Guides for finding your lost pet and keeping them safe
Whether your pet just went missing or you want to be prepared before it happens, these guides are written for the moment you need them most.
When it happens
4 guidesImmediate action plans for the hours and days after a pet goes missing.
What to Do When Your Indoor Cat Gets Outside
Indoor cats usually hide within a few houses; here's how to find them. Physical search steps and a full alert posting checklist to reach every channel fast.
Read guide →What to Do When Your Dog Runs Off
Dogs behave very differently when they run off, and the right way to search depends on why they left. Here's how to find them faster.
Read guide →What to Do If You Find a Stray Pet
Check for ID, scan for a microchip, and search the databases the owner is probably filing alerts on right now. Step-by-step guide for finders.
Read guide →How to Make a Lost Pet Poster That Actually Works
A poster on a telephone pole gets two seconds from a pedestrian and less than one from a car. Here's what to include, what to cut, and where it needs to go.
Read guide →Prevention
3 guidesWhat to do before a pet goes missing so you're ready if it does.
The 5-Minute Checklist That Makes Finding Your Pet Easier
Current photo, verified microchip, local numbers, and alerts ready for every channel. Five things that take minutes now and matter a lot later.
Read guide →What Microchipping Your Pet Actually Does (and What It Doesn't)
A microchip identifies your pet if found, but it won't track them. Here's how pet microchips actually work, where they fall short, and what else you need.
Read guide →How to Secure Your Home and Yard for Escape-Prone Pets
Dogs dig, cats dash, and gates get left open. Here's how to find your pet's escape method and fix the right gap, for dogs, cats, and repeat escapers.
Read guide →Dog guides
3 guidesHow dogs behave when lost, and how to search for them effectively.
How Far Do Lost Dogs Roam, and Where to Focus Your Search
42% of lost dogs are found within 400 feet of home. Here's what the data says about search radius, breed behavior, and why you're often looking for a person, not a dog.
Read guide →What to Do When Your Lost Dog Won't Come to You
Calling their name can make it worse. Here's why a scared dog runs from familiar people, and the passive approach that actually works.
Read guide →How to Use Wildlife Cameras and Community Networks to Find a Lost Dog
Low-tech and high-tech tools that experienced searchers rely on.
Read guide →Cat guides
3 guidesCats hide when scared. These guides are built around how cats actually behave.
Why Lost Cats Hide, and How to Find Them Close to Home
Scared cats go silent and stay still — often within a few houses. Here's the search approach that actually works when calling their name doesn't.
Read guide →How to Search for a Lost Indoor Cat Safely and Effectively
Indoor cats who get out are often terrified. Searching wrong can push them further away.
Read guide →Night Searching for a Lost Cat — Why It Works and How to Do It
Cats are more likely to move and respond at night. Here's how to use that to your advantage.
Read guide →Other pets
7 guidesGuides for birds, reptiles, amphibians, and small animals.
What to Do If Your Pet Bird Escapes
Birds are found by reaching the right people fast, not by quiet searching. Here's where to post, who to call, and what the wind direction has to do with it.
Read guide →How to Tell if a Bird Is Someone's Pet
Color mutations, leg bands, and tameness give it away fast. Here's how to identify an escaped pet bird in under a minute, and what to do next.
Read guide →What to Do If Your Rabbit Gets Out
Chasing your rabbit guarantees it runs further. Here's why stillness works, when to search, and how to reach neighbors who might spot them.
Read guide →What to Do If Your Guinea Pig or Small Rodent Goes Missing
Small animals can hide in surprisingly small spaces. Here's how to search when a guinea pig, hamster, or other small pet goes missing.
Read guide →What to Do If Your Ferret Escapes
Ferrets are curious and quick. Here's how to search for an escaped ferret and who to contact for help.
Read guide →What to Do If Your Reptile Gets Out
Most escaped reptiles are still inside the building. Here's how to search by species, what temperature tells you about urgency, and who the right people to call are.
Read guide →What to Do If Your Amphibian Gets Out
Amphibians dry out quickly and need specific conditions to survive. Here's how to act fast when a frog, salamander, or other amphibian escapes.
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