Lost & Found

What to do if you have a lost dog

If you have lost a dog or other pet, take the following steps immediately:

Make Telephone calls:

• Call the Screven County Animal Control Officer (978-1491), FoSCA (564-0005) and humane societies in all neighboring counties. Lost dogs can travel up to 10 miles a day. You can also email us the information at Lisa.Guidos@friendsofscrevencountyanimals.org

• Call your neighbors and keep them on the lookout for your pet.

• Call all nearby vet clinics and animal hospitals.

• Call the vet that is listed on your dog's rabies tag.

Visit local shelters:

• Don't just call the nearby shelters, but visit them every day. Shelters are hectic places, and staff may not be able to search every kennel, or they may not recognize your pet from your description. At the shelters be sure to check any isolation kennels. Most shelters are forced to euthanise unclaimed pets every 3 days to make room for more strays.

Make sure you check the shelters in surrounding counties, too. Dogs can travel great distances. Also, sometimes folks will pick up an animal and take to a shelter in another county.

Advertise:

• Run a 'lost dog' ad in local newspapers.

• Check the 'found dog' ads in the local papers every day.

• Put up large flyers in your neighborhood and on all major roads in the greater vicinity giving a brief description of your pet and the date lost. Include a reward if you can.

• Visit http://www.findtoto.com/ to learn more about a missing pet recovery service.

Prevention

Here are ways to make sure your dog doesn't get lost:

Identification tags:

• Make sure your dog wears ID tags at all times.

• They should have current information and be easy to read.

Microchips:

• Microchips are about the size of a grain of rice and are implanted under the loose skin on your dog’s shoulder.

• These chips contain identification information that can be read by scanners that are found in animal shelters, vet offices, and rescue groups around the country. When the chip is implanted in your dog, you register the chips number/letter code and your contact information with the microchip company’s registry. The code number will then be recorded in a shared database that can be accessed by the organization using the scanner.

Prepare a LOST DOG kit:

• Include recent pictures of your dog (both paper photos and electronic photo files for Internet posting), ready-to-post LOST DOG flyers with your dog’s photo and an accurate written description of your dog, and a phone number where you can be reached at any time.  

Close off areas of possible escape:

• Check your home to ensure that there aren’t any open doors, windows, or gates that your dog could slip through.

• Check around your yard fences to make sure there aren’t any craters or tunnels under your fences that lead to the world outside. If your dog is small, remember that he may be able to squeeze through very tight places to make his escape.

Check your dog’s leash and collar:

• A loose collar, broken leash fastener, or threadbare leash could allow your dog to get loose when you’re out for a walk and he gives it a tug.

• Invest in a quality leash and collar—and make sure you use them properly.

Milly, a 15 month old female Yellow Lab has been missing since Wednesday.

She weighs about 80 pounds.

She is wearing a green and brown polka dotted color with tags with the cell phone number on it.

Last seen near Captola and Cameron Roads.