What to Do When Your Pet Goes Missing

Search your property thoroughly

Check every hiding spot: under porches, inside garages, behind appliances, in closets, up in trees. Scared pets hide in tiny spaces. Use a flashlight even during the day.

Put out familiar scent items

Place your worn clothing, their bed, and their litter box (cats) outside your door. Pets can smell these from hundreds of yards away.

Alert your neighbors immediately

Knock on doors. Show a photo. Ask them to check garages, sheds, and under vehicles. Most lost pets are found within a 1-mile radius.

Report on PETSAR

Create a listing with photos and last known location. PETSAR generates search grids, alerts nearby volunteers, and creates a shareable lost pet poster automatically. Download PETSAR

Call shelters and animal control

Call every shelter within 30 miles. Visit in person if possible — phone descriptions are unreliable. Go back every 2 days; intake is constant.

Post on social media strategically

Post in local lost-pet Facebook groups, Nextdoor, and neighborhood apps. Include a clear photo, location, and your phone number. PETSAR can share directly to Nextdoor.

Put up physical posters

Large, simple posters with a big photo, "LOST DOG/CAT", your phone number, and the cross streets. Place at every intersection within a mile. PETSAR generates print-ready posters from your report.

Search at dawn and dusk

Lost pets are most active during early morning and late evening when it's quiet. Bring treats and a calm voice. Don't chase — sit quietly and let them come to you.

Search systematically, not randomly

Random driving wastes time. Use PETSAR's grid system to divide the area into zones and search each one thoroughly. Track what's been covered so you don't repeat yourself.

Drive slowly with windows down

Lost pets often hide near roads. Drive 10-15 mph, windows down, calling their name. Check under parked cars, in drainage ditches, and behind dumpsters.

Ask delivery drivers and mail carriers

They cover every street in the neighborhood daily. Show them a photo and give them your number.

Microchip your pet and keep the registration current. Collars fall off. Microchips don't.

Use a collar with an ID tag that has your phone number. This is still the fastest way to get a pet home.

Take clear, current photos of your pet from multiple angles. You'll need them if they go missing.

Download PETSAR before you need it. Volunteer in your area so you know how it works — and so your community is ready if your pet goes missing.