(Editor’s Note: While this article is written for the
Visit Every Shelter
It's important that
you visit every animal shelter in the metro area to look for your pet because
animals can often wander far from home. It's also necessary for you to
personally look for your pet in every shelter because the description you give
of your pet over the phone may not be the description another person would
provide for that animal. For instance, what one person considers a black dog
with white markings may appear to another person as a white dog with black markings.
If you don't find your pet at a particular shelter, leave a lost
report and current photo of your pet with the staff.
To see which animals are currently in our
Act Fast
- Check each shelter daily
until your pet is found. Don't assume that a shelter will house your
animal any longer than several days.
- Notify people who are
familiar with your pet that it's lost (i.e. newspaper and mail carriers
and neighborhood children).
- Contact veterinary
practices in your area. They may have "Lost and Found" bulletin
boards in their offices.
- Read the
"found" ads and take out a "lost" ad in The
- If your neighborhood permits it, post flyers in the area where
you live.
Don't Give Up
Some pets are found after months and months
of searching!
Why
Pets Stray
One of the most common reasons a pet will stray from home is because it isn't
spayed or neutered (also known as sterilized or altered) and is looking for
another dog or cat with which to mate. Spaying or neutering your pet will
eliminate your pet's reproductive instincts and, therefore, decrease the
chances of it straying from home to search for a mate.
Another benefit to altering your pet is that you'll be able to
obtain a reduced license fee. For more information about spaying or neutering,
please ask the League's staff.
Your Pet's Ticket Home
Your dog or cat should always wear a current rabies
tag and an I.D. tag with your present address and phone number. Make sure that
the veterinary office where your pet received its last rabies vaccination has
your current address and phone number, too.
Additionally, your pet should be licensed according to the
requirements of your local animal control agency and wear its license tag at
all times.
Your dog or cat's collar should fit around your pet's neck so that
you can fit two of your fingers underneath the collar. If you have a puppy or
kitten, adjust or change its collar as it grows. Cats and kittens should wear
"break-away" safety collars.
In addition to wearing current tags, consider getting your dog or
cat a microchip identification implant. If your pet ever loses its collar and I.D. tags, its microchip I.D. will help it return
home to you. This is because many shelters and veterinary practices check lost
pets for microchip I.D.'s with special scanners. For
details about microchip I.D. implants, consult your veterinarian. If your pet
has a microchip I.D. implant, make sure the registry for the implant's
manufacturer has your current address and phone number on file, too.
Found A Lost Pet?
Bring it to the Dumb Friends League or your nearest animal
shelter as soon as possible.
If you'd like to house the pet yourself, call the League at
303.751.9688 and leave a "home report" with us in case the pet's
owner contacts us.
All lost and found reports are computerized at the League. This
helps us reunite lost pets with their owners more quickly!
Copyright 2000. Dumb Friends League. All rights reserved. Please see the website for additional information. On-line donations to help the animals in
their care may be made by clicking the button below:
or print
out a donation form and mail or fax it to them.