It’s absolutely disheartening when a pet goes missing. I have been active in searching for missing pets in my neighborhood and had a dog stolen from me two decades ago.

My Rottweiler / German Shepard, Jake (pictured above) was stolen by a horse-boarders friend. It took my boarder 7-days to come to the right decision and tell me where he was. Thankfully I got him back- terribly wounded from the female pit bulls thrashing of him. He has nightmares for 4 years nightly. But he became the aggressive dog-charmer in his waking life, befriending the most anti-social of dogs. I guess he did so with some fear, as was evident in continued nightmares. But as an adult at age 4, those too subsided. I’d begun work in herbs and homeopathy then too and would give him chamomile before bedtime.
If your pet goes missing, here are some tips:

Paper the town with flyers – public places that all locals will eventually go:
Supermarkets
Banks/ATM s
Gas stations
Convenience stores
Bar/liquor store
bingo/ movies/ bowling etc
Hair & nail salon, barber
Library
Post office
Veterinarians
Local and surrounding neighborhoods

Give a physical description so folks know what they’re looking for.

Also, animal control updates posting of found pets often, mine does every 15 minutes. Post missing pets on Any/all lost pet websites. Often sites that are not specifically lost pest sites have a way to boost a missing pet posting. I have a neighborhood site that will do so, in my neighborhood, + surrounding neighborhoods.

My opinion is that posted flyers seem to be the winning way to find lost pets. Those I’ve posted at supermarkets specifically often led to the recovery of a lost or stolen pet.

At hone:

Leave smelly food out for your pet, particularly lost cats. Tuna and canned food, often attract a cat back to home.
Post flyer at your home. Go door to door in your neighborhood, and personalize the loss to your neighbors. Also speak to people at your local supermarket- with flyers to hand out, again personalizing the loss.  Tell the story and show your pain. This is often the factor that lets people not forget after they’ve left you.

Contact all local veterinarians. If your pet was stolen, he or she will eventually need vet care. Provide them with a photo. Also notify all local shelters and rescue groups, in case he/she was turned in.

BEST OF LUCK RETRIEVING YOUR MISSING PET

JILL SILVER

Dog + Horse trainer

Pet wellness + natural remedies

Pet boarding

Pet grooming

561-313-2803 active line

561-692-DOGG message center