Guest Post: What to do if You Lose Your Pet

Much too often, pet owners contact us heartbroken because their pet is lost, often through no fault of their own. Our friend and canine investigator, Jamie Katz, provides some ideas you can use if your best friend is lost.

When Your Pet is Lost

My name is Jamie Katz; I am a licensed Private Investigator/ K9 handler in Florida, and I specialize in lost & stolen pets. I also have a team of scent-specific tracking dogs that can follow the scent of the missing pet. Losing a pet is one of the most frantic situations to go through, and having a solid plan and a professional to guide you through each step can sometimes make all the difference. 

What do I do first? Whom do I call? Was my pet stolen? Is he/she alive? These are all the questions that run through the mind of an owner when their pet suddenly disappears. I will take you through a step-by-step process of what to do the second you realize your pet is missing.

1. If your pet is microchipped, call the microchip company immediately and make sure the chip is registered under your current address and phone number. If you don’t know your pet’s chip #, try calling all the vets you have taken your pet to and ask if they have ever scanned your pet’s microchip and wrote it down in your file.

2. Create a flyer and post to all social media platforms (Facebook, Instagram, Craigslist, Petharbor.com, etc.). The flyer should have the date your pet when missing, the city, your phone number, breed, colors, male or female, a clear photo of your pet standing on all fours, and the reward at the top. Do not post your pet’s microchip number, and make sure your post is made public so anyone can see and share the post.
3. Print out 60 colored, laminated signs to start posting immediately to gain awareness within a couple of miles from where your pet went missing. The best way to do this is to look at a map of the address your pet went missing from, make a list of all the intersections where the flyers should be posted so that it is impossible for anyone to come in or out of the couple mile radius without having to see a sign.

4. Check the shelters every other day (inquire about the animals in the clinic and quarantine room) and post flyers inside the shelters on the lost pet bulletin boards. Ask the shelter if they have a logbook so you can check if any deceased animals were picked with the locations, date, and time.

Watch out for Scams

Remember, some people look to make money off owners with lost pets by pretending they have the animal to get the reward and hack into your email accounts to get all your private information (bank, credit cards, etc.). If you get a text or phone call from someone saying they found your pet, ask them to send you a photo. If they do not send you a photo, then they do not have your pet. If you receive a message asking you to prove that you are the lost pet’s owner and asking you to send them a google code, do NOT respond, this is a scam. If you send back a google code, the person will be able to hack into your email and get all of your personal information.

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Professional Help

If You have not found your missing pet within a day or two, you may want to call me and see what services I can offer to you. I will profile your case (the who, what, when, where, how questions), and I will recommend which service would be of most help to you based upon your individual situation. My number is 844-411-5289, and my website is Jamiekatzpetdetective.com

Jamie Katz

Private Investigator

License # C1500105                                                        

Agency # A1500178

844-411-KATZ (5289)

www.jamiekatzpetdetective.com

https://www.facebook.com/JamieKatzPetDetective