When your pet is lost, your first thought is to look! You run out of the house, frantic, calling your pet. You get in your car, drive around the neighborhood, hoping you’ll spot your pet. You ask everyone if they’ve seen your pet. Hours later, you’re exhausted and you still haven’t found your pet.
What should you do instead?
Start right now. Take a photo.
Take a Photo of Your Pet
▪ Color is preferable to black and white.
▪ Good lighting, in focus
▪ Non-distracting background
▪ Crop it to show just the pet.
▪ Do your best to show in the photo the pet’s size and full body, including the tail, if the pet has one, plus any unusual coloring or markings the pet may have. Showing the pet standing may be ideal.
▪ Take a new photo at least yearly. Take a new photo when the pet is groomed differently or seasonally.
▪ Store a copy of the current photo on your mobile phone, devices, and computer. Send a copy of the current photo to family members, friends, neighbors. Make that photo instantly accessible!
Write a Description of the Pet
▪ Pet’s name, sex, spay/neuter status, age, breed/mix, full physical description
Susan Ewing (New York) Describe the color of the dog. Don’t describe it as a dog person would describe it, like “blue merle.” “Gray and black” might mean more to a non-dog person, or “black, tan, and white” instead of tri-color.
▪ If the pet wears a collar, describe it.
▪ ID tags, license tag, rabies tag?
▪ Microchipped?
▪ Other equipment the pet wears?
▪ Update this information as needed in your Lost Pet file, where you also keep the photo.
▪ Keep your pet’s current photo and description safe in your Lost Pet file until you need it.
Photo by Steven Cogswell
When you realize that your pet may be lost, go ahead and run out the door to frantically call her, but if she doesn’t return to you immediately, access the Lost Pet photo on your phone to show to any nearby neighbors who might help you look for her.
Then get to work: it’s time to post on social media!
Where Was the Pet Lost?
▪ Location, location, location!
Julie Rice (North Carolina) I get so annoyed when the city and state aren’t listed almost first on the flyer. I don’t want to have to scan through the 15 new Lost Dog posts that I get every day if the poor creature was lost on the other side of the country.
George Guba (Virginia) Contact number with area code as well. I’ve seen multiple dogs get home due to someone on Facebook from a distant area [following up] after a friend or friend of a friend in the area finds the dog.
▪ City, state, then add more specifics—cross streets, nearby landmarks (parks, stores, schools)—for readers in your local area who might spot your pet or who might contact friends in the neighborhood.
Alison Taub (California) Picture of the dog, area where it was lost, and circumstances (e.g., stolen, bolted, gate got left open), contact info.
▪ Add information about how the pet got lost if you think it might help. And of course, if you think the dog has been stolen, contact your local authorities immediately.
Susan Ewing (New York) Yes, where it was lost, but also, ask that people look in sheds, under porches and bushes, and in garages and sheds—and to look UP if it’s a cat. Cats feel safer when they’re higher.
When Was the Pet Lost?
Ruth L. Heller DVM (Pennsylvania) Date and location. A pet that was lost a year ago isn’t a current priority.
▪ Don’t cause readers to get mad because they’ve read your Lost Pet ad all the way through and then they find out it’s from two years ago. Put the date and time the pet was lost right at the top of your ad.
How to Contact You?
▪ Add contact numbers for yourself and friends or family members who’ve agreed to help.
▪ Have pen and paper handy to make notes on any calls you get.
▪ Turn on notifications for any social media sites you use, to be certain you see questions or messages immediately.
You’ve got the photo, you’ve got the pet’s description, you’ve got the pertinent information that readers will need to help you in your search to bring your lost pet home . . .
Complete Your Lost Pet Ad
▪ Post it first on the social media sites with which you are most familiar. For many of us, that would be Facebook.
▪ Look very carefully at your post once it is on your timeline. If at all possible, ask a couple of friends or family members to check your post over—not just for simple typos, but also for information that is missing or questions that aren’t answered.
▪ Edit your post if needed.
Make Your Lost Pet Ad Public
▪ Don’t skip the step that makes it possible for your ad to be shared!
I cannot tell you how many frantic Lost Pet ads I have read that are followed by comments like, “Please make it Shareable!” Change your privacy settings as the site instructs, just on this one post for now. If you don’t know how to do that, ask a tech-savvy friend for help.
▪ Once your Lost Pet ad is Shared on Facebook and any other sites you know, Google “lost pets” for your area to see what other listings might be available for free, and check the local Lost Pets pages on Facebook. Share your ad on every lost pet listing you can find.
Debby McMullen (Pennsylvania) I own a lost-and-found dog group on Facebook. I require people to provide a contact phone number and a clear picture of their dog, as well as the area of town the dog was lost or found in/from and some cross streets. In an actual shared post on Facebook, any details are appreciated, but for a found dog, the finder should save one detail for an owner to properly identify.
Debi Davis (Nevada) I’d like to add that Nextdoor app is very popular—an app for neighborhoods in every state and city, with an option to subscribe to a larger area. In the two years I’ve been on Nextdoor, I’ve seen dozens of dogs reunited with their owners because of postings to their neighborhoods and outlying communities. Also, several rescue groups monitor Nextdoor, and I’ve seen numerous dogs located thanks to these rescue groups who scour the neighborhoods looking for the lost pets—all volunteers. Neighbors also tell their kids about dogs to look for, so there are many sets of “eyes” just from postings on this neighborhood and area app. Many people who are not on Facebook are on Nextdoor.
▪ In my area, Craigslist is reputed to be good at reuniting pets with their humans, too, and I’ve certainly seen many lost animals found because of those postings—very quickly!
Monique Feyrecilde (Washington) Check your microchip company account, too! They often provide pre-made, effective flyers for sharing on social media, and they will notify all local vets as well.
Update Your Post!
▪ Add updates at the top of your original post, above your Lost Pet ad, rather than posting a separate announcement about your continuing search. It’s a better way to share the news.
▪ Update immediately if your pet has been found.
▪ Update even if your pet has not been found to let readers know any new information you can share, like sightings of your pet. Keep your “audience” engaged in your search!
Lost Pet ads on social media can reunite lost animals with their humans quickly and without cost. The sooner your Lost Pet ad is posted publicly, the faster your pet will be back at home, safe with you and your family.
Have your pet’s photo and description ready to go, so that all you have to do is add the details of when and where your pet was lost and how you can be contacted if your pet is found or sighted.
Complete your Lost Pet ad quickly and post it immediately on social media, where it can be seen and shared publicly. It’s one of your best bets for finding your lost pet fast!
