1. Search your neighborhood - Many times, dogs and cats may run away but stay in the familiar zone of their own neighborhood. Walk around calling out your pet's names loudly in case they are around but scared or confused.
3. Ask around - It might help to actually approach your neighbors and ask if they have seen your pet lately. The more people who know your missing pet is missing, the greater the chances of it being found.
4. Post 'missing' posters - Tack these up everywhere in a 10-mile radius. Put them up in grocery stores, near stoplights, community centers, vets, and even pet stores. Include a photo, your telephone number and if possible, the promise of a reward for your returned cat or dog.
5. Advertise in your local paper and online - Place an ad in the local paper and include a thorough description of your pet and how you can be contacted best if anyone spots your dog or cat. Many people now turn to the Internet to help find their missing pets. You can post an ad on a number of sites such as craiglist.com and petfinder.com. The Internet is a great resource to increase your chances of having your pet returned.
6. Visit local shelters and pet rescue centers - Physically visit all pet shelters within a 60-mile radius. If your dog has not returned in a few days continue to visit the shelters routinely. Keep in mind your dog might be dirty and matted and now be unrecognizable from his or her photo, so a personal identification is the safest option. Shelters also rarely keep an animal for more than 72 hours, which again illustrates the importance of time.
7. Check with the local police or highway patrol - As unbearable as it is to consider, you need to check with the local authorities to find out if any accidents have occurred involving a pet.
8. Be mindful of pet recovery scams - Never volunteer extra information to a stranger who calls claiming information about your pet's whereabouts. Ask him to describe your pet in detail and be sure the identification marks are not just the ones you have stated on posters and in ads, in order to make sure the caller is legit. Never believe anyone who asks for money to be wired for the return of your missing pet.
9. Think about IDs - Implanted microchips have been around for a while now; unfortunately these microchips are usually limited to a range of about half a mile and are fairly ineffective. With microchips, implantation has to be done by a trained professional and many are averse to putting their pets through this trauma.
10. Prevent your dog from going missing by investing in a GPS Pet Tracking Collar - Fit your dog with A-GPS dog collar - a pre-programmed transmitter that informs the owner when his pet has strayed from designated safety zones. Through the GPS system you will be alerted if your animal has moved away from these areas, and it updates you of the dog's current location allowing for quicker retrieval.
SpotLight is the next stair in providing recovery services for your pets. It offers total peace of mind in knowing that your dog is always being monitored, no matter where you are. You can now relax knowing that you are always connected to your pet and their location. Created and developed in coalition with the American Kennel Club Companion Animal Recovery (AKC CAR) team to reduce the number of lost dogs, buying a SpotLight Pet Locator includes an exclusive AKC CAR collar tag with unique ID number, which includes Lifetime enrollment in AKC CAR's Recovery Service as well. The rescue button on the device connects you with your lost dog and a trained recovery team as part of the service. Thanks to the 24/7 AKC CAR helpline, there is always someone there to watch and help if your dog is missing.
This article is Co-authored by Chris Newton & Lewis Sheats, from Securus, Inc. For more information about GPS Pet Tracking System, visit http://www.spotlightgps.com/.
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