::::     What to do if your pet is lost  ::::

On Jan 2, 2011, at 9:22 PM, Robin Siegel wrote:

I am a volunteer for the Montgomery County Animal Shelter.

I've put together some information that will be helpful in your search (this
information is also available at http://mcmdlostpets.blogspot.com/):
  
If you lose a pet in Montgomery County, your first step should be filing a lost
report with the shelter.  Likewise, if you find a pet, you should notify the
shelter right away so that the owners can know you have their pet when they
call.
  
In the event that your lost pet has not been taken to - or reported to - the
shelter, speed is of the essence as you initiate your search.  Here is a list of
actions you should take, and some helpful websites you will want to consult:
  
* If your pet has a Home Again microchip, make an immediate call to them at
1-888-466-3242.  They will notify your vet, local clinics and shelters, and
local pet rescuers.  This takes time, though, so don't delay in following these
procedures:
  
* If you lose a pet in or near Montgomery County, please be sure to file a
report with the county shelter right away.  Strays from all over the county and
beyond are taken to the shelter every day, by Animal Control as well as members
of the public.  You should visit the shelter as soon as possible, but if you
can't go right away, call them at 240-773-5960 to register your lost report.
There are generally waits on the telephone line and if you encounter this you
can go to their website at http://www.mchumane.org/ and click on "Lost & Found."
You'll see the links to the lost and found forms, or you can email them a lost
report and it will be handled in the same way.  **NOTE** These electronic
reports are not collected on holidays or Sundays, and frequently go uncollected
for hours during the day, so please be sure to back up your electronic lost
report with a phone call as soon as you can.**
  
When they process your lost report they will search the found reports already on
file (and the animals at the shelter), and contact you if they have a match.
Shelter staff will match your lost report with a found report (or a pet at the
shelter) if they can, but you, the owner of the pet, will always be better able
to recognize your own pet, so try to visit the shelter as often as you can
during the business hours listed on their website.
  
MCHS holds stray animals for roughly 6 business days and then they are put up
for adoption.
  
* VERY IMPORTANT if you lose a pet, you can follow what's at the shelter on a
daily basis by going to:
  
http://www.petharbor.com/
  
Type in your zip code, click FIND SHELTERS (or hit ENTER or RETURN on your
keyboard), check "Montgomery County Animal Control & Humane Society:  Rockville,
MD" (and Prince Georges County if your pet could have ended up there) and click
SEARCH.  Then click I LOST MY PET and the species (dog, cat, other - don't click
any other choices or you may miss your pet) and then click USE THIS SHELTER LIST
and you will see a display of information for all the cats/dogs/others currently
at the shelter.  **NOTE:  Please visit the shelter as soon as possible to look
at the animals.  There is often a delay in posting photographs of animals at the
shelter.  You can also see photos of some of the animals at the shelter by going
to http://www.flickr.com/photos/robinsiegel/sets/72157594579349103/.**
  
This is a great way to keep track of what's been taken in, but please be sure to
check in person!  Sex is sometimes listed wrong, as are descriptions.  Pets
found DOA and those at the vet will not appear, so having a lost report and
visiting the shelter every few days is very important.  Also, Pet Harbor doesn't
display the found location, so if you see something you think is your lost pet,
make a note of the A# and call the shelter to find out where it was found.
  
Shortcuts:  http://tinyurl.com/2vwpuf for found cats at MCHS and
http://tinyurl.com/6ka6r3 for found dogs at MCHS.
  
* Contact vets throughout your area and beyond.  Bring a photo poster to as many
as you can, and mail one to the rest.  Many pet stores will also post lost
reports, as will many other businesses.
  
* Put your posters up in community gathering-places, and along the road in
high-traffic areas in your neighborhood and beyond.  Consider obtaining a
disposable cell phone so that you don't have to post your personal phone number
on your lost posters.
  
* If you've had no sightings, you should hire a tracker to help you in narrowing
down where to search.  We recommend Sam with Pure Gold Pet Trackers:
http://www.puregoldpettrackers.com/
  
* Notify your neighborhood listserv, if you have one.
  
* Remember, pets can travel great distances when they are stressed.  Be prepared
to expand your search:
  
* If you live in or near PG County, go to:
http://www.princegeorgescountymd.gov/der/amg/ * If you live in or near Howard
County, go to:  http://www.co.ho.md.us/Police/animalcontrol.htm or call
410-313-2780.  * For Carroll County Animal Control - 410-848-4810 * For
Frederick County Animal Control - 301-600-1546
  
* If you live in DC or near the DC line, call (202)576-6664 and go to
http://support.washhumane.org/site/PageServer?pagename=lostfoundpet
  
* If you don't find your lost pet within a couple of days, start checking all
the area shelters.  Some list their strays on Pet Harbor, others you will have
to call or visit.  Just recently, a dog lost in Springfield VA was taken to the
shelter in Rockville.  Most of the DC-area shelters are listed at:
http://www.metropets.org/YellowPages/Orgs/DC.php
http://www.metropets.org/YellowPages/Orgs/MD.php and
http://www.metropets.org/YellowPages/Orgs/VA.php
  
*To file and search for other reports online, go to:
  
http://washingtondc.craigslist.org/laf/ Craig's List (you might need to check
the pets page too:  http://washingtondc.craigslist.org/pet/)
  
http://commerce.washingtonpost.com/cgi-bin/WPclass/search/pets/clsAdSearch.cgi?TEXT=&PHOTOCODE=&VERTICAL=pets&CLASSES=+%5B601+602%5D&CLASSCODE=%5B601+602%5D&PHOTOSORT=on
Post ads online
  
http://www.petfinder.com/classifieds/searchclassified.cgi?state=MD&order=created+DESC&keyword=&type=L
Petfinder lost ads
  
http://www.petfinder.com/classifieds/searchclassified.cgi?state=MD&order=created+DESC&keyword=&type=F
Petfinder found ads
  
* If you have lost a bird, go to http://www.birdhotline.com/
  
Call or send photo posters to all the vets and pet shops in your area and
beyond.  Also, post plenty of flyers, talk to your mail and paper carriers, and
post on a neighborhood listserv (if you have one).
  
For more ideas, go to http://www.metropets.org/How2help/losttips.php
http://www.wikihow.com/Find-a-Lost-Dog
http://www.hart90.org/Missing/LostPetInfo.aspx
http://www.puregoldpettrackers.com/
http://www.hsus.org/pets/pet_care/finding_a_lost_pet.html Displaced cat
behavior:  http://www.missingpetpartnership.org/recovery-lostcat.php Displaced
dog behavior:  http://www.missingpetpartnership.org/recovery-lostdog.php
  
* If you're serious about searching for your lost pet, gather volunteers, start
a blog (see the sample link on the left side of the blog
http://mcmdlostpets.blogspot.com/), and go public with your search dates,
sightings, and progress reports.  You will find help, and the odds will improve
that you will find your pet.
  
FYI for anyone with a pet, it's always advisable to have your pets microchipped,
even those you don't think will ever get loose, so that the shelter can
immediately know who owns them should they ever wind up there.  If they wear
their microchip ID tag, anyone who finds them can also notify the registry and
the owners will be called.
  

Robin Siegel Volunteer Photographer, Montgomery County Animal Shelter
http://mcmdlostpets.blogspot.com/ Montgomery County animal shelter:
240-773-5960 http://www.flickr.com/photos/robinsiegel/

        ...... Earlier info from Robin .........  

Here are some suggestions that have worked for other people who have lost  their cats:  
  * Make sure you know how to describe your cat on your flyers.  Check your
   color description at
      http://www.flickr.com/photos/robinsiegel/sets/72157613406460972/ 
  * You may want toput a can of warmed up tuna on your front step as well as his/her food and
    water.  This may bring your cat out of hiding.  
   * Also, be sure to put up signs everywhere (your neighborhood, the surrounding neighborhoods, 
    vet offices, pet stores, grocery stores, gas stations, etc.)  with your cat's picture if possible
    or a good description, a good contact number, and a reward if one is being
    offered. 
  * The important thing is to get the word out everywhere.  Also be sure
    to check with your local and surrounding animal shelters every other day. 
  * If you know the general vicinity of where your cat may be, you may want to borrow a
     live animal trap from your local animal control.  When you get the trap, you can
     put the warmed up can of tuna in there at the opposite end of where the door is.
     When your cat goes into eat it, the door will automatically close behind
     him/her.  Be sure to keep an eye on the trap at all times (at a distance) in
     case of predators, the heat, bad-intentioned people, catching another animal by
     mistake, etc.  
  * Also be sure to check your house inside and out as well as around
    your neighbors' houses in case he/she got trapped somewhere.  Ask your neighbors
    to check their garages, sheds, under their decks, etc., as many cats have been
    known to get trapped in garages, sheds, etc.  Recently, "missing" cats have been
    found sleeping under the owner's bed, locked in a closet, and napping in the
    basement.  Don't give up.  Look under brush and treed areas within 1 mile.  She
    may be trapped and can't get home. 
  *  Also, a good Samaritan may have picked her up and transported her to their local shelter, 
     which may be in surrounding counties!  Visit all surrounding shelters for weeks, even months!  
     Check all nearby house renovations, broken windows or doors that she could have run into
     and then gotten stuck in behind by mistake to stay warm and dry (or if scared).
   * She may be nearby (even trapped in your own house) but is scared and you can't
     hear her as well.  This happened to me.  He went into a broken window in the row
     house next door (into the basement boiler room) and the door was shut behind
     him.
   *  Put his/her litterbox outside.  If they are indoor cats and not used to or
     have never been outside, it is easy for them to get lost; however, they can
     smell very well, and it has been known to bring a lost kitty home.  It is always
     breeding season, and if your non-fixed cat has gotten out, they can and will
     travel for days and miles to breed.  You might have to increase your search
     radius.
   
Robin Siegel Volunteer Photographer, Montgomery County Animal Shelter
http://mcmdlostpets.blogspot.com/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/robinsiegel