How To Find A Lost Dog: Tips To Bring Your Missing Dog Home Fast

The chances of finding your lost dog depend on how quickly you begin a search and whether your dog has an id tag or microchip. The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) conducted a study in 2012 and reported that 15% of pet owners had their pet go missing, and 85% had found their missing pet. The chances of finding your pet are high if you take action as soon as possible.

Below you will find ten steps to locate your missing pet.

If your dog has gone missing, take a  deep breath and check if you can find your lost pet at home. If loud noises, unfamiliar company, or other anxiety triggers have frightened your dog, they may be hiding in a secure place.

Search for your missing dog in the following locations:

Calling your dog’s name while shaking their treat jar or carrying their favorite dog toy might encourage them to resurface.

If you’ve microchipped your dog, make sure the microchip information is updated by calling the microchip company. You can also log in online to verify that you’ve linked the correct contact details to the chip.

What if you don’t know the name of the company or the serial number on the chip? You can contact your vet, who may have it on their records. A universal pet microchip lookup tool can assist you by identifying the company that produced the serial number.

A microchip does not operate as a GPS, and the device will not locate your pet. Instead, it provides contact information once your pet is found and scanned.

If someone has found your missing dog and taken them to a shelter, animal hospital, or veterinarian’s office, the center will scan your dog and find the unique serial number on their chip. They will then contact you to arrange a reunion.

Determine the search radius for your pet by considering the following points:

These clues could narrow down your search mile radius and assist in tracking your lost animal.

If your dog has run out of sight, search the area where you last saw them. You may attract your dog if you try the following actions:

Report your dog missing to your local animal shelter and provide a photo of your dog. Rescue groups, animal control agencies, pet humane society, and caring community members are key in the efforts to return lost pets to their families.

Shelter Animals Count 2020 statistics reported that among animal shelter rescue dogs in the U.S., 40.7% of dogs are returned to their owners.

Reach out to your local community Facebook groups and social media networks to assist in locating your lost dog. Often people post photos of a found dog on a lost and found pets group, alerting pet parents to a discovered pet.

Include the following information in your post to avoid too many questions:

Once you’ve found your dog, make sure to update your social media post, thanking the neighborhood for their support and concern.

Neighborhood apps provide a quick place to alert your community that your dog is missing. Security apps, Nextdoor, or Craigslist, are frequently viewed by thousands in your community, therefore providing a platform that can broadcast your need for help.

You can make and distribute lost dog posters to pin on telephone poles or bulletin boards in the following place:

Fliers should be detailed but concise, including information like your dog’s name, description and breed type, clear photo, collar information, last seen location and date, and your contact details. You could also encourage support by offering a reward.

Online templates make it easy to get a flier made within minutes.

Yes, lost dog posters can help you get your dog back. The best approach is an all-around strategy where you rely on digital, print, and word-of-mouth to get your lost pet home.

A master pet detective will consider all the options to find a lost dog. Make use of the following options:

Don’t give up hope when you’ve done all that you can to retrieve your pet. It could take a few hours, or even days, but many pet owners are reunited with their lost pets.

Patience and consistent communication with your local community, animal hospitals, and shelters are the best hope of being able to sit on your porch with your dog again.

A GPS pet tracker provides the easiest and quickest way to find your lost pet. Most GPS pet trackers are small devices attached to the dog collar and give a real-time location of where your dog has wandered off.

Once your dog goes missing, open the GPS app on your smartphone and access the live coordinates of your pet’s GPS collar. Some apps allow you to share the location with your neighbors, friends and anyone else who is helping to track your pet.

Some trackers have a geofencing feature that will notify you if your dog exits a safe, pre-determined area. So if you’re at work and your dog chases a mail carrier, your app will notify you to take quick action.

It’s vital to be mindful of dog scams to avoid handing a found dog over to the wrong people. If you’ve found a lost pet, take the pet to a local shelter and share minimal information online. For example, share a photo, but not the pet’s name that you might find on their collar. Or confirm with the acting pet parents a certain detail of the pet’s appearance.

Only hand a found dog over to trustworthy locations like shelters or the local veterinarian’s office.

As the pet owner who has lost their dog, another step you can take to finding your pet is searching “for sale” dog posts. You might find your dog in the unfortunate hands of pet thieves and can take action to rescue your pet.

Avoid losing your pet again by taking the following precautions:

The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) reported that 85% of pet owners find their missing pets.

Lost and fearful dogs may hide in closets, garages, cars, tight spaces in the home, or even at your next-door neighbor. Look for your pet at home before you broaden your search to the neighborhood.

Once you’ve spotted your pet, lure your dog with their favorite treat, a strongly scented meal, or by calling their name. Do not chase your dog; rather, approach them calmly or sit on the ground until they come to you.

Yes, many times, dogs are able to find their way back home with their keen sense of smell and detection of magnetic fields, according to a collaborative study from the Czech Republic.

The best way to find your lost dog is to use an all-around approach, using digital, print, and word-of-mouth to get your missing pet back home.