If you have LOST a Dog:

1. SEARCH everywhere, including close to home. Make sure you search your own property first, and surrounding neighbor’s property (with their permission) checking areas where your dog could be trapped or injured. Knock on doors and talk to people in the neighborhood.

2. INTERNET; Post your missing pet on all the websites that are free and are pet related. Below are some sites that allow listings and also some sites that provide additional information regarding how to find your pet.

a. www.Pets911.com

b. www.PetFinder.com

c. www.CraigsList.org

d. www.MissingPetPartnership.org; this is a great
website with additional information on how to help you find
your missing pet. The best part is the link about how to make
your Posters/Flyers.

e. www.fidofinder.com

f. www.missingpet.net

g. www.dogster.com

h. Arizona Humane Society Lost & Found; 602-997-7585; www.azhumane.org

i. Missing Mutts; 480-898-7387

j. Arizona Pet Line; 602-252-2727

3. FLYERS; Hand out flyers to all your neighbors, post them on common areas, post them at the dog park, regular park. Ask local businesses, vets, groomers, etc if they will put up your flyer. The more they see it, the more they’ll look for your dog. You can also email the flyer to anyone you know in the town or area you live. Include as much detail as possible including a photo. List identifying marks and medical conditions. Put the flyer in the pet food aisle. If someone found your pet and is holding it for a few days, hoping to find you, they may need to buy food. If your dog is a mixed breed, be careful about what breed you list. Sometimes people do not know their breeds very well and with all of the wonderful mutts out there, you could be calling your dog a shepherd/chow mix and the person that found it may be calling it a Labrador mix. Go to Missing Pet Partnership for great tips on making your flyers.

4. VISIT all the local shelters and the government agencies charged with picking up stray and lost animals. You must go there yourself at least every other day. Do not call them, go in person!! It's important to visit all the shelters within 20 miles of where your pet was lost. In many areas stray animals are picked up by a government agency which holds them for a period and then turns them over to a shelter. If someone took your pet in for a few days hoping you would knock on their door and ask about it, they might later drop your pet off at the shelter that's most convenient for them, rather the one that's closest.

a. Maricopa County Animal Care & Control on a daily basis after 3pm.
**Animals lost east of Central Ave. are taken to East Side
at 2630 W. 8th St., (Mesa/Tempe border, just east of the Loop 101)
602-506-7387
**Animals lost west of Central Ave. are taken to West Side
at 2323 S. 35th Ave. (East side of 35th Ave, just south of Durango)
602-506-7387

b. Arizona Humane Society is located at 13th Avenue & Hatcher in
Phoenix. They normally do not accept loose dogs unless they are
injured or in distress.

5. CONTACT rescue adoption programs that may have ended up with your dog through a Good Samaritan. (hoping to insert list here)

6. NEWSPAPERS or RADIO; Put an ad in the local paper, and in the papers in surrounding areas. Some people only look in the paper and not online to locate an animal's owner. Check the ‘found’ section too, to see if your dog is listed.

a. Tribune 480-898-6500

b. Republic 602-444-4444

c. Prescott KYCA radio 1490 AM; they do a daily report of lost animals
928-445-1700

7. POLICE; Call the non-emergency number of your town police department to inquire if someone has called about a found pet. Some police departments keep a log of anyone who calls in with a lost or found pet.

8. MICRO-CHIP; Let your microchip company know that you have lost your dog. At least one company, maybe more, now offer services to help you find your dog.

9. DO NOT BE SCAMMED; Sadly, there are several "scams" where thieves prey on pet owners who have lost a pet. For example, there’s a scam where someone calls to say that while driving through your area they picked up a stray dog and just now saw your lost dog ad. They ask you to wire them money so they can ship your dog back to you. You send the money and the dog never arrives.

a. If someone tells you to wire money because they have your pet, do
not believe them!

b. Never agree to pay a reward until you have your pet in hand.

c. If someone has your dog but demands money and won’t return your dog
unless you pay them, call the police.

d. Never go to pick up your found pet alone. Tell a family member or
friend exactly where you are going, take a cell phone with you, and
take at least one other adult with you.

e. Be aware that anyone can place a “SEARCH DOG” vest on their dog,
claim it is trained to find lost pets, and charge a fee. Be certain
to check references of any pet detective service that you use.

***Do Not Give Up! Sometimes it takes weeks, even months to find a missing dog. There have even been cases where dogs have been located years after they disappeared. Physically, your dog is somewhere and it did not vanish from earth! Although it is possible that someone has transported your dog a long distance from your home, it is more probable that your dog is still in your town, maybe even within a few miles of where it was lost. DO NOT LOSE HOPE! If you lose hope or become discouraged by others who are trying to tell you to “give up” your search efforts, you will reduce your chances of recovering your dog.

If you have FOUND a dog:

1. ID or TATTOO; Check the dog for an ID tag or tattoo. Tattoos are often found inside the ear or on the inner leg. Obviously call the number if you can find one but keep in mind that if the pet escaped, the owners may not even know their pet is missing yet. Also, the owners may be out of town and if someone is caring for their pet at home, that person may not be getting the messages you are leaving. It may take a few days for someone to actually check those messages.

2. MICRO-CHIP; Take the pet to a nearby vet and have it scanned for a microchip. The vet can provide the phone number to call if a chip is present.

3. INTERNET; Check the internet for ‘lost pet’ listings and post the pet you have found on all the websites that are free and are pet related. Below are some sites that allow listings and also some sites that provide additional information.

a. www.Pets911.com

b. www.PetFinder.com

c. www.CraigsList.org

d. www.MissingPetPartnership.org; this is a great website with
additional information.

e. www.fidofinder.com

f. www.missingpet.net

g. www.dogster.com

h. Arizona Humane Society Lost & Found; 602-997-7585; www.azhumane.org

i. Arizona Pet Line; 602-252-2727

4. FLYERS; Check for any ‘lost dog’ flyers and post flyers in the area that you have found a pet. Take flyers to the local shelter or government agencies responsible for collecting strays in your area. You can also email the flyer to anyone you know within a 10 mile radius of where you found the pet. The owners may be searching frantically for them at those same locations.

a. Only put generic information on the flyer to prevent someone other than the true owner from trying to claim the pet. For example; ‘small brown dog’. The owner must provide specific information such as gender, color of collar, or distinctive markings to identify the dog. Do not let just anyone claim that the dog you found is theirs. Do not answer any questions (from the caller) pertaining to the description of the dog. Do not ask leading questions like "Does your Poodle have a kink in its tail?" but instead ask open-ended questions like, "Describe your dog's tail" or "Is there something unique about your dog's tail?" Make the caller give you a full description of their lost pet.

b. Never, ever, give the dog to someone that claims they know who the owner is. Be especially careful about advertising the dog's breed. Pit bulls will attract a lot of callers claiming to be the owner. Instead, they are people trying to get a free pit bull for fighting. People that are into fighting dogs will also call on other breeds just looking for a free untraceable bait dog. Please be very vague on your descriptions.

c. If the owner comes to collect the pet, tell them to bring a photo of the dog with them as additional proof. Never agree to deliver the dog to the caller unless you have first told a friend or family where you are going and unless you take someone along with you.

d. Go to Missing Pet Partnership for great tips on making your flyers. Keep in mind that if the pet escaped, the owners may not even know their pet is missing yet and flyers may not have even been made yet. Also, the owners may be out of town and if someone is caring for their pet at home, it may be a day or so until that person knows the pet is missing.

5. CONTACT rescue adoption programs who may have been contacted by a frantic owner looking for their pet. They may also be a good resource if you are unable to locate the pet’s owner.

6. NEWSPAPERS or RADIO; Put an ad in the local paper, and in the papers in surrounding areas. Some people only look in the paper and not online to locate an animal's owner. Check the ‘found’ section too, to see if your dog is listed.

a. Tribune 480-898-6500

b. Republic 602-444-4444

c. Prescott KYCA radio 1490 AM; they do a daily report of lost animals
928-445-1700

7. SURRENDER; If all else has failed and you absolutely cannot keep this dog any longer, first contact local rescue groups to see if they have room to foster this animal in order to give the owners a little more time to find their pet. You can still put flyers out and advertise that you have found the dog and if the owner calls, you can refer them to the group. If you cannot find a local rescue group, you may have to turn them over to the local shelter or government agency responsible for taking strays in your area. Keep in mind many of these shelters are NOT ‘no kill’ locations and the animal may be put down.

8. REWARD; If you have been lucky enough to reunite parent and pet, congratulations! You have made someone very happy. If that person offers you a reward for finding their pet and you are not comfortable accepting it, consider either accepting it and donating it to a local shelter or recommending that they do the same.

Before you lose your dog:

1. Please, please, please, put tags on your dog and make the dog wear them all of the time. Be sure the ID tags are current and have both your street address (so someone can knock on your door and maybe put your pet back in your yard) and your cell phone. You home phone number doesn’t do any good if you are not home. You may also want to put the number of someone else who has access to your home and pets in case you cannot be reached (your pet sitter or best friend or neighbor).

2. Do not rely on the fact that your dog has a microchip. If your pet does have a microchip you need to make sure that you register it in your name and keep that information updated. Also, you need to periodically check to see where the microchip on your dog is located. They move and migrate and do not always stay where they were originally installed. Any vet or shelter can scan your dog for you to find it.

3. Take and keep current pictures of your dog. This could prove to be invaluable if your dog is found and proof is required to get your dog back.

4. Keep your yard secure. Repair loose boards and holes in fencing to prevent an escape. Use chicken wire secured to the bottom of fencing (weighed down with bricks) to prevent dogs from crawling or digging out. If your dog attempts to climb or jump fences, or has any other behavioral problems (digging, chewing, etc.), contact a reputable dog trainer for assistance.