Lost Dog / Cat

Actions You Can Take

  • Call your local animal control officer (and ACO's in nearby towns/cities)- in Massachusetts, many ACO's work for the police department, but are a separate office in the department.
  • Call local police (and police in nearby towns).
  • Call friends for help-someone could hang posters and someone could make phone calls while you are out searching.
  • Call neighbors to learn whether they have seen your animal.
  • Make reward poster.
  • Hang in plastic sleeves (need sleeves, staple gun, push pins and staples).
  • Tape poster to search cars.
  • Get email, fax, phone, address to send out reward posters to veterinarians, animal shelters, ACO's, pet supply stores, groomers, trainers.

Next Steps

  • Organize a search party research and print out a topographical map of the search site for searchers.
  • Knock on doors and leave letters for neighbors outlining where people can look on their own property.
  • Register lost pet on websites (a huge job - recruit friends to help).
  • Set up live traps.
  • Check lost and found columns in newspapers.
  • Take out ads in body of newspapers (and in classified section).
  • Have media list available-contact newspapers, tv, radio stations - there might be a story in it for them, especially if it is a slow news day.

Lost & Found Pets / Adoption Centers