Lost & Found Pets
How To Find a Lost Pet
Act quickley! Minnesota law requires animals only to be held for five days. Contact local animal shelters and animal control agencies. File a lost report with every shelter within a 60 mile radius of your home and visit the nearest shelters daily, if possible. If there is no shelter in your community, contact the local police department. Provide these agencies with an accurate description and a recent photograph of your pet. Notify the police if you believe your pet was stolen. Search the neighborhood, and walk or drive through your neighborhood several times each day. Ask neighbors, letter carriers, and delivery people if they have seen your pet. Hand out a recent photograph of your pet and information on how you can be reached if your pet is found. Advertise. Post signs at grocery stores, community centers, veterinary offices, traffic intersections, and other locations. Place advertisements in newspapers and with radio stations. Include your pet's sex, age, weight, breed, color, and any special markings. When describing your pet, leave out one identifying characteristic and ask the person who finds your pet to describe it. Be wary of pet recovery scams. When talking to a stranger who claimes to have found your pet, ask him to describe the pet thoroughly before you offer any of your information. If they do not include the identifying characteristic you left out of the advertisements, they may not really have your pet. Be particulary wary of people who insist that you give or wire them money for the return of your pet. Don't give up your search. Animals who have been lost for months have been reunited with their owners. A pet with identification on them has a better chance of being returned, so make sure your pet is always wearing a collar and ID tag. Ask your veterinarian about the possibility of getting your pet microchipped as a secondary method of identification. Websites such as www.petfinder.com are also good places to look when searching for your pet. If your animal has been taken to an impound facility, be sure to provide proof of ownership such as veterinary records, bill of sale, and/or photographs. Bring a leash, collar, or carrier. There will be a fee to get your animal back. The fee is based on the length of stay and any special medications or treatments the animal may have had.What To Do When You Find a Stray Animal
Be ready to rescue. Think about your safety first, then consider the safety of the animal and don't assume you are dealing with an irresponsible owner. If possible, restrain the animal. Use caution when approaching an unknown animal. When approaching the animal, speak calmly to reassure him. Try to lure the animal into your car or a confined space with food, then close the area and contact the local police or Animal Control. If you're not able to safely restrain the animal, still call the police or Animal Control. If you are able to transport the animal and it was found in an area without Animal Control, contact the local shelter before bringing the animal. Understand the limitations of animal care and control agencies. Before you take an injured animal to a private veterinary hospital for treatment, be willing to assume financial responsibility for the animal before treatment begins.