We're assuming you have already read and followed our first set of suggestions, "13 Steps for Missing Pet Recovery". Launching your search IMMEDIATELY is your best option for a successful recovery, however if that doesn’t provide then a search can drag on for weeks or months. Ongoing efforts can be exhausting and costly and as more time passes it can be difficult to stay motivated and positive. It is necessary then, for you to view this recovery process as a multi-layered process and continue to explore new ways of expanding your search.
If you are still searching for a beloved family member and are dedicated to finding them, read the information below for ways to keep your efforts fresh. THINGS TO REMEMBER:
1) If your pet has been missing for weeks several days or week, create a new flier with updated information, a different picture, or add details such as a map to improve views and lead to better awareness. Have your flyers faded or become wet and unreadable? Repost new ones as needed using laminated copies or placing in gallon ZipLoc bags.
2) Don't have a flyer? If you are just re-sharing the same blurry screenshot from six weeks ago....fix that. It's fine to use initially when your animal just escaped but weeks and months later we often see folks just continuing to use the same poor image. Need help with making a flyer or unsure how to create one? Check out "Making Signs And Flyers For Your Missing Pet Search".
3) If there have been no sightings consider ordering a findtoto.com or lostmydoggie phone alert. These automated calls can reach more people in your nearby areas who may not have seen your fliers or signs for a missing pet.
Do not become complacent and just give up or stop posting! Lost animals turn to their survival instincts to remain safe, often stay out of sight and certainly do not exhibit the same behaviors you are accustomed to, so thinking outside the box is essential.
- Contact nearby homeowners associations, neighborhoods and community groups
- Create a Facebook page to reach more people, and choose a custom URL to can add to your flyers.
- Provide frequent updates on your efforts through social media and the lost pet sites you registered your pet with.
- Expand the search area from a two-mile radius to five, ten or more.
- Pull up your location on Google maps and take a screenshot to show the exact location where your pet is missing. Try to include a nearby landmark or business or intersection for reference and add that to your Facebook page, flyers, etc.
- It's easy to assume someone will just see your pet trotting down the street, but unless you have plastered the area with signage, how will they know who is missing it? Did you put a poster in your yard indicating you have lost a pet?
- Change your Facebook profile picture to the flier to shares the message about your lost pet to everyone. Ask friends to do the same.
- Have you enlisted volunteers? This is a lot of work; gathering a team, delegating, mapping out streets to go door to door, etc. Call people and organize an "Awareness Event to saturate the area and speak with local residents.
- Tagging your vehicle is a great way to spread the word. Buy markers and turn your vehicle and anyone else's into a mobile bill board by following these instructions.
- Read some additional great advice at the Center For Lost Pets.
- Check out some information on trapping a lost pet; especially useful to read if you have a skittish or fearful animal you are working with.
- Keep in touch with lost pet pages. We all have a lot happening on our sites with many animals and owners and details and may not remember to re-share your animal if you don't keep circling back to our page to provide updates, news of sightings, etc. We want to help but if we don't hear from you we can't know what's going on.
REGARDING SHELTERS AND ANIMAL CONTROL: Immediately, when your animal is first lost, make sure to file a report with the agency that picks up or holds animals found in your county. This information is essential to have on file with the right place. Then, reach out to humane societies and nearby shelters in the surrounding areas, as animals can be picked up or travel further than you might think. Go look through the facilities in person or delegate a family member or friend (who knows the dog as well as you do). Someone may look at your pet and think of a different breed, color or age; perhaps they didn't notice a flyer that you dropped off six weeks ago; there are many rotating staff members, volunteers, etc. Keep going to check, have conversations with as many people as possible and keep your pet and search fresh in their minds.
Many folks DO NOT FILE A MISSING PET REPORT. We hate hearing this, but a lot of you just assume that your animal will "return home soon". Some of you contact places once and then never follow up with an agency. Stay on it and again, this is where your volunteers can assist.
REMEMBER: We are here to help you get your pet home, not to just blindly share photos. We are not worried about hurting your feelings because if you don't understand what goes into a full-scale and active search, you may never get your animal back home. We understand that many people are unaware of what they need to be doing and that's why we spell it out here in detail. DO NOT just put a post on Facebook and then wait for someone to knock on your door with Fluffy - our page and posts are help you do what is needed. What contributes to incredible, joyful reunions? Owners who understand what is necessary + active search efforts + volunteer assistance. We wish you the best of luck!
Lost Pet PR | Delmarva's Lost and Found
Network covering Delaware and the Eastern
Shore counties of Maryland and Virginia
