First, check the home and yard. Look in around and under everything. Immediately go to the links below and list your dog cat animal or bird as missing.

Walk (don't take the car) around the neighbourhood calling for them. Ask anyone you see if they've spotted your pet.

Don't stop there. Take further action immediately. The longer you wait, the greater the risks to your pet.

Put up easy-to-read signs at all entrances to your neighbourhood. The text should be large and dark enough for someone in a car to read while driving by. Include the type and breed of animal, whether it's a male or female, is an adult or baby, its name and a number where someone can be reached at all times.

Offering even a small award, like $10, is a great way to get every kid in the neighbourhood on the lookout.  Here's a sign example:

Lost dog - REWARD!
Medium sized not so pretty collie
Name: Shadow
555-555-5555

While you're out putting up signs, don't forget to read any signs previously posted. Someone may already have found your pet.

Call the daily newspaper. Not that anyone ever reads these things anymore but why not. Most will let you place a Lost Pet ad for free. You can provide slightly more detail than your sign gave. List a distinctive features that others can use to identify your pet. For example: "Limp on front right leg. Left ear missing. Tail broken in car door. Recently neutered/spayed." (and you wonder why he ran away!) Cheer up! We are going to help you find your pet.

• www.citizencanine.org
• www.victoriaadoptables.com
• victoria.en.craigslist.ca
• www.petfinder.com (put in Victoria BC)
• www.bcvma.org
  This is a lost and found site run by BC Veterinarians

Found a Stray?
Here are some recommendations offered by Victoria SPCA and other sources.

Being lost is a very stressful event for both the animal and his guardians. If you have an animal that you think is lost, consider trying to find the animal's home before you call or take him into the SPCA or local Animal Control. Have you checked the websites above to see if the animal is listed on any of these sites. If not, list your 'found dog' on these sites.

Bringing the animal to your local animal shelter is an option but moving the animal from the neighbourhood reduces the chances that the pet will be reunited with its guardian. A trip to the local shelter is also a very a traumatic experience for an animal. So if you are able, take some time to find the guardian on your own.

Here are some tips to help you find a lost animal's way home:

• Look for Identification (ID)
  • Collar and Tag
    • Does the animal have a collar with an ID tag? The tag may have the animal's home number or home address that will help you track down his family. For dogs, some tags are strictly municipal dog license tags and most likely will not have the animal's information, but call your local SPCA or Animal Control and they should be able to help you track where the dog lives.
  • Ear Tattoo
    • Some animals may have an ear tattoo that is traceable through your local veterinary clinic. If you can read the tattoo, call your local vet clinic.
  • Other Tattoos
    • Some purebred animals may have a breeder tattoo on their abdomen or inside leg. This is only traceable through the original breeder.
  • Microchip
    • Microchips are a form of electronic identification that are inserted under the animal's skin. Unfortunately, you will have no way of knowing if an animal has a microchip. You must take the animal to a veterinary clinic, Animal Control services centre, or an SPCA shelter to have the animal scanned for a microchip.
• What if the Animal Has No Current ID?
  • Talk to people in the neighbourhood, especially kids and other dog guardians.
  • Put up "Found Pet" posters. On the poster include:
    • a photo of the animal (if possible)
    • description of the animal
    • where it was found
    • contact telephone number.
  • Post them in as many places as possible:
    • around the site where the animal was found
    • grocery and corner stores
    • local parks
    • telephone poles etc.
  • Contact your local SPCA shelter or Animal Control to report the animal lost. Let them know that you are willing to hold onto the animal until the guardian comes forward.
  • Contact local veterinary clinics, many of them also keep lost and found animal records.
  • Check the "Lost" section in the Classifieds.
  • As we said before keep checking the lost and found internet sites above.

My Pet is missing! What do I do?
Losing a pet is a traumatic experience for you, your family and your pet.
The following are some tips for finding your lost pet:

LIST YOUR PET AS MISSING ON THE ABOVE WEBSITES AS SOON AS POSSIBLE!

Search Your Neighbourhood
Walk or drive through your neighbourhood several times a day, especially
early in the morning and at dusk. Ask neighbours and their children (kids
often know more about the neighbourhood than working parents), letter
carriers, joggers, garbage collectors, newspaper carriers and others to look
out for your pet.

Try the Power of Scent
Try placing a recently worn piece of clothing outside. Animals have a keen
sense of smell and familiar smells can bring them home. For indoor cats,
place their litter box outside.

Visit Animal Shelters
Go and personally visit the animal shelters in your area -- rather than phoning them. Often shelters have many animals that might match your pet and workers are often too busy to handle phone calls. Visit the shelter every 24 hours. If you don't have a shelter in your area contact the local police.

Check Animal Hospitals and Vet Clinics
If your pet was injured he or she may have been taken to a nearby veterinarian or animal hospital before being taken to an animal shelter.

Put up Eye Catching Posters
On your poster include: a recent photo; pet's name; description (colour, breed, age and any distinctive markings); date and location your pet went missing and a contact number someone can be reached at 24 hours.

Distribute Flyers in as Many Public Places You Can Think Of:
grocery and corner stores; community centres; churches; schools; pet stores; grooming shops; libraries; laundromats; telephone poles etc.

Consider Offering a Nominal Reward.
(Beware of callers who say they have your pet and demand you send them money for the animal's return. Withhold one of your pet's identifying characteristics so you can verify the honesty of a caller who is claiming to have found your pet.)

Place an Ad in the Paper
Place an ad in the lost column of local newspapers. Since many papers allow people to put "found" ads for free, check newspapers daily in case someone is trying to find you!

Don't Give Up!
Continue to search for your pet even when there is little hope. Some animals who have been lost for months have been reunited with their guardians.

Stray animals that have a some form of identification (ID tags) have a much better chance of finding their way home. So if your pet doesn't have ID - DO IT TODAY!

PIN Services Ltd. and www.pin.ca would like to give back to the community by helping all of those lost dog and lost cat owners to be reunited with their pets. Good luck to everybody!

www.pin.ca

www.WeFindLostDogs.com  - www.WeFindLostCats.com  - www.WeFindLostAnimals.com