LOCATING LOST PETS

No matter how much you believe that your pet will not get lost, accidents do happen. Storms may blow gates open or fences down and visitors may leave a gate open. Your pet may take fright when being transported in the car or out walking or your dog realises the possibility of negotiating a fence - successfully.

Dogs and cats should wear a collar and identification and/or registration tag at all times. Be sure that the information on the tag is current. Many people use their mobile phone numbers which is excellent for when you are on holidays with your pet. While some people prefer not to include the address, others argue that this information is helpful to the person who finds the pet. If you are just down the road, they will more than likely walk your pet back home. Microchips, which are implanted by injection under the skin, provide a permanent method of identification. Speak to your local veterinarian about microchips.

If your pet appears to be missing from your yard check all the nooks and crannies first to make sure it isn't asleep somewhere in a corner, or accidentally locked in a shed. Cats are very clever at hiding away in cupboards and drawers and ignoring your calls. Once you are sure the pet is missing, door knock your neighbours and ask them to check their yards, shed and under their houses. Phone your local Council and give details of the missing pet.

Phone the animal welfare shelters and ask them to record details of your missing pet. Phone your local veterinarians and ask them to keep an eye out for your missing pet. If the animal has been injured it will more than likely be taken to a veterinary clinic.

Having taken these initial steps to see if the pet is in your immediate neighbourhood it is time to widen the search if it hasn't been found.

A 'flyer' with a description of the pet and a photo if possible, should be drawn up, photocopied and distributed. Most local shops will agree to displaying one on their window. Take one to each veterinary clinic in your area and ask to put it on the notice board. Take one to each of the animal welfare shelters and also to local pet stores. Make sure one is also on display at the Council pound.

Dogs can walk quite a distance in a few hours so expand your search into neighbouring suburbs. Place advertisements in Lost and Found in the newspapers. It is better to put only a description of the pet and the date rather than the area in which the pet is lost. A finder may believe it is not your pet if they have found it in a different suburb.

Visit all the animal welfare shelters and Council pounds in surrounding areas every few days and ask to look through the pens. Depending on your State laws, your animal may only have to be kept for four to eight days before being classed as unclaimed and may then be rehoused or euthanised. Do not depend on phone calls to ascertain whether your pet is in the shelter or pound. Your description of the pet may be quite different to how someone else views it.

School children are excellent at locating missing pets, as are the local mail delivery people. They are the first to notice if someone has a new pet in the neighbourhood. Take flyers and distribute them at the local mail-sorting centre and outside the schools.

Losing a pet is very traumatic for both owner and pet but in most cases the reunion takes place within a few days. Remember that speed in disseminating information about your lost pet over a broad area is the best way to ensure a happy ending.

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