PetWorld News

Finding a lost pet


Losing a pet is a worst nightmare come true. Finding a lost animal is stressful, time-consuming and emotionally draining. You worry about whether your pet is alright, where it is, and even if someone has taken your beloved furry friend. It hurts so much to think you may never see your lost pet again. Do you know why your pet ran away?

Why pets get lost

Apart from a broken fence or a gate left open, many lost pets break free of their yard. They can dig their way out or scale high fences. There can be many reasons why your dog breaks free. Fireworks and thunderstorms are a notorious time for even the most sedate dog to try to escape from fear, especially if you are not home. Some dogs are bored and escape to go adventuring and they end up lost unable to find their way home.

How far they go depends on the nature of the dog, but most will try to get home. Friendly dogs will seek other dogs and people for help. Shy animals will avoid strangers, hiding in bushes and under cars. When a pet fails to find their way home they may have met with an accident or, more likely, someone has taken them in. So, make sure your dog always has an identification tag on its collar so whoever finds your lost animal can return it to you. 

People take the animals they find to their local vet surgery or animal shelter. If the animal still has its tag, you are easily reunited. If it has lost its tag, then the process of finding you can be harder if the dog does not have a microchip either. 

What to do to find your lost pet

Searching the streets with family and friends for hours on end has so far failed. Your lost pet could be anywhere. The first thing to do next is to get the message out your beloved pet is missing. Use all means at your disposal. Put up posters at local vets, shopping centres, railway stations and bus stops. Post on lost and found Facebook pages, especially in your local area. Put up posters where a lot of people will see them. You want as much exposure as possible to help bring your furry friend home. Use a good photo of your pet so strangers can easily recognise it. Doing all this this alerts people to be on the lookout for your missing best friend. 

If someone did take your dog in there is a good chance they will see the posters, or someone who knows them may recognise their new dog and tell them it is someone’s lost pet. Or, your pooch could be having a holiday with a new friendly neighbour who does not know you exist. Contact your local council and animal welfare organisations. Send them a small version of your poster. Ask them to alert you if your pet comes in.

Once you have done everything you can you have to wait, while you keep searching the streets and checking internet posts for positive new. It is a heartbreaking time not knowing if you will be reunited with your best friend.

There is a new app coming that will help you find a lost pet. PetFinder – give your pet the gift of an iBeacon and download the app to your phone for free. The iBeacon is an electronic identification tag that anyone with the app on their phone can use to scan a lost pet from up to 20 metres away. Be one of the first 100 to order your iBeacon and shipping is free.