You need to know up front that your search may not be easy.  The reason most owners don't find their pets is because they think that they just need to make a couple of quick phone calls and put up some signs. It is understandable why most owners think this way, because that is what we have been taught, but unfortunately it gives us a false sense of security, because it rarely works out that way.

The average lost pet is gone for over a week, and it can sometimes be much longer.  Most lost pets never end up at a shelter, and of the ones that do, they generally don't show up right away.  To make an effective search for your pet, you are going to have to try multiple approaches and you are going to have to be persistent.  It will definitely take some work, but it will also definitely be worth it.

One of the major reasons that owners don't find their pets is because they get discouraged and give up too soon, which is potentially a death sentence for their pet.  Even though it may be a bit discouraging at first, it will really help if you have a better idea of what you can expect.  Our goal is to provide you with a realistic view of the challenges that you might face, and, most importantly, to provide you with the information that will help you to easily meet these challenges and bring your pet home. 

To help give you an idea of what your pet is up against, think about this simple question: how can you tell if a pet is lost or not?  Think of all the times that you have seen a pet outdoors, walking down your street or crossing through your yard.  It happens often, but do you ever wonder if the pet is lost?  If you are like most people, you might pause for a moment to ask yourself if this is a pet that you recognize, but if it is not familiar to you, you will soon come up with a rationale to explain why it is better not to do anything.  “It is probably just a new pet to the neighborhood,” you might think to yourself.  “It looks so happy out there, just enjoying the outdoors, so it couldn't possibly be lost.”  Even if you can get past these wishful thoughts, you still might be held back by the worry of what might happen if you do something and the pet isn't really lost.  “What if I take the pet to the pound, and then my new neighbor has to pay an impound fee?”  Or worse yet, “what if my neighbor doesn't know to check at the pound, and they never pick it up?”

The problem is that there is no way to tell if a pet is lost or not.  Lost pets don't look any different than any other pets that happen to be outdoors.  Even when a pet is hungry and tired, they will instinctively try to hide it, since they know that other animals will try to take advantage of their weakened condition.  When someone sees your lost pet, they will think the same hopeful thoughts that you think when you see a new pet outside.  They won't want to “interfere”, so they probably won't do anything.  This is perhaps the largest obstacle that you face in getting your pet back home, but it also points to the one technique that will help the most in the search for your pet.  (Hint: it has something to do with “getting the word out.”  We'll get to that soon.)