles outside your home to attract your pet.
Animals find their way by scent as well as sound.

� Place some of your dirty clothes outdoors. Sweaty gym socks
and jogging suits are great for this!

� Place a cat's litterbox, bedding, and favorite toys
outside.

� Place a dogs bedding and favorite toys outside.

� Put out some smelly food such as tuna, sardines, or warm,
freshly cooked chicken, liver, or other savory meat. Be sure to
protect the food if you can, so that other animals don't eat it!

� If it's warm weather, crate other family pets and place
them outside in a SAFE and SECURE area.

Call local veterinarian offices during the day. After 5 PM, call
veterinarian emergency clinics.

� Find out if your pet was injured and taken to any of these
offices or clinics for treatment.

� If an office has taken in or treated any animal that even
remotely resembles your pet, VISIT THE OFFICE IN PERSON. Your
description of your pet and their description of the same pet rarely
match. YOU MUST GO SEE FOR YOURSELF!

� Also ask them for the phone numbers of local rescue
organizations. They generally keep a list and may even work with
them.

� Call each of the rescue organizations and ask for their
help and find out if they have your pet. These groups generally
network with each other and will pass the word about your case.

VISIT your local Animal Control, humane societies, and animal
shelters, including the ones in surrounding areas.

� You must actually visit the animal control and humane
shelters every day or two. It works well if several family members
can take turns visiting the shelters.

� Your description of your pet and their description rarely
match. YOU MUST GO LOOK! Be sure to check all areas of the shelter,
including the infirmary. Also be aware that dogs may be housed in the
cat section and vice-versa.

� Leave a picture of your pet and your phone number at each
shelter. Befriend them.

� Find out the holding period of each animal control and
humane shelter. Be aware of how much time you have to claim your pet
before it is euthanized!

� Government Animal Control agencies usually keep an animal
for only 3 days and then they either adopt it out or kill it. You
only get one chance at this. Be there!

Ask Animal Control, humane societies, and shelters about pet rescue
organizations in your area.

� Usually there are smaller pet rescue groups that work with
the local humane shelter. They often take pets from the shelter to
save them from euthanasia and adopt them out to new homes.

� Call the rescue groups regularly to see if they have your
pet.

Find out if your pet has been killed on the road.

� This is a very sad but necessary task. Otherwise, you may
never know what happened to your pet and it could haunt you for
years.

� The road crews for your local and state department of
transportation (DOT) usually pick up dead animals from the roadside
and city streets. In some cases Animal Control does this as well. You
have to call around and find out which agencies do this service in
your area. Be sure to find them all!

� Dogs are usually picked up within 24 hours, but cats often
are not.

� Call the city, county, and state road crews, DOT, and
Animal Control EVERY DAY to see if they have found your pet's body.

� Make arrangements to visit their offices so you can speak
with them face to face. Befriend them and leave a photo of your pet
so the road crews can be on the lookout for it.

� If any of them do not cooperate with your efforts, contact
City Hall as a last resort and complain. This usually gets a
response. But remember, you will get better results with courteous
personal visits.

� If your pet is wearing an ID tag, the DOT and/or Animal
Control agencies should contact you if they find your pet dead along
the road. But don't count on it. You must put forth the effort to
find out for yourself!

� Sadly, this section has a higher "find" rate than anything
else except posted flyers.

It is extremely important to post MANY flyers about your lost pet
within a 1-mile radius of where it was lost.

� Overall, flyers or posters produce more "finds" than
anything else. But don't neglect the rest of the tips!

� Your budget will determine how many flyers you can afford
to post, but the more the better.

� DO NOT PUT YOUR NAME OR ADDRESS ON YOUR FLYER!

� If possible, it is best to place a color photo of your pet
on each flyer.

� Use 8-1/2" X 11" fluorescent paper for high visibility.

� List the date and place your pet was lost, breed of dog or
cat, sex, age, weight, color, markings, and your telephone number.
Offer a reward, but don't state the amount.

� It is very important to always withhold several identifying
marks and characteristics of your lost pet. You may need to use these
later to verify that a person has actually found your pet and is not
trying to scam you. More on this later.

� Post the flyers at waist level on telephone poles and at
eye level in such places as veterinary offices, pet shops, barber &
beauty shops, grocery stores, community bulletin boards, churches,
pizza parlors, laundromats, convenience stores, near schools, and on
school bulletin boards.

� Examine your posted flyers frequently and replace the ones
that are missing or damaged.

Place an Ad in your local newspaper. Some will do this for free.

� Be sure to advertise in the Sunday edition as well as
during the week.

� Also place an ad in any "Penny Saver" type of publications
you might have in your area.

Check the newspaper "found" ads every day.

� Most newspapers provide free ads to people who have found
lost pets.

� Also check regularly in any other local publications.

Don't ever give up! Pets have been known to find their way back home
after being lost for several months. Good luck!

A Few Words Of Caution
There are dangerous people in our society who prey upon victims by
using "found" pets as a ploy.

� NEVER respond to a "found" pet contact alone. Take a friend
or two along with you.

� Arrange to meet in a public place.

� NEVER invite the person to your home unless you happen to
know them well.

Beware of money scams. A common one is a person calls you claiming to
be a long-haul trucker. He says he picked up your pet and is out of
state now. He heard about your ad, flyer, etc. and says he will
return your pet if you will pay to ship it home. This person does not
have your pet, he is only trying to take your money.

Don't wander around looking for your pet alone, either during the day
or at night. Always bring a friend or relative. This is especially
important in unfamiliar neighborhoods.

Use the identifying information you have withheld about your pet.
Please remember that you should never give out all of the identifying
features of your lost pet. If the person who claims to have found
your pet cannot describe these features to you, they do not have your
pet!

When You Find Your Pet
Go around and collect up all of your old flyers.

Thank everybody who has helped you.

Let us know! We are always glad to hear about lost and
found "success" stories.

How To Protect Your Pets Now
Safeguard your pets before they are lost by following the common-
sense tips below.

Pet-proof your yard fence so your cat or dog will be safely confined.
Be sure to check your fence regularly for new escape routes.

Keep fence gates securely locked. This is for the safety of both your
pet and any visitors (wanted or unwanted).

Never allow your pets to roam free in the neighborhood. Leash them at
all times.

Always transport a cat in a carrier. Never take your cat to the Vet
or anywhere else unless it is secured. A carried cat can bolt and
hide if frightened by loud noises. When a cat is frightened in
strange surroundings, especially with traffic noise around, it will
hide and will not come to you.

The same goes for dogs. Always leash them when taking them anywhere.
If a dog gets loose in an unfamiliar area its chances of ever finding
its way home are practically nil.

Get some good photos of your pet now, before it's too late.

� Take close-up shots so that details show up well.

� Keep taking shots until you get a few good ones that really
look like your pet. Most snapshots of pets look like any other cat or
dog. You want your photos to be unique and your pet to be
unmistakable.

� These photos will be invaluable to you later if your pet is
ever lost.

Train your pet (cat or dog) to associate an "Acme Dog Whistle" with
pleasant things. Blow the whistle each time just before you feed
them. They will then be more likely to come running to you when you
use the whistle to find them when they are lost.

Ensure that YOU can be located if your pet is found.

� Always keep a collar on your pet with a tag that has your
CURRENT PHONE NUMBER on it.

� Always have a CURRENT rabies tag and pet license tag
attached to your pet's collar. You can be found by the number on the
tags.

� A collar and phone tag are the most important form of ID
you can have for your pet. For the best source of ID tags and
embroidered collars, follow this link!

For extra security, you may choose to also have a backup ID system
(See the next two items.)

� Talk to your vet about a microchip implant. A chip provides
positive and reliable identification for your pet and all modern
shelters scan animals for this ID device. Find out which brand of
chip is prevalent in your area and go with that one. If you have a
choice, we like the HomeAgainTM microchips.

The HomeAgainTM microchip is distributed by Schering-Plough Animal
Health. The American Kennel Club maintains a nationwide database of
these microchip numbers. The chip is constructed in a way that tends
to prevent migration from the injection site. Call (800)234-6373 to
find a Vet near you who offers this product.

� Also ask your vet about pet tattoos. We don't like tattoos
as well as we do microchips, but they also provide positive
identification if done correctly. A tattoo is often very difficult to
read because hair has grown over it and/or the lost animal is
frightened and will not allow inspection. If you do use a tattoo, we
feel that the best place to apply it is on the inner thigh. Pet
thieves have been known to cut off a tattooed ear!

More about rabies tags.

� It is absolutely vital that your pet have a CURRENT rabies
tag on it at all times!

� If a county happens to be under a "Rabies Alert" or
a "Rabies Quarantine" and your pet is picked up without a current
rabies tag, they WILL kill your loved one! It's a public health
issue, so you will have no recourse.

� We are very familiar with this situation, as it occurs
often in our area. Please don't let this happen to your pet!

And finally, spay or neuter your pets!

� Both males and females will be much less likely to wander
if they are "fixed."

� An added benefit is that they will live a longer, happier,
healthier life if they are spayed or neutered.

Posted on SHARE Yahoo group ul 31, 2004

Lost & Found: How To Find A Lost Cat Or Dog

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