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Lost Pets
Post lost pet reports
Take advantage of these services to spread the word of a missing pet and improve the likelihood of a quick and easy recovery.
Check found animal posts on these sites every day if your pet is missing.
Have you found a lost pet from our posters?
KnowMyPets provides lost pet posters with every profile… Click the button to get connected with the pet’s owner.
Tips to recover lost pets
Use these tips as a quick reference of places animals like to hide when they’re lost or missing.
Where to start
Thoroughly search the house, yard, garden, and neighborhood:
- Try do recall the last place you saw the animal and what it was doing
- Double-check their usual hiding spots and places they tend to hang around
- Look near your pet’s friends, siblings, or playmates (if any)
Inside the home
Search these places when pets are lost inside:
- Under & behind beds & furniture, under sheets, blankets, comforters, dark places, small places
- Cupboards in kitchen, bathroom, laundry room, bedroom, closets and pantries
- High shelves, cat trees, closet shelves
Outside the home
Search these places when pets are lost outside:
- Garage, corners, behind boxes, shelves, under car, car wheels, engine
- Bushes, garden, flower beds, up in a tree
- Sheds, outbuildings, neighbor’s sheds, garages, outbuildings, under porches/decks.
In the neighborhood
Walk around and talk with your neighbors:
- Knock on neighbors’ doors – Bring a lost pet poster and/or a picture
- Get permission to check their sheds, garages, outbuildings, and under cars, porches, and decks
- Ask them to check these same areas and be on the look out
- If they’re not home, tape a poster on their front door, window, or garage – Bring tape.
- Bring a leash when searching for dogs, a carrier when searching for cats/small animals, and a cage for other types of critters
Even further away
Call local rescue groups and microchip providers:
- File LOST REPORTS WITH:
- Microchip company (if chipped) IMMEDIATELY
- Local shelters, rescues, animal control agencies & police within 60 miles
- 24/7 Emergency vet hospitals, Animal’s vet & vet clinics & police within a 30- 60 mile radius
- Post lost reports online, if possible, to all groups above within a 60 mile radius
- Each agency you contact, ask for names and contact info for other groups you should call and file lost report with
- Visit shelters, rescues, animal controls IN PERSON daily (Best!) and often. Most agencies will euthanize after 3 days so this is important!
- Contact animal’s personal vet and the nearest 24/7 Emergency vets & file a lost report with picture
- Contact vets within in a 30-60 mile radius as most people will take the animal there to check for microchip or if sick/injured
Practice SUDS
Get familiar with how to approach an escaped pet and improve your chances of catching them once they’re found.
Posters WORK
Add your contact number, animal’s location, and date lost to each poster. Use your pet profile to generate a perfect poster.
LOST DOG
987-654-3210
*Put KnowMyPets poster on colorful 11 x 14” construction paper of poster board to attract attention (shown above)
- Print the KnowMyPets poster at home, UPS store, Staples, Office Depot, office supply store, etc…
8.5″x11″ Posters deliver to the following places:
- Give posters to neighbors within a 10 plus house radius (more is BEST!)
- Post on neighbors front doors, front windows and garage doors with tape
- Bring poster to every local rescue, animal shelter, humane society, animal hospital, animal control, and police/sheriff station and leave with them
- Post at local businesses: post offices, grocery stores, nail salons, hair salons, gas stations, parks, and schools within a 5 mile radius
- Use plastic slip covers with opening turned upside down in snow/rain conditions so they don’t get soaked
11″x14″ Posters mount in the following places:
- Post in high traffic areas leading into and out of your neighborhood community as well as high traffic areas many people visit, like malls, restaurants, businesses
Additional Tips:
- Bring tape, nails and hammer to put up fliers
- Once pet is home – take all posters down
Attract pets back home
This information is useful if you want to convince your pet to return home by its own will and discretion.
Tips for dog owners
Convincing man’s best friend to come home:
- Keep garage door open a crack, if possible, to allow your pet to return
- Put something with dogs smell and owner’s smell in the garage, front door or area your dog likes outside such as dog bed, unlaundered owner’s t-shirt, blanket.
- Make sure area is safe, covered from weather elements
- Leave water available at all times and food. IF you live in an area with predators such as coyotes, bob cats, etc… DO NOT leave food out at night or you can set your animal up to be attacked, injured or killed.
- Check frequently throughout the nigh in the garage and areas where pet’s items, food and water are located
- If necessary, a humane trap may need to used catch the dog
Tips for cat owners
A cat’s sense of independence is your advantage:
- Keep garage door open a crack, if possible, to allow your pet to return
- Put litter box and/or their used litter outside or in garage if door is cracked (A GOOD AMOUNT OF USED LITTER) in a litter box/box – cats can smell from several miles away
- Put a blanket/cat bed with cat’s smell and article of clothing with owner’s smell
- Leave water available at all times and food. IF you live in an area with predators such as coyotes, bob cats, etc… DO NOT leave food out at night or you can set your animal up to be attacked, injured or killed.
- Check frequently throughout the nigh in the garage and areas where pet’s items, food and water are located
- If necessary, a humane trap may need to used catch the cat
Attracting small animals
Most small animals are simple creatures:
- Keep garage door open a crack to allow your pet to return
- Put something with animals smell on it outside or in cracked garage, food, water, bedding, box, cage etc.
- If predators live in the area DO NOT leave food outside, but water is fine
Livestock beyond the range
Herd animals prefer to be with their own kind:
- Livestock doesn’t usually travel far – so getting posters up on high traffic areas and intersections leading into and out of community neighborhood is key.
- If you find lost livestock, call police or animal control for assistance in getting them back home.
Recovery precautions
Beware of lost pet scammers by preparing yourself for a safe and simple recovery.
Lost Pet Rewards
If someone claims to have the animal and asks for money to get it back. BEWARE. This is usually a scam. Also, if a Reward is offered, you want to be sure it’s your animal.
Never meet with a stranger who won’t provide evidence that they have found your animal.
If they do have your pet and will not release it without payment:
- If it’s a reasonable amount and you are will to pay it, that’s up to you.
- Never go alone to get your pet in this type of situation.
- Consider getting the police involved.
If someone claims to have found your animal:
- Request they take and send a photo
Ask trick questions:
- What color is the collar? (Great especially if there wasn’t a color)
- Does the back right leg have black on it? (Great if the leg is solid white)
- Does it have teeth? (Good if your animal has had teeth removed)
- Is the right eye blue? (Good if either both are or neither are blue)
You get the idea! 99% of people are good when it comes to animals. We have to be aware that a small few are in it to make money or scam us.