Tips and Tools

We understand the panic you can feel when you discover your pet is lost.  Please review these tips to help you conduct the best search possible, and cover all your bases.  Above all, don’t give up hope! 

Remember that microchipping is an easy and inexpensive way to help boost the chances that you’ll find a lost pet. The GAHS offers microchips for only $20 for both cats and dogs! Please note the chips do not track animals’ location via GPS- but instead will be found when scanned by us, or an ACO , or vet clinic, and will provide us with your contact information as the owner. We also offer engraved tags at a low cost, for your pet’s collar.

Search Techniques: Read through these important search technique tips from our friends at Mission Reunite.  

Understand Missing Pet Behavior:  Not all pets react in the same way to becoming lost.  Check out these useful tips.

Cat Tip: Remember that indoor cats are likely to hide very close to where they escaped because they are terrified.  They will not come to you when you call and may not  even meow.   Crawl into crawl spaces, look under porches, ask neighbors to look in their sheds, or better yet let you look yourself, and scour under bushes and hedges.

Signage: You want your lost pet to really be noticed- and that means large, neon signage with clear, concise information- and good photos of your pet.  Be prepared by having some good photos available to create a poster if ever needed.   Write legibly and in a large size.  Try a moving sign on your car window using water-based chalk paint. 

Online Posting and Searching:  Check out NextDoor or Front Porch Forum or any other online neighborhood communities that may be active in your area.  Check on Craigslist and Facebook pages to post reports and search through found animals.  

https://www.facebook.com/MaineLostDogRecovery

https://www.facebook.com/MaineLostCatRecovery

https://www.facebook.com/LostPetsMaine/

Alert: Notify Animal Control and law enforcement for your community, all of the local shelters and rescues, as well as Facebook pages such as Maine Lost Dog Recovery and Maine Lost Cat Recovery.

You can also submit photos and profiles of lost and found pets to Petco Love Lost to utilize their facial recognition software!