Best Actions To Take When You've Lost A Pet

Losing a pet can be an emotional and devastating experience. With all the care, love, and attention they get, a dog or a cat is a big part of the family. For those living by themselves, a pet can be a great companion and man's "best friend". If you ever lose a pet, there are a number of things that should you keep in mind when trying to find it.

Rick Duddie, an officer with unit recommends the following actions to take when you lose a pet.

• Call Animal Control. Notify animal control immediately when you think your pet is lost. The unit will record the pertinent information concerning your pet and then do a lot of the leg work, so you don't have to. "We work in conjuction with and a few other shelters in the area," said Duddie. "We check with other animal control units in neighboring towns and we send out a crew to look in areas where a person's pet might be missing."
• Post Information. Duddie says it's a good idea to post information in areas where the pet went missing, but warns not to give too many details when you post something about the missing dog. "Don't put your address on the pamphlet or brochure. There are some thieves who will see a posting that a dog is missing and then they'll know they won't have to worry about dealing with a dog." In addition, Duddie recommends that pet owners NOT put a dollar figure in the posting. "In a bad economy, people will do anything to make a buck, including stealing someone else's dog or cat and try to pass it off as the missing dog or cat. They might steal it from someone else and then you have two missing pets." Duddie also advises to include only a cell phone number and not a home number on the posting.
• Extend Search Area. Call other shelters or animal control units in neighboring towns to see if they found your lost pet. Duddie says that people may pick up a dog in your town and then after driving for awhile, decide they don't want it. It happens. Don't limit your search.

Duddie, who has been with Animal Control unit for more than 15 years, works with Robert Sirico tirelessly to find missing pets throughout the city. He recommends that all dogs gets licensed and is a big believer is micro-chips, "99 percent of pets who have micro-chips implanted by vets, always get returned after they are lost. We scan it and it will show the important information on the pet and the phone number and address of the owner."

After recovering or finding a pet, the animal shelter will hold them for up to eight days before putting them up for adoption. Duddie says pet owners should call animal control as often as they like to get updates on their lost pets.

If you have any questions or want to report a lost pet, call the Norwalk Animal Control unit at 203-854-3240