What should you do if you lost your pet, or found one wandering around? These procedures could help increase the chances of getting reunited.
Submitted by PetFinderAdmin on 2010-10-30
If you have LOST a pet, or in search of the rightful owner for a pet you FOUND, please refer to the following guidelines:
1) Create A Lost / Found Pet Profile
- Sign up at PetFinder.my main site (not Forum)
- Ensure that your profile's City field is accurate (you can alter this at the Edit Profile page). Include the area / town as well in the field if applicable, i.e. "SS2, Petaling Jaya"
- Proceed to create a Pet Profile. Make sure you upload as many clear photos of the pet as possible.
- Specify the Pet's status as "Lost" or "Found".
- Enable the Visual Map feature so that your pet's last seen location is marked on our Map for increased exposure via our mobile network
- The Lost & Found pets will be prominently displayed within PetFinder.my's website and mobile network.
- Once a Lost pet has been recovered, you can update the pet's status to "Owner's Pet", or deactivate the Pet Profile of a Found pet that has been returned to its rightful owner
2) Finding A Pet's Rightful Owner
Below are some tips on locating the rightful owner of a pet that appears lost.
- Check the pet's collar to see if there are any identifying details, i.e. owner's contact number or address
- Try looking around the area, especially vets and pet shops to see if there are any posters of the owner seeking the pet
- Check if the pet has a microchip (usually placed beneath the skin in between the shoulder blades, the size of a rice grain). If there is, you can bring it to a vet to scan the microchip number, and check with MKA (http://www.dogsmalaysia.my/) and PetFinder.my's microchip database (http://www.petfinder.my/microchip.htm) to see if there are records of the owner
- If the pet has a license tag issued by local council, you can proceed to check the records at the council office
- Temporarily foster the pet at your house, then try to seek its owner via PetFinder.my and placing posters around the neighborhood
- DO NOT include any identifying items (i.e. collar, tag) or unique body markings in the published photos. This will allow you to question the people who called up, to cross examine if they are indeed the rightful owner. The real owner will be able to correctly provide these identifying details, including the name which the dog will respond to.
- If you feel that a person is the likely owner, you can schedule an appointment to further assess, and observe the pet's response when met with the claimed owner.
- You can also bring the pet on a leash back to the area where you located it and nearby spots i.e. parks, and see if it manages to locate its home.
- Should there be no response after a few weeks, you can choose to put it up for adoption and seek a new family.
3) Seeking Lost Pet: Look Around and Inform Your Neighbourhood
First, search your property thoroughly.
- Cats and small dogs can get into some mighty strange places.
- The point is, look in EVERY nook and cranny. Don't assume that your pet would never crawl into some tiny space.
- Look behind, under, and inside washing machines, clothes dryers, stoves, refrigerators, and dish washers. Look behind water heaters, in boxes, under furniture, under beds, in closets, in cabinets, in shelves and bookcases, in drain pipes, in sewer drains, in culvert pipes, under vehicles, in crawl spaces under the house, inside sheds and barns, etc. In the case of cats, also look in attic crawl spaces, on the roof, in roof gutters, and up in the trees.
Walk the neighborhood, talk to everybody, and leave your phone number
- Go to each house in the area where your pet was lost and talk to the residents. Write down a description of your lost pet and your phone number and leave it with them. Leave it attached to their door if they are not home.
- Talk to everybody you run across. This includes the postman, paperboy, children, parents waiting at the school bus stop, school crossing guards, neighborhood crime watch groups, garbage pick-up crews, etc. Give them a written description of your pet and your phone number as well.
- Try to get all the neighborhood children involved. Kids are great at finding lost pets!
- Ask everybody if they saw or heard anything unusual in the neighborhood and carefully write down everything they tell you. This could include strange vehicles, work crews, people, or activities. Get detailed descriptions of everything.
- Don't travel alone. Take a friend or family member with you.
- Don't write down your name or address. Because of scam artists and other criminals in our society, it is never a good idea to publicize this information.
- Offer a reward, but don't state the amount.
Make some noise while you walk around the neighborhood!
- Have all your family members call the pet's name.
- If your pet has a favorite "squeaky toy" bring it along and use it to help you make familiar noises.
- Carry a box of your pet's favorite biscuits, chews, or other treats and rattle it loudly while calling your pet's name.
- Make any other noise that your pet is familiar with.
- It's also important to stop regularly, be quiet, and listen for your pet to make a noise in reply.
Bring a powerful flashlight (even during daylight hours) for checking in dark spaces.
- A frightened or injured cat will hide in dark spaces and will not come to you. An injured dog will also hide in dark places.
- Use your flashlight for checking under houses and other dark spots. Also check storage sheds, garages, dumpsters, trash cans, and under cars. Don't forget to look in trees for a cat.
Place strong-scented articles outside your home to attract your pet.
- Animals find their way by scent as well as sound.
- Place some of your dirty clothes outdoors. Sweaty gym socks and jogging suits are great for this!
- Place a cat's litterbox, bedding, and favorite toys outside.
- Place a dogs bedding and favorite toys outside.
- Put out some smelly food such as tuna, sardines, or warm, freshly cooked chicken, liver, or other savory meat. Be sure to protect the food if you can, so that other animals don't eat it!
- If it's warm weather, crate other family pets and place them outside in a SAFE and SECURE area.
Call local veterinarian offices during the day, or veterinarian emergency clinics at night.
- Find out if your pet was injured and taken to any of these offices or clinics for treatment.
- If an office has taken in or treated any animal that even remotely resembles your pet, VISIT THE OFFICE IN PERSON. Your description of your pet and their description of the same pet rarely match. YOU MUST GO SEE FOR YOURSELF!
Find out if your pet has been killed on the road.
- This is a very sad but necessary task. Otherwise, you may never know what happened to your pet and it could haunt you for years.
- The road crews for your local and state department of transportation (DOT) usually pick up dead animals from the roadside and city streets. In some cases Animal Control does this as well. You have to call around and find out which agencies do this service in your area. Be sure to find them all!
- Dogs are usually picked up within 24 hours, but cats often are not.
- Call the city, county, and state road crews, DOT, and Animal Control EVERY DAY to see if they have found your pet's body.
- Make arrangements to visit their offices so you can speak with them face to face. Befriend them and leave a photo of your pet so the road crews can be on the lookout for it.
- If any of them do not cooperate with your efforts, contact City Hall as a last resort and complain. This usually gets a response. But remember, you will get better results with courteous personal visits.
- Sadly, this section has a higher "find" rate than anything else except posted flyers.
It is extremely important to post MANY flyers about your lost pet within a 1-mile radius of where it was lost.
- Overall, flyers or posters produce more "finds" than anything else. But don't neglect the rest of the tips!
- Your budget will determine how many flyers you can afford to post, but the more the better.
- DO NOT PUT YOUR NAME OR ADDRESS ON YOUR FLYER!
- If possible, it is best to place a color photo of your pet on each flyer.
- Use 8-1/2" X 11" fluorescent paper for high visibility.
- List the date and place your pet was lost, breed of dog or cat, sex, age, weight, color, markings, and your telephone number. Offer a reward, but don't state the amount.
- It is very important to always withhold several identifying marks and characteristics of your lost pet. You may need to use these later to verify that a person has actually found your pet and is not trying to scam you. More on this later.
- Post the flyers at waist level on telephone poles and at eye level in such places as veterinary offices, pet shops, barber & beauty shops, grocery stores, community bulletin boards, churches, pizza parlors, laundromats, convenience stores, near schools, and on school bulletin boards.
- Examine your posted flyers frequently and replace the ones that are missing or damaged.
Place an Ad in your local newspaper.
Some will do this for free. Be sure to advertise in the Sunday edition as well as during the week.
Check the newspaper "found" ads every day.
Most newspapers provide free ads to people who have found lost pets. Also check regularly in any other local publications.
DON'T EVER GIVE UP!
Pets have been known to find their way back home after being lost for several months. Good luck!
4) Contact Dog Pounds / Welfare Centres
If it is a dog, it might have been caught by your local Dog Catching Unit. You should try contacting the relevant authorities and dog pounds as soon as possible. Dogs caught might be put to sleep within a short period of time.
Below are contact information of various centres and dog pounds:
Dewan Bandaraya Kuala Lumpur
Jalan Raja Laut
50350 Kuala Lumpur
Main Line : 03-2617 9000
Pound Information : Animals caught in this vicinity are sent to the DBKL Dog Pound below:
Pusat Kurungan Haiwan Jabatan Kesihatan DBKL
Off Jalan Air Jerneh,
Kampung Air Kuning,
Air Panas, Setapak,
53300 Kuala Lumpur
Jabatan Kesihatan DBKL : 03-4021 1682
Opening Hours: Monday - Thursday (9am - 4pm), Friday (9am - 12:45pm, 3 - 4:3pm), Saturday (9am - 12pm)
Majlis Bandaraya Petaling Jaya
Jalan Yong Shook Lin
46675 Petaling Jaya
Selangor Darul Ehsan
Main Line : 03-7956 3544
Jabatan Kesihatan MBPJ : 03-7955 2381
(Petaling Jaya dogs are sent to PAWS Animal Welfare Society)
Majlis Perbandaran Klang
Bangunan Sultan Alam Shah
Jabatan Perbandaran
44675 Klang
Selangor Darul Ehsan
Main Line : 03-3371 6044
Pusat Kurungan Haiwan Klang
Lebuh Sultan Muhammad 1,
Kawasan Perindustrian, Bandar Sultan Sulaiman,
Pelabuhan Klang.
Tel: 03-3375 5555
Opening Hours: Monday - Thursday (8 - 12:45pm, 2 - 5pm); Friday (8 - 12:40pm, 3 - 5pm)
Majlis Perbandaran Ampang Jaya
Menara MPAJ, Jalan Pandan Utama
55100 Pandan Indah
Kuala Lumpur
Main Line : 03-4296 8000
Mr Yap : 016-3695232
Jabatan Kesihatan MP Ampang Jaya
Tel: 03-4296 8124
En. Sharizal: 017-3417281
Opening Hours: Monday - Thursday (8am - 12:45pm, 2pm - 5pm), Friday (8am - 12:45pm, 3pm - 5pm)
Majlis Perbandaran Subang Jaya
Persiaran Perpaduan, USJ 5
47610 Subang Jaya
Selangor Darul Ehsan
Main Line : 03-8026 3131
Pound Information : Animals caught in this vicinity are sent to Pusat Kurungan Haiwan Puchong.
Pusat Kurungan Haiwan Puchong
Taman Perindustrian Puchong Utama
Seksyen 1, Puchong
Tel: 03-80237595
En. Haisul: 019-2758624
Opening Hours: Monday - Thursday (9am - 12:45pm, 2pm - 5pm), Friday (9am - 12:45pm, 3pm - 5pm)
Majlis Perbandaran Selayang
Persiaran 3, Bandar Baru Selayang
68100 Batu Caves
Selangor Darul Ehsan
Main Line : 03-6120 4903
Jabatan Kesihatan MP Selayang
Tel: 03-6137 7071
Opening Hours: Monday - Thursday (8am - 12:45pm, 2pm - 5pm), Friday (8am - 12:45pm, 3pm - 5pm)
(Selayang Dog Pound is located at the address above)
Majlis Perbandaran Kajang
Jalan Semenyih
43000 Kajang
Selangor Darul Ehsan
Main Line : 03-8737 7899
En. Jaafar : 019-3643985
Jabatan Kesihatan MP Kajang : 03-87371789 / 03-8736 7746
(Strongly advised to call BEFORE NOON on the same day your dog is caught or missing)
Majlis Perbandaran Shah Alam
Wisma MBSA, Persiaran Perbandaran
4000 Shah Alam
Main Line : 03-5510 5133
Ms Zuhaila : 03-5510 5133 Ext. 496
Pusat Kurungan Haiwan Shah Alam
Unit store, Jalan 17/57,
40000 Shah Alam.
Opening Hours: Monday - Thursday (8am - 12:45pm, 2pm - 5pm), Friday (8am - 12:45pm, 3pm - 5pm)
PAWS Animal Welfare Society
Pilmoor Estate
Subang Airport Road
47200 Subang
Tel : 03-7846 1087
Fax: 03-7846 5934
Opening Hours: All Days Except Wednesday (9am - 4pm)
Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA Selangor)
Jalan Kerja Ayer Lama,
68000 Ampang Jaya
Selangor
Tel : 03-4256 5312 / 03-4253 5179 / 03-4252 8382
Fax: 03-4252 8382
Opening Hours: Monday - Sunday (9am - 4pm)
Welfare Centres & Dog Pound Information Reference: Save A Stray Information Brochure
What Do You Think Of This Article?
|
|
Member Login
