Did you know that 1 in 3 pets will go missing in their lifetime? If you’ve lost your pet, there are many tips you can implement to begin your search.
1. Create a “Lost Pet” flyer by clicking here. Include your pet’s name, gender, approximate height/weight, breed, whether spayed or neutered, when and where your pet was last seen, and any special needs your pet may have, like medications. Post your flyer on social media pages like Facebook.
- Lost and Found Pets in Baldwin County
- Baldwin County Lost and Found Pets
- Post to your personal social media channels and in a public Facebook group where you live (i.e. What’s Happening in (type the name of your city)” Be sure to tag family and friends while asking them to also share your post.
- Share your flyer with your local animal shelters and rescues, and print copies and hang in area businesses.
- Post your flyer to nextdoor.com
- Ask your neighbors if they have seen your lost pet. Be sure to share your Lost Pet flyer with them.
• If your pet is micrchipped, contact your pet’s microchip company. They can send out a notification to area shelters and veterinary offices around the area where your pet was lost. If your pet is not microchipped, please consult with your veterinarian.
• Leave out food or water. If your pet comes back they are more likely to stay if familiar resources are available.
• Contact your local animal control shelter in your community. You will want to be prepared by having all of your pet’s information – breed, gender, color, size, mention if the pet was wearing a collar with tags and if your pet was microchipped. You will want to have your best call-back number ready to provide the shelter staff along with any photos and your flyer. Some shelters may ask you to email your Lost Pet flyer to them.
• Create a free account on Lost Petco Love. This site uses facial recognition software to search for your missing pet. You will need to create an account if you don’t already have one. Upload a picture of your lost pet, search the Petco Love Lost database, then sign up to receive alerts about your pet and create a lost pet flyer to share on Facebook and Nextdoor pages in your area. Click here to begin setting up your free account.
• Email your Lost Pet flyer to The Haven. Send to info@havenforanimals.org and type, “Lost Pet” in the subject.
• Click here to view the City of Fairhope stray animals.
• For more tips click here.
• Click here to complete and submit a Lost Pet Service Request form.
Don’t give up hope! Keep looking because pets can be very resourceful. At The Haven, we experience countless stories of missing pets being reunited with their families sometimes weeks or months after they go missing. Caring Good Samaritans may find your pet and use what they know to try and locate the pet’s owner. However, the owner may have overlooked a post on social media or the finder may have missed an opportunity to post the found pet on such platforms. Just keep looking and make sure you are also looking at “Found Pet” and “For Adoption” posts and flyers on social media and in the community.
