Finding Lost Pet Checklist: The First 24 Hours

Finding Lost Pet Checklist
The First 24 Hours

As Soon As You Know Your Pet is Missing

The first 24 hours that you know your pet is missing will be the most critical time spent looking for your pet. The sooner that you realize your pet is missing, the sooner the search can be started, which might make the difference in your pet returning home. 

Depending on the individuals circumstance of your pet’s disappearance, you may know immediately that your pet is missing or several hours may pass if you are not at home when your pet disappears. In any case, the sooner you start your search, the chances are higher for a recovery of your pet. 

Starting the search

What to bring

Bring with you their leash, favorite treats and toys to catch their attention. All out their name or whistle, which ever you think would draw their attention.

Where to look

Searching on the property

If it is a small animal like a rabbit, hamster or reptile, then first thoroughly check the house in all closets, baskets, shelves, vents cabinets, etc. 

If the animal missing is a cat then check all over the inside of the house in all known or possible hiding places like closets, attics, baskets and any small places. When checking outside, look under the house, in the garage, took sheds, all vehicles, garbage cans, storage bins, up trees and under bushes. 

Searching off the property

If it is determined that the animal is not on the property, and maybe a larger animal like a dog, livestock or large reptile like a tortoise, then start by going door to door in your neighborhood and have them check all the same above places on their property like garages, tool sheds and under their homes, then start by creating a flyer. 

If the animal missing is large livestock like horses, then immediately extend the search as far as possible to all neighbors, barns, feed stores, stable and auction houses. 

Creating a flyer

See a sample flyer for what critical information to put on the flyer

Enlisting the help of other people in the search

As soon as you discover your pet is missing, go out on foot or in a vehicle and  and go around the immediate neighbor hood looking for them. Check any known favorite spots like parks or friends’ houses. Check on routes where you commonly walk your pet, or places your pet has traveled to if they have gotten out in the past.

If multiple people are involved in the search, have them keep track on a map of who they spoke to, where they left flyers, any vacant, abandoned homes or empty rentals or anybody who many be on vacation. As people are out looking, ask if anybody knows of any commercial truck or moving vans that were in the area at the time the pet went missing just in case the animal got into this vehicle (Boo and Pippa).

When looking for a pet, the more people out looking and helping out the better, For example, as people are out walking and driving around, then somebody else can be making the flyer. As soon as the flyer is created and as many as possible are printed up, then these can taken out to the people looking on the street. 

In addition to finding your pet, you also want t try to be generating leads about sightings, When you speak to somebody and they said they may have seen your pet, ask them what time the day it was and what direction the animal was traveling. Also, see if you can get a phone number to recontact them later if necessary. 

Spiral Pattern

The search for the pet should follow a type of spiral pattern. Treat the last known location as the center of the spiral and then start spiraling out from there further and further.

Make sure one person remains at home

Make sure at least one person remains at home in case the pet returns. If have seen many cases where the animal returned home but nobody was there to let them back in, so the pet took off gain. 

Save any items that has only that pet’s scent on it for the use of a tracking dog

(see page about how to save a scent article.