If your pet is microchipped, contact the microchip company to notify them that your pet is missing and to verify that your contact information is up-to-date. If your pet is found but the chip information is not current, the pet may be impounded instead of reunited with you.

Contact local veterinary offices in case your pet was found injured and brought to a vet.

Search your neighborhood thoroughly. Don’t immediately assume that your pet has traveled far.

• Ask neighbors, mail carriers, bus drivers, and delivery drivers to keep a watchful eye.

• Question people likely to spend time outdoors in your neighborhood, including children, walkers, joggers, and bike riders. Be sure to ask other pet-owners, especially those that walk the neighborhood, as your pet may approach their pets.

• Search underneath nearby porches, shrubbery, and other places an animal might hide or become trapped.

• Leave fresh food and water outside on a porch or in a sheltered area close to your home. Also set up a large cardboard box or pet carrier lined with an old towel or other items that smell familiar to your pet. If your pet should return while you are asleep or away from home, food and shelter may save its life. This is also an incentive for it to stay close by. Check the box and food supply regularly during quiet evening and early morning hours.

• The best time to look for a lost cat is in the dark - between dusk and dawn - when streets are quiet. A lost and hiding cat will come out in the dark to look for food. Take a flashlight with you and search under parked cars, in yards, and under bushes.

Come to the shelter to view the stray animals. You are the only person that can positively identify your animal. You may want to visit the shelter every second or third day to search for your pet. We are required by local ordinance to only hold strays for a minimum of 5 days before offering them to the public for adoption. Please do not rely on TTCHS staff to recognize your pet for you. Unfortunately, we cannot be held responsible for identifying your pet and contacting you based on information you provide.

Report and check local “lost and found” social media pages.

Post “LOST” signs in your neighborhood and get permission to post flyers at local veterinary practices, groomers, pet supply stores, and supermarkets. Make them clear and legible, and include the words “LOST DOG” or “LOST CAT” in large letters along with “REWARD” if you’re offering one. Use a recent and clear photo of your pet. Be on the lookout for “FOUND” signs and flyers as well.

Place an ad in the local newspaper such as the Thomasville Times.

Be careful. Unfortunately some people will try to take advantage of your emotions. If someone claims to have found your pet, ask them to describe her to you first. Watch out for “red flags”, like requests to wire money or to meet in strange places and/or at unusual hours. If your instincts sense potential trouble, ask to meet in a public place to reclaim your pet and do not go alone.

Remember that your pet needs you. Don’t give up if you don’t find him or her right away. Pets have been reunited with their families after being lost for weeks, months, and sometimes even years.