My Pet is Missing
A lost pet can be a frightening experience for any pet owner. Immediate action is crucial, but where do you start? Follow the steps below for the best chance of a reunion with your beloved pet. For a summary of resources, please view our Lost Pet Resources Sheet.
What to do immediately after your pet goes missing:
Walk the neighborhood. Take a walk around the immediate area and speak to any neighbors, postal service workers, landscapers, or anyone else who may have seen your lost pet. You know your pet best, so look in areas that your pet may have been interested in or comfortable hiding in. Most pets are found close to home.
Share their scent. Put a couple of your pet's favorite items near the most common entry ways into your home. The front door and door into your yard would be the best locations. You can include items like their favorite bed, blankets, toys, their litterbox, and any other item they use frequently. Their familiar scent may help them find their way home.
Next Steps to Take:
1. Search for your lost dog or cat on Petco Love Lost.
We have partnered with Petco Love Lost to easily help search the national lost and found database and create a searchable/sharable alert for your missing pet. You can upload a picture of your pet or search by location. Using facial recognition technology, Petco Love Lost helps match found animals to reported lost pets nationwide. Visit Petco Love Lost to search now!
2. Make posts about your pet on sites like Facebook, Craigslist, and Nextdoor.
Social media is a powerful tool when it comes to reuniting lost pets with their owners. Make a post about your pet as soon as you're able to. Be sure to include a recent picture of your pet, along with a description and general area where they went missing. Here is a list of Facebook groups that we regularly suggest to owners who are missing a pet:
- Moscow and Surrounding Area Lost/Found Pets
- Lost and Found Pets of Moscow, Pullman, and Surrounding Areas
- Zeus's Friends Lost and Found Pet Network
- Lost and Found Pets of Troy, Deary, Bovill, and Surrounding Areas
- Potlatch/Princeton Area Lost/Found Pets
- Pullman Area Lost/Found Pets
3. Make sure your pet's microchip information is up to date.
If a finder takes your pet to be scanned for a microchip, you want to make sure that all the information is correct, so you can be contacted immediately.
4. Check with your local animal shelters.
Call to see if your missing pet has been brought in as a stray to any local shelters. At HSoP, we can create a lost report for your pet, so we know to contact you immediately if they are brought in.
5. Continue to spread the word about your missing pet.
Create bright-colored posters with relevant information about your pet and the area they went missing. Distribute these posters in the area surrounding your residence and beyond (as a reminder, Moscow City Ordinance prohibits flyers from being hung on City Property like light poles and power poles. Always check with a business first before hanging your flyer). At HSoP, we have a lost/found bulletin board specifically for pet owners to hang these types of posters.
6. Don't give up!
Finding a lost pet can take time. Remember to regularly check websites that you have posted your lost pet on, and make updates as needed. The important thing is to keep the search effort going!