By Janet McAfee
There are more missing dogs and cats as January 2025 begins. Many escaped from homes in fear from the booming of nearby fireworks. Others escaped when holiday guests left doors and gates open. Folks who went out of town find that pet sitters not familiar with the animal’s habits may accidentally let them escape during walks. When you return home, your in-laws who live in another city may have lost your beloved pet, making the search more challenging.
Losing a pet can happen to anyone. Please don’t be judgmental to friends or strangers reaching out on social media. My dog Enzo Ferrari jumped out of my arms getting into the car to go a blessing of the animals. He ran like the wind heading toward a busy main street and was a challenge to capture. He finally stopped frozen in fear just in front of a speeding automobile. Of course, he is microchipped and has an engraved ID tag with my phone number.
It’s the worst feeling in the world as panic takes over when the hours turn into days. Here are some helpful tips. A FRIENDLY PET MAY HAVE BEEN PICKED UP BY SOMEONE WHO LIVES NEAR YOU.
- Visit your local animal shelter IN PERSON soon after losing your animal. Most of them contain many animals and only you can recognize your pet. Most public shelters are only required to hold an animal for 4 business days. If they are microchipped the hold period is at least 10 days, and you will be contacted by phone and mail. Return to the shelter again as some finders hold an animal for a few days while they try to find the owner.
- Search a 20-block radius from your home by car and on foot. Call your pet’s name loudly and often (it could be in someone’s back yard). Check under parked cars for cats. A good time to search is early in the morning or late at night when it’s quiet so they can hear you. Check in vacant homes, backyards, behind shrubs, parks, and schools.
- Make a missing pet flyer ASAP. There are templates on www.pawboost.com. Post flyers at nearby businesses, many of which have bulletin boards. Pass out to neighbors and local school children, the mailman, local work crews, and delivery people. Check neighbors’ cameras that may have recorded the directions he went in. GO DOOR TO DOOR WITH FLYERS WITHIN 5-10 BLOCKS OF YOUR HOME AND LEAVE THEM UNDER DOORMATS.
- Call local private shelters as they may have your animal. Ask them to post our animal’s photo on their Facebook and social media. They may have other ideas.
- Organize a search party with friends and neighbors to help search. The more people the better. Meet at a designated location such as Starbucks and provide flyers and maps with the location for each searcher to cover.
- Post your pet’s photo with the city and cross streets where it went missing from on www.NextDoor.comASAP. This will send out an email to thousands of people nearby. It is one of the best tools to find Fido or Fluffy.
- Post your pet’s photo on Facebook and tag people who live in the city where it went missing. Post on their page “Lost and Found Pets in the Coachella Valley” and other public pages, i.e. “Palm Springs Pet Lovers”. Always be sure to include your phone number so you can be easily reached.
- Post on www.Pawboost.comand check Craigslist to see if someone found your pet or even may be trying to sell it.
- Please get an engraved ID tag and keep it on Fido’s collar at all times. Make sure pets are microchipped. An unneutered male animal may run for 5 miles seeking a female in heat which is another reason to get him sterilized.
DON’T GIVE UP! Little Laci pictured here was found after 6 weeks. Her owners Reina and David never stopped looking. Laci escaped through the door of Petco the day they adopted her before they could get her tag on. It was a miracle she avoided coyotes and was fed by local homeless people. Thanks to an army of searchers and local rescue people!
