There's nothing like the panic you feel when your pet gets loose or is missing. There are many things you can do if you find a lost pet to help reunite the pets with his/her family.
- Look for flyers in the area where you found the pet as soon as you can. Also, check back the next few days as the family may be out searching for the pet first and not have flyers ready immediately.
- Check TriangleLostPets.org for listings of lost pets. You can also post that you have found a pet and list your contact information and a photo of the pet.
- Take the pet to a nearby vet's office to have them scan for a microchip.
- Take the animal to your local county shelter. In Wake County, the Wake County Animal Control Center is the designated place for all stray animals to go. This helps to quickly reunite lost pets with their families. Nearly all government-run shelters have a "stray hold" policy where they will keep stray animals on hold for 3-5 days to give owners a chance to find them.
- Confirming the owner: Don't give away all of the information about the pet. You'll want to have some way to confirm that the pet belongs to the person who contacts you. If the pet is wearing a collar when found, don't list what the collar looks like in your online listing of a found pet. Use that information to ask a person claiming to the be the animal's owner to verify ownership. Ask them to also show you a photo of their pet to help confirm ownership.
For pet owners, it always helps to have your pet microchipped and have your contact information up-to-date. Make sure to have a photo of your pet easily on hand. We hope you never need to use them, but they will be crucial should your pet ever be lost.