Do these five things now
- Open the tracker app, if your pet wears one. Turn on live or lost mode so the map updates every few seconds, and check the battery. Bring your phone charger.
- Search close first. Check inside the house, the garage, sheds and under decks; scared pets hide. Then walk the neighborhood with a recent photo, starting where they were last seen and working outward.
- Don't chase. A frightened dog may run from anyone chasing it, even you. Stop, crouch, turn sideways, speak softly and toss treats.
- Make the calls. Report your pet lost to its microchip registry, then call local animal control and shelters. Visit in person with photos as soon as you can.
- Spread the word. Post a recent photo on Petco Love Lost, Nextdoor and local Facebook groups, and put up flyers near where they went missing.
Step-by-step details are in lost dog: what to do in the first hour.
If it's a cat
Lost cats usually hide nearby instead of roaming. Search close and quietly: under decks and porches, in garages and sheds, and at dawn and dusk when it's calm. In the same ASPCA survey, most owners who got their cat back said it came home on its own. Still call shelters right away, because some hold stray cats for as little as 72 hours. More in lost cats behave differently.
Don't know your microchip registry?
Look up your pet's chip number with AAHA's free Universal Pet Microchip Lookup. It tells you which participating registry holds the record, so you can call them and report your pet missing. Your chip number is usually in your vet or adoption paperwork.
Full guides
- Lost dog? What to do in the first hour (and the first day)
- Fireworks, storms and open gates: keep a scared dog from bolting
- Microchip vs GPS tracker: do you need both?
Once they're home
The best time to plan for the next escape is right after this one. A GPS tracker can turn the next open gate into a quick pickup: open the app, see where they are, go get them. Start with the best GPS dog trackers, or GPS dog fences if your yard has no fence.