Renuite Lost Pets
with their families
70% of lost dogs are found less than
1 mile from home.
Did you know that a seemingly healthy and friendly dog running around your neighborhood has a 75% less chance of finding his or her way back home if impounded at the shelter? With thousands of dogs coming into our local animal shelter system every year, it can be the matter of life or death.
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Logically, it’s more likely for a dog to be reunited with his or her family by keeping them in the area they were found.
You can help the dog, their owner, the animal shelter system, and the community by looking for the pet’s owner. It’s what you’d want for your own pets if the unthinkable happened and they escaped from your home.
Leash up a dog and walk them around the neighborhood. The owner could be out looking for them, or a neighbor who knows the dog may be able to identify them. Many neighbors and neighborhood staples (such as mail delivery people) may help crack the case and point you in the right direction of where the seemingly lost dog lives.
Take the animal to be scanned for a microchip. Your vet or local shelter likely has a scanner to check for the chip. In some communities, your local firehouse may even have a scanner. Also, check the animal's ears for a tattoo, as this is sometimes used as a form of pet identification.
Create flyers with a good photo and a basic description. Print the flyers, attach them to brightly colored poster board, and write "FOUND DOG" (or cat) in large letters across the top, top. Post them near where the animal was found, at local businesses and in other places in your community.
Post the flyer on your social media, neighborhood sites like NextDoor.com, sites like
Petco Love Lost and PawBoost, and lost-and-found pet groups on Facebook.
