What to do if you lost your pet? There are steps you can take now before that happens!
The unthinkable happens. You are carrying in your groceries, your ten-year-old leaves the gate open and Fluffy darts out. This can be frantic. But you can make some lifesaving choices today to get your pet safely home:
First make sure your pet is microchipped, registered, and up to date on all vaccines.
HSH can provide a microchip for $20.00. Please call 219-942-0103 and press 0 to schedule an appointment.
Next register your pet at Petco Love Lost for their groundbreaking facial recognition technology that can reunite you and your pet if they enter a shelter. Registration is free! Register at https://lost.petcolove.org.
Finally notify your local animal care and control/field services agency and file a report. Check and post on all lost pages in NWI listed below.
What to do if you find a lost pet? You can help get that pet home while waiting for help!
It can be so emotional and so challenging when you find a lost pet. And let's face it, here in Northwest Indiana we have a real unstable animal care and control/field services structure. We all need the help from our community to get a lost pet home. Municipal agencies and shelters are overburdened and have limited resources to solve this public problem on our own. We are grateful for our community heroes that spring into action to help us get a pet family member safely home!
Here are a few things you can do if you find a lost pet:
If you are able to secure the pet safely, please first check your surroundings and document your location and time of day.
Then, if possible, please look in the area and ask people you see in the neighborhood if they recognize the pet. Oftentimes people are nearby looking for their lost pet and the pet is picked up and transported far from their home.
If you do not locate an owner, call your local animal control/field services agency or non-emergency police. If you do not have an animal control agency/field service team in your area, check a local veterinarian to see if the pet is microchipped. Post photos and check some of the local Facebook groups: