If you lose your fur-baby or find a stray pet, the information below will help you!

If you find a stray pet, contact Delaware Animal Control at: (302)-255-4646 or you can send an email to delawareanimalservices@state.de.us for non-emergency situations.

If you lose your pet, the following information is extremely helpful, that is provided by LostPetPR.

https://www.facebook.com/LostPetPR/

http://lostpetpr.blogspot.com/

1) Act quickly. Most pets posted to our page are located within 24 hours. After 24-48 hours the chances for a successful recovery begin to decrease. DO NOT DELAY.

2) File a missing pet report. Contact animal control and follow the steps either online or by phone to get your lost animal into their database. See our Facebook page for local listings of facilities and offices. If you are in DE you can file a report with the state-wide directory athttps://animalservices.delaware.gov.

3). Place scent items outside. These are articles of clothing or the pet's bedding that you would leave in the area where the pet was last seen. This gives them something familiar to return to and if you do this right away while they are still in the area they may be able to return home quickly.

4) Make a flyer. It's useful to make two sizes, a full page and also four-per-page mini flyers. They should include all of the following information: 

  • location (city/state/neighborhood)
  • picture
  • brief description of the animal
  • the date it was lost
  • your phone number

5) "Walk and Talk". Go through the nearby streets and fan out through the community to hand out flyers and speak with neighbors. There is NO SUBSTITUTE for "feet on the ground" so get off the computer and out of the car to interact with people. Use mini flyers (4-per-page size) to give to everyone you see while posting the larger ones throughout the neighborhood.

6) Tag your vehicles. Lettering your windows with glass markers turns cars into mobile billboards and is a great way to notify the neighborhood while out searching or driving.http://www.missingpetpartnership.org/recovery-tagging.php

7) Ask for help. There is strength in numbers so don't waste time gathering your friends and family to help make flyers, phone calls, walk the area, etc. You will need assistance to act efficiently to accomplish all these things.

8) Order a findtoto.com alert. This is a robo-call which notifies nearby homes and residents in your area. It's a terrific way to get the word out and notify the community quickly. Go online, enter your address and it will walk you through the steps of mapping out your location and nearby streets where the alert should be targeted to.

9) Put out a "Lost Dog" sign. This should be in front of your house so if someone comes across a loose animal they know who to contact.

10) Raise awareness. Start a Facebook page for your search efforts. Change your profile picture/cover photo on Facebook and other social sites to your pet's flyer.

11) Diversify. Your goal is to "reach as many people as possible, across multiple channels, through a variety of networks". Not everyone is on Facebook so your approach must be multi-layered and should include saturating the area by:

  • posting lots of flyers within a 5-mile radius
  • notifying/giving flyers to local vets, groomers, pet supply stores, nearby businesses, etc.
  • putting an ad on Craigslist and other similar sites
  • remember that you will need to post and monitor both the "pet" and "lost and found" categories
  • designate someone to pass on the flyer to Facebook pages of shelters, community sites, area businesses
  • connect with your neighborhood through an email blast or online bulletin board

12) Be accessible. Make sure everyone can see the photos and posts about your lost pet. People can't share if you have your Facebook posts set to "friends only" or if there is no contact information. 

13) Stay active. Monitor the sites where you've posted your missing pet to be able to answer questions and view comments, leads or reports of sightings.