Lost or Stolen Pets: Safety Tips
Out of five million family pets reported lost or stolen each year, nearly two million are stolen for research and dog fighting. Learn ways to protect your animal companion from tragedy and how to find a missing pet.

Out of the five million family pets reported missing every year, as many as two million are stolen. The majority of these stolen pets end up at research institutions because the multi-billion dollar animal research industry creates the supply and demand market for stolen dogs and cats. Pets are also stolen for savage dog fights and the cruel training associated with it. This is a profitable big business because of illegal gambling. Please take precautions to protect your beloved companion from tragedy.
On this page:
Prevent Lost or Stolen Pets
The following guidelines help reduce the risk of a lost or stolen pet:
If your pet stays outside on a run or in a fenced yard, make sure the gates and fences are secure. If your pet is indoors, keep the doors locked and the windows screened and secure.
Invest in a good ID tag for your dog and outdoor cat collar. Include your pet’s current rabies vaccine tag and your phone number. “If lost, please call…”
Some animal educators do not think it is wise to include your pet’s name on the collar. Knowing the name of your pet makes it easier for thieves to entice your dog or cat into a cage.
Take extra precautions during thunderstorms, parties, or fireworks because some pets become frightened by the noise and run away from it. For simple techniques to soothe your frightened pet, go to Keeping Pets Calm During Thunderstorms.
Initiate or join a neighborhood crime watch and invite your neighbors to do the same.
Do not allow your dog or cat to go outside its yard space without a leash or harness. At minimum, your dog should be taught the basic commands of sit, stay and heel.
Have your pet spayed or neutered to reduce the tendency to wander in search of a mate.
Always use a carrier to transport your cat. This prevents your cat from bolting out of the car or jumping out of your arms when surprised or frightened. Dogs may travel in a portable kennel if they are not accustomed to car rides.
Finding Your Missing Pet
Traditional ways of searching for your pet
If you suspect that your pet was stolen, immediately contact your local law enforcement agency.
Place posters in a minimum of a 20-block radius of your home and offer a reward. If possible, include a large photo of your pet on the poster along with information about where the loss occurred, weight and age of your pet, whether or not your pet had a collar, spay/neuter status and your phone number.
Again, some animal experts believe it is unwise to include your pet’s name on the notice because knowing the name makes it easier for a thief to capture or control your pet. On the other hand, calling your pet by name will assist anyone trying to help the animal. Please do what you feel is in the best interest of your pet. Read more about the benefits and risks of placing your pet's name on an ID tag.
Visit your area animal shelters many times because they handle thousands of pets and may fail to recognize a stray from your description.
Notify your local radio and TV stations that offer lost pet announcements. Many of the smaller stations do.
Contact your highway department to check on dead animal removals. Or, Google search for [Your City] department of sanitation. They often perform the deceased animal pickup. Every geographic area is different, so you may have to Google "dead animal pickup in my town" to get connected with the right agency. Yes, your pet being hit by a car is a tragic possibility, but isn’t it better to know what happened?
Tips for Your Digital Search
Post a description of your pet at petkey.org and check back often. It is a nationwide lost and found pet recovery data base and is free to use.
Another national database to post lost pet details is the Pet FBI: Information Center for Lost and Found Pets. Includes strategies to protect your pet from tragedy in the first place and how to find them when they do go missing.
If your companion animal has a Home Again computer chip, or equivalent, notify the organization where you registered your pet. Usually your veterinarian’s office can help you with that.
Be aware that early research suggests a link between cancer and the use of implanted computer chips. Ask your vet about the benefits and risks before implanting one in your pet.
I explain why I do not use social media in the About section, but if you are active on social media, you can make your connections work for you by posting information about your lost pet.
Call the animal shelters, humane societies, veterinary clinics, kennels, and pet food stores in your area that have a Lost and Found Board; or go to their websites and search if they offer a Lost and Found section on their sites. Give them a description of your pet.
Post a lost notice on any digital public service bulletin board and do not forget the physical bulletin boards found at many coffeehouses, libraries, and grocery store entrance ways. I did a Google search of "lost and found pets near me" and returned several digital bulletin boards specific to my geographic area. You can do the same.
Place an ad with the e-edition and hard copy versions of your local newspaper. Check the “Found Pet” ads every day.
A Happy Ending
A few years ago, I found a Siamese cat under the bush in front of my house. She was exhausted, hungry and thirsty. The cat was wearing a tag with a phone number on it but no name. First, I gave her fresh water and calmed her. I knew she was starving, so I fed her a small amount of canned turkey cat food. It is best to give bland protein to a starving cat. I did not want to upset her stomach with dry food, which is high in carbohydrates and harder to digest. To keep her separated from my own healthy cats, I placed her in the bathroom with food, water, litter and a soft towel.
I called the number and the lost cat's human drove to my house to take her pet home. The story is most amazing because the woman had moved from my neighborhood just one week before I found her cat. Cats bond with their humans but often become strongly attached to their places, too—and the Siamese cat had walked almost five miles in search of her old home.
She had made the mistake of allowing her cat outside unattended before her homesick kitty was comfortable with the immediate surroundings of the new location.
To reduce the chance of a cat wandering off in search of its old home, it is best to keep a cat indoors for at least a week after a move. Then let her out on supervised visits for another week before allowing the cat to be on her own. Of course, keeping a cat indoors is best for overall health, safety, and longevity, but that is a matter of personal choice.
My little story had a happy ending because the cat was wearing a collar with a tag thanks to a caring pet parent. Not all stories finish so well. Please take care now to prevent heartache later.
Sources | Learning More
Paws.org: Prevent Losing Your Pet
Lost Cat: What To Do | Pet FBI
Lost Dog: What To Do | Pet FBI
Purina.com: Tips for Moving with Dogs and Cats
Homeward Bound: 6 Tips for Protecting Your Outdoor Cat After a Move
Pet Care | General Safety
ASPCA Pet Care: Comprehensive tips for care of horses, dogs and cats
Pet Parenting in Our New Normal
Caring for Pets During Disasters
Every year, animal shelter and rescue group scramble to rescue pets separated from their owners during floods and natural disasters. Storms, wildfires and other natural disasters can strike swiftly and with little warning. Please visit the links below for tips on protecting your pets from danger. Learn how the COVID-19 pandemic can affect disaster preparedness and recovery, and what you can do to keep you and your pets safe.
Victory: Congress Passes Bill to Help Animals During Disasters
American Humane Association: Protecting Animals
ASPCA: Pets and Disaster Preparedness Tips
ASPCA: Pet Planning | Pet Trusts
Who will care for your pets in the event of your illness or death? Learn how to create a plan now for your pet's secure future.
Five Tips For An Effective Lost Pet Poster
The Missing Pet Partnership (Mission Reunite) recommends an effective method for creating lost pet signs.
According to the theory, you have only five seconds and five words to get the attention of walkers or drivers passing your sign.
Use these tips from Mission Reunite to grab people’s attention so they can help you find your missing pet:
1. Make signs and lettering huge.
2. Choose fluorescent poster board.
3. Post signs at major intersections near where your pet was lost.
4. Keep wording brief, using huge capital letters: HELP FIND LOST DOG! BEAGLE! RED COLLAR!
5. Create vertical tabs (strips) with your phone number on each strip at the bottom of the poster. This will allow someone without a piece of paper or phone to get your number. Allow space for the tabs when you are working on the poster layout. Once you have made copies, cut in between the numbers so that people can easily tear off a strip.

Did you know...
One mama cat and her litter can produce 420,000 kittens in seven years.
Each year in the US, about 1.5 million shelter animals are killed.
(670,000 dogs and 860,000 cats)
The Difference Between Euthanasia and Killing
For low cost spay | neuter programs in your area, call:
1-800-321-PETS
(1-800-321-7387)
Prevent homelessness…Please spay or neuter your pets.
Low Cost Spay Neuter Programs | Adoption
ASPCA: Top Reasons to Spay | Neuter Your Pet
How to Adopt or Foster a Dog or Cat During COVID-19
Say No to Puppy Mills | Opt to Adopt
Alley Cat Allies: Safe and Humane Help for Stray Cats in Your Neighborhood
A Closer Look at Community Cats: Common Misconceptions and Ways to Help
The Meaning of Stray and Feral: They Are Not the Same
The Difference Between Spay and Neuter
How to Evaluate a Low Cost Spay | Neuter Clinic
Be the Solution: ~Spay~Neuter~Adopt