When you lose your companion animal here are the steps you should take (sooner, rather than later).

 

• Call Animal Control in your town and the surrounding towns.  Below is a list of the ACOs in CT.

 

 

 

 

• Call all local vets in your town and the surrounding towns.  Also call the closest Emergency Vets (which may be several towns away).

 

• Make Large Posters to put up along roads in the area (see the POSTER page).  These posters are large, bright colored and have limited information on them.  They are easy for drivers to see.  They are what generate sightings on your lost pet - which is very important for recovery.

 

• Do a hard search and take a flashlight.  This is especially important with lost cats and other small animals.  Search your entire yard, including in and under things, open sheds and garages, check under bushes.  Do the same in your surrounding neighbors yards.  Small animals, including indoor cats, usually don't go far when they get out, but rather hide, and hide well.

 

• Make smaller flyers. You can put these up in businesses surrounding your area.

 

• Contact radio and TV stations. Many of them will air or post information about lost pets.

 

• When you recieve calls about potential sightings, collect as much information from the person as possible.  Have them describe the animal they saw to you - don't say "so you saw a black cat with a white ear?" Record the time you got the call.  The date and time of the sighting (which is likely different). The person's name and call back information. Where they saw your missing pet (get exact info if possible). What your pet was doing when they saw it.  Ask if you can meet them, and have them show you where and talk to them in person.  Also ask if you can recontact them if you need to follow up.

 

• Make a 'line up card' - This is an 8"x10" paper that has six photos on it.  One is your pet.  Five others are animals that look similar but are distinguishable from your pet if someone got a good look.  Take this card when you go talk to people who call in sightings or email/text it to them and have them pick out which animal they saw.  This helps determine how likely a sighting was really of your pet.  If they didn't get a great look and can't really choose - or they pick the wrong picture, doen't mean it wasn't your pet.  But if they say they got a really good look and they pick the wrong picture, the liklihood that its your missing pet diminishes greatly.

 

• All those people that said, "how can I help".  Take them up on it.  Write a script and have them call the vets and ACOs.  Have them help you make and hang posters.  Have them monitor the posters for fixing and repair.  People do want to help, you just have to tell them what you need them to do.  You'll be less overwhelmed if you have support from others.