Start looking right away

Start searching immediately; do not wait to see if your pet will return on its own! The sooner you start, the greater the chance that your pet will be returned uninjured.

Leave a message on your answering machine telling callers that you will check the machine every hour for messages. Unfortunately, some finders will turn an animal loose again if they can't get a quick response from the owner.

Search the neighborhood, calling your pet. Bring along a leash and treats. Initially concentrate on a 5 or 6 square block area for dogs or a 2 or 3 square block area for cats. Frightened animals may not come out of hiding, so listen for whining or meowing.

If you see your dog, don't chase it. Dogs enjoy a game of chase and you can't outrun your dog. Try baiting your pet with a treat or open the car door and offer to take him for a ride.

If you haven't located your pet after an hour of searching the neighborhood, fill out a CCHS lost pet poster. Since many people can't identify the weight, sex, breed or age of petss, a good description of color, markings, coat length and type is essential. A picture (light background and preferably full body and including some indicator of the animal's size) is truly worth a thousand words. The space under CCHS' phone number can accommodate additional information.

Start putting up posters

Start by putting up posters in the neighborhood, and giving them to mail carriers, newspaper delivery people, and others who may spot your dog as they spend time outside. Go door to door leaving posters. Later, cover a wider area, but less intensively, placing posters at stores, intersections, and veterinarians' offices.

Offering a reward can motivate people to take the time to look for and return your dog, but can backfire if the amount is perceived as inadequate. If you wish to offer a reward, write only "REWARD" in large letters. Take the completed poster to a copy shop to be duplicated. Color copies on white paper will make the best use of your photo.

Within 24 hours of missing your pet, visit the Animal Control Facility, so you can look for your pet yourself.

Use the Media

Call to place a lost pet ad in the classifieds soon after missing your dog. It may take several days before the ad appears.

Call WDWS radio station at 351-5300. They will announce lost pet reports on the air.

Don't give up!

Do not give up too soon. Keep looking for at least a month. Animals have been recovered after several months.

Your Pet's Ticket Home

Your dog or cat should always wear a current rabies tag and/or an I.D. tag with your present address and phone number. Make sure that the veterinary office where your pet received its last rabies vaccination has your current address and phone number, too.

Additionally, your pet should be licensed according to the requirements of your local animal control agency and wear its license tag at all times. Your dog or cat's collar should fit around your pet's neck so that you can fit two of your fingers underneath the collar. If you have a puppy or kitten, adjust or change its collar as it grows. Cats and kittens should wear "break-away" safety collars.

In addition to wearing current tags, consider getting your dog or cat a microchip identification implant. If your pet ever loses its collar and I.D. tags, its microchip I.D. will help it return home to you. This is because many shelters and veterinary practices check lost pets for microchip I.D.'s with special scanners. For details about microchip I.D. implants, or to make an appointment to have your pet microchipped, call the Humane Society’s staff at 217-344-7297. If your pet has a microchip I.D. implant, make sure the registry for the implant's manufacturer has your current address and phone number on file, too.

Why Pets Stray

One of the most common reasons a pet will stray from home is because it isn't spayed or neutered (also known as sterilized or altered) and is looking for another dog or cat with which to mate. Spaying or neutering your pet will eliminate your pet's reproductive instincts and, therefore, decrease the chances of it straying from home to search for a mate.  Another benefit to altering your pet is that you'll be able to obtain a reduced license fee. For more information about spaying or neutering, please ask the Humane Society’s staff.

All pets should ALWAYS wear ID tags with current phone numbers on a nylon or leather buckle collar.

Write your phone number directly on the collar as well.

Keep photos and a detailed description of your pet available in case she or he becomes lost.

Keep your dog in a fenced area or on lead whenever your pet is outside. Keep your cat indoors.