Shelter

What to do if You have lost an Animal
How to Adopt an Animal

What to do if You Have Lost an Animal

The following information may help you find your lost pet.

Do a thorough search of your property and surrounding neighbourhood. Look in sheds, under buildings, in parks especially along waterways - anywhere your animal could be trapped - and look inside ceilings for cats.

• Ask your neighbours and people you see out walking their dogs. Ask about in season bitches if your dog is male and entire.
• Do a letter drop and put notices up in your local shops. Include information such as a description of the pet, a contact phone number, area and the date lost.
• Ring all your local veterinary clinics and extend this outward. A person often picks up an animal and takes it to a clinic they know, not necessarily the closest one.
• Contact all Animal Shelters in your city. We have had animals brought in from as far away as Seymour, Geelong and Dandenong as we are one of the few shelters open at night (till midnight). We will record information about your pet and ring you if an animal fitting that description comes in. We need information on the area your pet was lost in, the breed and colour of your pet, its age, whether it was wearing a collar and/or I.D. and contact numbers and names should the animal come to us. We also record this information for found animals and can sometimes put owner and finder together.
• Contact your local Council and all Councils in the surrounding area. Visit each pound and check road depots (in case your animal has been killed on the road). Also find out if your council has an arrangement with a shelter to pick up stray animals especially at night. For instance both the RSPCA and the Lost Dog's Home contract for ranger services here in Melbourne .
• Advise your local police.
• Visit all shelters in your city. This is especially important for the bigger shelters such as the Lost Dogs' Home. We also recommend you visit us at the same time. Sometimes our guess of breed or age is wrong. This is particularly important with cats, as they aren't as easily described.
• Advertise the loss of your pet in local newspaper and the big city dailies. Check all papers thoroughly. Look in all columns dealing with animals and the "Lost and Found".
• Contact your local radio stations. Some will make free announcements however the best approach is to ask for help not demand an announcement. We have found 3AW particularly helpful.
• Contact your breed's association - often clubs have a "rescue service" set up to retrieve animals of their breed from public facilities and house them until either the original owner can be traced or a new home arranged.

Please remove all posters from public property and inform all others that were aware of the search after the animal has been found, or after a reasonable amount of time has passed. This makes it easier for the next person who is looking for assistance.

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