Tips to Find Lost Pets Begin looking as soon as you discover your pet missing. Start by searching your home, both inside and out. Walk around your neighborhood or the location pet was noticed missing from. Call your pet's name, and bring some items that your pet is familiar with and typically responds to. These could be treats your pet likes, a noise making toy, jingling car keys, a training device like a clicker or whistle, or a collar and leash. Check routes that may be familiar to your pet, such as a typical path for a walk. Enlist as many people as you can to assist in the search, particularly if they are someone your pet knows and would respond to. Bring a flashlight if it will be dark soon. Broaden your search for your lost pet. Start checking local animal shelters for your lost pet. Begin by entering your city or zip code on the left and follow the prompts from there (Tip: The fewer items you select to search on, the more animals you will see. Keep in mind your description of the animal may differ from that of the shelter staff). At the bottom of the results pages you can also click on the Show Pets FOUND by the Public link to review pets that individuals have found and posted on Pet Harbor. Be sure to check back often as new animals are added every hour. It sometimes takes weeks or even months for an animal to be turned in to a shelter, particularly if someone has taken your pet into their home in hopes of finding its owner. Because there may be animal shelters or animal control agencies in your area that do not upload data to this website try to check all the local animal shelters in person at least every other day. Register your lost pet with Pet Harbor. Click the Register your Lost Pet link located at the bottom of the results page (directly under the Show Pets FOUND by the Public). Complete the form and you will receive emails when pets matching your description arrive at one of the shelters you selected or are entered as a found pet by an individual. If the shelters you selected have supplied us with an appropriate email address your lost pet information will be forwarded to them as well. Advertise your lost pet. One of the most important steps you can take is notifying the public of your lost pet. Create lost pet flyers that include the date and location your pet was lost from, pets name, photo, color, breed, age, collar color, and any identifying characteristics. Be sure to include a phone number where you can always be reached, but for safety reasons do not include your name or address on the flyer. Try to use brightly colored paper to increase visibility. Post your flyers in areas such as veterinary offices, pet stores, parks and schools, grocery stores, churches, community bulletin boards, etc. If you are planning on posting flyers at traffic intersections make sure they have large enough lettering to be read from a vehicle. How big an area to cover depends on the number of flyers you are able to produce, but at least a one mile radius is recommended. Place an ad in the local newspaper(s), and check the newspapers found ads regularly. Most importantly, don't give up. Pets can be found weeks or months after they disappear. Good luck!