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Gracho at the Dubuque Humane Society

Image by therapycatguardian via Flickr

Loosing a dog is a terrible experience.  There are several things you can do if you lose your dog to make sure that if someone finds him, he can get back to you safely.  The best thing you can do, however, is to make sure your dog is trained to come to you every time you call him so he doesn’t get away from you.  Having your dog micro-chipped is another thing you can do before your dog gets lost to increase his chances of getting home to you.

If your dog is lost, here are some things you can do.

  • Post signs on your street, nearby streets, and major crossroads
  • Talk to your neighbors, give them a flyer with your dog’s picture on it so they will recognize him and hold him for you.
  • Talk to the neighborhood kids.  Give them a flyer if you want.  Make sure that they know what he looks like and where you live.
  • Visit local park workers.  Ask if you can post a flyer in the park.  Tell them about your dog and give them a flyer if they will take it.  Make sure they have your contact information.
  • Run an ad in your local paper.  Include your dog’s name, breed or description, and your contact information.  Your paper may have this as a free service.  These papers have a relatively large coverage area and might help if your dog gets far from home.
  • Visit Humane Societies and Shelters in your local area.  Ask to post a flyer.  Talk to the receptionist.  Go to each shelter.  You can find a list at petfinder.com and your yellow pages.  There may be a few that are in one list and not the other, so I recommend checking both.
  • While you are on Petfinder list a lost dog ad there for free.
  • Post fliers at your local pet stores, vet offices, grooming offices, boarding kennels, and training facilities.
  • If your dog is a pure breed, try contacting the pure breed rescues for their breed.  Email them a photo and description just in case they hear about him.
  • Try not to panic.  Be as patient as you can, but do as much as you can to find him.
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