1. Contact Pet Search: www.petsearch.com.au Phone: 1300 309 004. They are your best chance in finding your lost pet. They have accrued many years of resources and knowledge that no individual or rescue group has when it comes to finding lost animals. We cannot recommend them highly enough.

2. Contact your local pound and give them a description of your pet to let staff personally know you are looking. And ask them (the pound staff) to list your pet as ‘missing’ on the database. They can list this against the microchip, so that if the animal ends up at another pound, when they scan its chip they will know someone is looking for it. Ask if your local pound has an online form where you can register your pet as missing.

3. If you are not going to use the services on Pet Search, you should make colour posters that include a photo, pets name, date and location the animal was last seen, whether it was wearing a collar or not (if so, include description of collar), whether it is microchipped or not, and your name and mobile number. You should distribute these posters to all vets in a 10km radius, plus put up some in your local area. You should put up posters in areas where you know people walk their dogs. Lost dogs (and even cats) are often found by other dogs, and their owners who are walking them.

4. Leave a bowl of fresh food and clean water outside for your pet when you would normally feed them. Cats especially don’t initially travel far when they get lost, and this food will help to attract them home. There is a good chance that the food will not be eaten on the first night or two. But it is important to keep changing it regardless, as your pet will become hungrier the longer they are out.

5. You should visit all your neighbours and let them know their pet is missing and leave your number with them. And ask if you can have a look in their garage, shed, under their house, etc. As your pet may be injured or sick and hiding very close by, and they will go to small, dark places when injured or ill and stay there either until they get better or die. So bring a torch with you for checking dark spaces.

6. Personally contact all local vets and let them know your pet is missing and provide a good description, and leave your name and number. If you have made posters, ask if you can email it to them for them to print and put up in their waiting room. If they don’t have email, ask if you can drop the poster to them. The first place people will take ‘found’ animals is to the nearest vet. But keep in mind that both cats and dogs can travel far quite quickly when they become lost.

7. You should personally visit local schools and let them know, and give them the colour poster you have already made. Lost dogs very often are found in schools, as they are more comfortable around children, there are safe, large grounds, and there are plenty of food scraps around.

8. Most importantly, don’t give up. It may take you many weeks of searching, but your pet is relying on you to keep looking for them and bring them home. Life on the street is very difficult and uncertain and the chances of survival in the long term are grim. Your pet has not ‘ceased to exist’ they are out there somewhere, and the longer you look the greater the chances are you will find them.

Tips to avoid having your pet lost and never found:

- Always ensure your pet has a collar with an ID tag that has your current phone number.

- Ensure your pet is microchipped and registered with your local council.

- Should you ever move house or change phone number, ensure that you contact your local council to update your contact details on the Companion Animals Register database against their microchip.

- Ensure your pet is desexed. Undesexed animals have a biological urge to roam in order to breed and are far more likely to become injured or lost than desexed animals.