What Should You Do When Your Pet Is Lost

I noticed this article about lost pets and thought it was great information to be passing along to you. It mentions some things we can do when we have lost pets, some that I had not considered before. This post was done by the President of the Aiken County SPCA, 411 Wire Road, Aiken, SC 29801 Phone: 803-642-1537.  In the following post, you need to substitute your information for the references to Aiken County Animal Control.

Image Credit to PetPro.com

Great information on what you should do when your pet is lost follows;

Most of us at one time or another have had that moment of panic when we realize that our pet is lost.

If you care about your pet, it is a terrible feeling and a fearful and confusing time. The first reaction is usually to drive around looking and calling the animal’s name.

It’s a good idea, but don’t spend too much time just doing that.

It might work for a horse, but a dog on the hunt or one looking for romance isn’t likely to be on the road in plain sight and a cat has probably holed up somewhere underneath a porch or up a tree.

Don’t waste too much time

Denial that your pet is lost is one of the biggest enemies of a quick find. If after a short period of time searching, you haven’t found him, then immediately call Aiken County Animal Services, Aiken Public Safety Animal Control, and the SPCA. All of these sources keep and exchange lost and found information.

Call and check every day and even visit the shelters to see what animals have been brought.

More than 8,000 animals are admitted to the two shelters, and, to be honest, it is possible that information can fall through the cracks. Check for yourself and keep checking.

Next, get on the computer and go to the website www.aikenpetsreunited.org and make a post.

Then e-mail, Twitter, and Facebook everybody you know. It will surprise you how fast the word gets around.

Then call every newspaper you can think of and put a notice in the Lost and Found section. It doesn’t cost much, and some newspapers do it for free. If you can afford it, it doesn’t hurt to offer a reward.

Now get back in your vehicle and put up posters at every major intersection. Put the poster in clear plastic so rainstorms don’t ruin it. Knock on doors and leave a card or flier. Most people are helpful and may have seen the animal.

Don’t confine yourself to just a short distance away or go only in the direction that you think your pet headed. Chances are he went the other way and is a lot farther away than you think. This is especially true for hunting types and unaltered animals.

Call all the veterinarians in your area

Post fliers in veterinarian’s offices.

If your dog or cat has a rabies tag on, the finder will likely call the clinic phone number.

If you follow all of this advice, the chances are you will get your pet back. When you do, learn a lesson from it. Have your pet microchipped and sterilized. Put a collar with ID on and keep the information current.

If you live in the City of Aiken, register it so Jeff Wilson, the Animal Control officer, can scan and immediately bring it back.

All shelters must scan for a chip, and most veterinarians will if they know the animal is a stray.

Something important to remember is that by state law, all shelters must keep an unidentifiable animal for five days to give an owner an opportunity to claim the pet. After that, it can be euthanized. Don’t let that happen to you.

Get the pet microchipped, sterilize it to keep it from wandering, try to keep some visible identification on a collar that fits properly and build a good fence.

Aiken County Animal Services: 642-1537

City of Aiken Animal Control: 642-7620

North Animal Control: 599-3131

Aiken County SPCA: 648-6863

By BARBARA NELSON
Aiken SPCA president

You can minimize potential escaped pets, lost pets, missing pets by utilizing a dog crate when appropriate. I’m not suggesting that you use the dog crate as a prison. Some people do leave their pet in their crate while they are away from home. This decision depends on the pet. Use a heavy-duty dog crate if you have a large or difficult dog. The days of the chain on the clothesline are over, I hope. You’ve invested in your dog now invest in their quality of life by getting them into a suitable dog crate. Your dog will thank you and may actually stay home. Dogs love their “dens” which today is provided by dog crates.