Follow these guidelines. If your pet
is not recovered immediately, call 311 and ask for
the number of the ACC. Begin a Petfinders search
immediately within a 60 mile radius of where you lost
your pet within the hour.
Most pets are recovered, it's important that you follow
our recommendations in the sequence they are presented.
- DO NOT GIVE UP HOPE!
First, think about the tags your pet was wearing, and
call the appropriate agencies. For example, if your
pet was wearing a tag with a shelter phone number,
call that shelter; if your pet was wearing a vaccination
tag , call the veterinarian that inoculated your pet;
if you are a member of Petfinders, call their 24-hour
member phone number. Inform the respective agencies
that your pet is missing, and alert them to the possibility
that they may get a phone call from someone that has
found the pet.
Next, call the police precincts in your area and local
animal shelter. You can get the numbers by clicking
on the Local Shelter and Mayor's Alliance links. Give
the shelter a full description of your pet. For a list
of Brooklyn Police Precints click here.
Then, prepare a flyer giving only a physical description
of your pet. Do not give the name of the pet (it may
not answer to its name when it is lost and frightened);
do not give any behavioral information (behavior changes
dramatically when a pet is lost); do not give exact
location lost (it is not a question of how far your
pet will travel on its own -- what often happens is
that people who find a stray take it to their home
quite a distance away, and then they either put it
out again or it gets out. Your pet can be anywhere!);
do not give information about a collar (40% of the
pets we recover are lost with a collar
and are found with no collar or a different one).
If you have a photo of your pet, try making one copy.
If the copy depicts your pet accurately, then use it.
If not, then using it can do more harm than good. You
may want to consider using a line drawing from a breed
book at your local library or bookstore instead. It
often photocopies better than a photo.
Write the word REWARD on top
of the flyer, in large print, and your phone number
on the bottom. Giving an amount of reward will usually
get you some crank calls from people who do not have
your pet, but it does attract more people to the
flyer. If you think your pet was stolen, do not indicate
that because the person a stolen pet is most often
recovered from, had nothing to do with theft, and
you will scare them off. DO NOT even say, "no
questions asked."
Make a list, using the yellow pages of all veterinarians,
animal hospitals, pet shops, grooming shops, and any
other facilities listed under pets. Combine the municipal
section of the white pages with the yellow pages to
get a comprehensive list of schools. Visit each facility,
carry your own roll of masking tape, and ask permission
to hang up a flyer. Whenever possible, do not leave
it for them to do. One flyer put up in one veterinary
office, will be seen by 30 to 40 animal owners a day
-- and it is animal owners who take in strays. In the
schools, post the flyers where the children will be
sure to see them. Children are very good at spotting
strayed pets (but horrible at catching them). By the
end of the first day, you should have posted at least
200 flyers.
As you travel, look for community bulletin boards
in shopping centers, churches, synagogues, or anywhere
else that you can post a notice of general interest.
Also put flyers on the streets at busy intersections
(you may want to check the legality of posting on public
property first).
Tomorrow morning, at sunrise, go to the location your
pet was lost with a pen and pad. Write down the company
name of services making deliveries at that hour. Some
examples are bread, milk and newspaper delivery services.
Call the dispatch offices for those companies, give
them a description of your pet and ask that they alert
their drivers. Most pets recovered while still on the
street, are found during the quiet early morning hours
and then hide when the tempo picks up. If possible,
follow up with a flyer.
After you have done a thorough job of hanging up the
posters,, follow up your earlier phone call with a
visit to the municipal shelter for your area. Go, even
if the shelter tells you that they do not have any
animals fitting the description of yours right now,
or that they will call you if one comes in, or even
that they did not pick up any strays since your pet
was lost - you must visit the facility. If you do not
visit the shelter, you are jeopardizing the life of
your pet.
Don't be discouraged! If you follow the suggestions
we have given you, there is every reason to believe
that your pet will be recovered. But it often takes
time, and almost always takes hard work and perseverance.
Why spay or neuter your pet? Spaying or neutering…
Helps your pet live a longer, healthier life.
Neutering helps prevent testicular cancer in your male pets, if they have the surgery before they are six months old. Even if neutered later in life, males will be better behaved and less likely to roam away from home, increasing their odds of living a long, healthy life.
Spaying helps prevent breast cancer and uterine infections in female pets, and it keeps your female pet from going into heat. Spaying before her first heat will offer the greatest protection from these diseases.
Is cost-effective.
Caring for a litter of puppies or kittens is expensive, as are vet bills for a pet who roams, fights while away, and is injured and/or injures another dog or cat. View low-cost spay/neuter options.
Will not deprive your children.
Having a litter you can't care for long-term doesn't set a good example for your children. If you want to teach your child about the miracle or life or birth, there are lots of responsible options, including books and videos.
Will not make your pet fat.
Lack of exercise or overfeeding will make your pet fat, not spaying or neutering.
Fights pet overpopulation.
NYC shelters are full of loving, deserving cats and dogs waiting today for a home — small, big, purebred, and mixed breed.
When Should You Spay or Neuter Your Pet?
The greatest health benefits for your pet can come from spaying or neutering them at a young age — before 6 months for a male and before a female's first heat. You can confirm with your vet or spay/neuter provider that this is the right time to spay or neuter your pet.
Rabbits should also be spayed or neutered. Rabbits reproduce quickly — breed like rabbits — and often are brought to shelters where they may be euthanized. Like dogs and cats, rabbits gain health and behavior benefits from being spayed or neutered.
For a list of all local Metropolitan rescue groups, vistPetfinder.com, look on your left and scroll down to where it says:
SHELTERS
-local shelters
-by state / prov.
