"What To Do When Your Pet is STILL MISSING" | Recovery Tips, Part II

Our goal is to reunite families during one of the most stressful times and situations, having a lost cat, dog, or other family member. It's a tough thing to go through, and as the days drag on, it can feel overwhelming and very confusing to know what to do and how to proceed. PLEASE KEEP IN MIND - if your pet is still not home, you may need to rethink your process, change up what is being done, and broaden your search efforts, because not every animal is as easy to locate.

Found A Loose or Wandering Dog or Cat? Here's How To Help

Can I keep or give away a pet I find? No. It is not your property to re-home, sell or keep, and more than likely there is an owner searching for their furry family member. Here is what to do:

1) Report it to the local facility for your area which handles stray pets. This may not always be the closest shelter to you, but it would be the one that has a contract to pick up and hold stray animals. By doing this you are placing a report in the system so if an owner is searching and files a lost pet report hopefully there will be a match.

2, Take the pet to a shelter or local vet to be scanned for a microchip. If there is one that may lead you right to the owner.

3, Post publicly on sites such as Craigslist, Facebook, putting up flyers in the area the animal was found, etc.

4, Do not assume that the dog or cat you found was dumped, unwanted, abused, neglected or unloved. Even the very best pet parents have had situations where a beloved four-legged family member escaped. It can happen in an instant and accidents are always possible. Don't assume that you know the entire situation.

If you find a pet and must bring it to a shelter NOT IN THE immediate area:

We need to mention this again, as from time to time we will learn of a pet which was picked up in one state and taken to another. If this is you and you MUST bring it to a shelter other than it's immediate area, follow up with the local animal control in the area you found it to file a found report.

EXAMPLE: If you find a wandering dog in Ocean City, Maryland while on vacation from Virginia, and being unsure where a nearby shelter may be, you decide to transport the animal back home with you to Virginia. Now it would be essential to contact our local Worcester County animal control in Snow Hill, MD to file a found report. Why? Because if that is the county the dog went missing from it's, likely where the owner has filed a lost report or posted a flyer.

Keep in mind that the laws indicate that "every reasonable attempt must be made to find the owner". That includes doing a number of things such as the tasks listed above. If you are unable to do these things to attempt a reunion, please hand the dog over to the shelter so they can follow the steps to share with the public.

Please do not overlook the things required when you find a stray. Some where an owner or family may be heart-broken over a missing pet and following these steps is the right thing to do.

Lost Pet PR | Delmarva's Lost and Found Network

Covering Delaware and the Eastern Shore 

counties of Maryland and Virginia

    

Thanksgiving for Pet Parents | What To Know To Keep Your Animals Safe

Over the years we have seen many cases of missing animals on Thanksgiving Day. It's not unusual for things to happen when you have a lot of people in your house or when you are out of town in a strange place. Pets get loose when miscommunications occur, when they are dashing around the house excitedly or when someone forgets to leash before opening the front door. Whether you are packing up the minvan for a road trip or hosting a dinner for several dozen relatives, don't overlook the safety of your four-legged friends.

Making Signs And Flyers For Your Lost Pet

Many people hesitate to create signage and flyers for their lost pets. Perhaps you aren't sure how to make them or don't have a printer but they are one of the most important things to do right away. Here are some of the basics that you need to know to get started with your missing pet search effort.

Missing Animals, Lost Pets and a Message To Our Owners

We would like to address some things which have been shared around our area. We know that a dog was shot and killed last week (the lab Ginger from MD) and we sincerely hope that the criminal(s) who did that are found. During the same time frame a few other stories surfaced regarding other missing/stolen dogs, in addition to a report of one found deceased, some let out of kennels or taken off their chain while outdoors.


We will pass along news when we have definite info but since we can't verify all the details we don't want to share misinformation. With that said, any warnings we may be stating would be no different than we have said in the past: OWNERS, BE AWARE OF POSSIBLE DANGERS TO YOUR ANIMALS.