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1. Check for collar and tags.

2. Call local and surrounding animal control offices and make reports for a “found pet".   Pets can travel far, so report to as many agencies as you can in your area.

3. Put out flyers in the area with a picture of the pet, and very little information. 

Be sure the letters are large and easily visible from a passing car.  Have copies of your flyer made on light, bright colored paper. Include a photo if possible. In addition to printing and posting as many flyers as is practical, we recommend that you make a few special posters to use in the most strategic places. Mount some of your flyers on fluorescent poster board. Use an indelible marker to write FOUND DOG/CAT, and put sheet protectors on your flyer. Post the flyers in conspicuous places like utility poles, intersections, nearby schools, laundromats, community bulletin boards, vets offices, etc. Most lost pets are found fairly close to home, but many pets turn up miles away, so it is equally important to post the flyers at some major intersections in other parts of town.  Dogs especially may travel far on their own. Cats are sometimes "spirited off".  It is also a good idea to hang the flyers from doorknobs in your neighborhood. Again, distribute them as widely as practical. (Please note that it is not allowed to put anything other than US mail in mailboxes.)  Make sure to withhold any identifying features so that you can verify that the person trying to claim the dog or cat is the truthful owner. 

4. Call local veterinary offices. Most keep a lost and found pet log for the animals in the area.  Also, ask if you can bring the pet by to be scanned for a microchip. 

 

5. Post on the internet.  Keep an identifing fact about the pet out of your listing to weed out those wishing to steal the pet for profit.Here are links to the top lost and found websites:

www.dallas.craigslist.org  (Post in the lost/found and the pet section)

www.petfinder.com

http://www.pets911.com/

http://www.fidofinder.com/

http://www.findtoto.com/

http://www.dogdetective.com/

 

Please be advised that if you take the found animal to animal control, they are only legally required to hold the animal for 72 hours.  After that, the pet is subject to euthanasia and can be put to sleep.  It is in the pet’s best interest if you can search for the owner  yourself.  If after a period of one week,  if you are not able to find an owner, contact local rescue organizations to see if they can help you put the animal up for adoption.  Please understand most rescue groups will not be able to take the pet in right away; a foster home must be found.  

  What to do if you have lost a pet:

As soon as you discover your pet is missing, take steps to find it immediately. Do not just wait for the animal to find its way home. Time is critical.

Strays turned over to the local animal shelters are held for only a limited time. In the state of Texas, they are only held for 3 days.  Unfortunately, there are just too many strays for the shelters to be able to care for them indefinitely. To improve the chances of recovering your lost companion, you must act quickly and thoroughly and be persistent.

1. Search every area of your house and yards to see if your pet has become caught or trapped or is sick or injured and hiding. Do not assume they will meow or bark or come to you. Cats especially are likely to hide. Look in closets, drawers, air ducts, behind appliances, under beds, in the hollow under reclining chairs, behind books in a bookcase, wrapped in the bottom of drapes, in any hidden recesses, basement crawl spaces, in sheds, garages, under decks, in pipes and culverts, dumpsters, garbage cans, etc. Cats also have an unfortunate tendency to explore new places, like the back of pick-up trucks and they often get accidentally carried off.  Consider whether there were any vehicles around that your cat may have hitched a ride on.
2. Contact your local animal control department.  Often this is the first place people call when they have found an animal in their neighborhood. File a “lost pet” report with them, so that they will keep it on file. 
3. Search the neighborhood on foot and by car. Call your pet by name or make some familiar and attractive noise, like whistling, squeezing a squeak toy or shaking a can of treats. Remember that a frightened or injured animal will hide and may not come to you. Pause often and listen for your pet. Look under porches, behind bushes, under cars, etc. Cats may become trapped in neighbors' garages, sheds and on construction sites.  In the case of cats look also in trees and on rooftops. Bring a flashlight to examine dark places. If you live in a busy urban neighborhood, the best time to look and call is early morning when there is not much activity. Take along a photograph of your pet to show neighbors and people who know the area: letter carriers, meter readers, school bus drivers, joggers, neighborhood children. Hand out cards or flyers with information on how to contact you. Most cats won't go too far, and are probably hiding close by. Go out after dark with a flashlight. Shine the flashlight into all hidden recesses and look for the distinctive reflection from cats' eyes. 
4. Consider setting a humane trap.   Inside cats that "escape" to the outdoors are very likely to be hiding close by. Their instinct when frightened is not to reveal themselves, so they will not meow or come to you.  The only way to get them back may be to trap them. Some local animal control departments will lend or rent humane traps. They can also be purchased at pet stores, hardware stores and home centers. Bait with some strong-smelling food. Monitor trap often. If left overnight, do not be surprised if you catch a raccoon or someone else's cat!  
5. Try to attract your pet back to the house; leave strong scented articles outside like worn clothing with your scent still on it, your pet's bedding or mat or litter box, or some fragrant food, taking care that other animals don't eat it. If you suspect your pet is around but not coming to you, a good trick is to sprinkle flour and check for paw prints.
6. Visit the shelters immediately and return regularly. Animals surrendered to shelters are held for only a very limited time. By law, in the State of Texas, animals turned in to shelters must be held for three days. However, if they are diseased or injured, they may be put down immediately.  It is indispensable to visit your local shelters in person to see if your pet has been turned in. Bring a good photograph of your pet to leave with them.  But do not depend on the shelter people to contact you. Often, they are just too overwhelmed to research the huge volume of lost and found reports they are asked to deal with.  You really need to return to the shelters regularly to look for yourself.  The shelter's log entry may not match your description.( For example, you may call asking if a "tan" dog has been found, while the written record on the animal indicates a "brown" dog.)
   We emphasize that you must not assume that because you have left information about your missing pet that you will automatically be contacted if the animal is turned in. There are too many unwanted animals and too few shelter helpers to do this. It is up to you to check back regularly. Do not assume that because your pet was wearing an identification tag, that you will be contacted. Collars may be removed or fall off.
7. Call your neighborhood veterinarians. People often leave lost and found reports with them or bring injured strays to them.
8. Prepare a flyer with a picture or description of the animal, date lost, and how to contact you.  Be sure the letters are large and easily visible from a passing car.  Have copies of your flyer made on light, bright colored paper. Include a photo if possible. 
   In addition to printing and posting as many flyers as is practical, we recommend that you make a few special posters to use in the most strategic places. Mount some of your flyers on fluorescent poster board. Use an indelible marker to write LOST DOG/CAT, and put sheet protectors on your flyer. Post the flyers in conspicuous places like utility poles, intersections, nearby schools, laundromats, community bulletin boards, vets offices, etc. Most lost pets are found fairly close to home, but many pets turn up miles away, so it is equally important to post the flyers at some major intersections in other parts of town.  Dogs especially may travel far on their own. Cats are sometimes "spirited off".  One experienced rescuer recommends posting hundreds of flyers. (This may be impractical for you personally so be sure to place your flyers strategically.) It is also a good idea to hang the flyers from doorknobs in your neighborhood. Again, distribute them as widely as practical. (Please note that it is not allowed to put anything other than US mail in mailboxes.)
9. Place a classified ad in your local suburban papers and check the "found" ads. Some papers run "Found" ads for free. Keep checking regularly for new ads, and ask how to research ads that have run previously by calling the paper.
10. Check animal emergency clinics. On the chance that your pet may have been struck by a car and brought for help by some kind person.
11. Check with animal control businesses. As a last resort, you might ask whether your pet has been trapped by one of the companies that set out live traps to catch strays or wild animals who are creating a nuisance.  You may have to face the possibility that your pet was killed by a car.   Contact animal control.  In some areas, animal control is responsible for picking up dead animals, if not they can tell you whom to call.
12. Post and check reports on other Internet Lost and Found sites.