I lost my pet

Is Your Pet Lost?

A lost pet can be a frightening experience for any pet parent. Immediate action is crucial, but where do you start? Follow the steps below for the best chance of a reunion.

What to do immediately after your pet goes missing:

• Walk the neighborhood: Take a walk around the immediate area and speak to any neighbors, postal service workers, landscapers, or anyone who may have seen your lost pet. You know your pet best, so look in areas that your pet may have been interested in or comfortable hiding in. Most pets are found close to home. Create your own lost and found poster or use an online template to create a lost poster. 
• Share their scent: Put a couple of your pet's favorite items near the most common entry ways into your home. The front door and the door into your yard would be the best locations. You can include items like their favorite bed, blanket, toys, their litterbox (if cat) and any other items they use frequently. Their scents may help them find their way home.

Next Steps:

1. Search for your lost dog or cat on Petco Love Lost and Pawboost: We have partnered with Petco Love Lost and Pawboost to easily help search the national lost and found databases. Petco Love Lost  and Pawboost help match found animals to reported lost pets nationwide. Visit the GFAS Petco Love Lost or Pawboost site and search now!
2. Post your pet on Petco Love Lost and Pawboost: If you haven't done so already, be sure to register your pet on Petco Love Lost and Pawboost Lost Pets.  You can then create a Lost listing that can be shared on social media and print out premade fliers. You can also receive fliers via text message or email.
3. Use the sharing features on Petco Love Lost and Pawboost to distribute your lost pet listing:  Consider posting your lost flyer on Facebook such as the Great Falls Lost and Found Pets group and any other social media sites to which you subscribe.
4. Make sure your pet’s microchip information is up to date: If a finder takes your missing pet to be scanned for a microchip, you want to make sure that all the information is correct so that you will be contacted immediately.
5. Check the Great Falls Lost and Found Pets Facebook group: Many times the citizens of Great Falls will find an animal, post it on this group, and then care for it until the animal can be returned to the owner. They will also post animals that they have seen running loose in the city (but were not able to secure) along with the time and location they were sighted.
6. Check with your other local animal services: There are three animal service organizations in Great Falls that work with stray animals that you will want to check. Going in-person is best, as you know your animal best and they may not be able to distinguish between your animal and one that has similar attributes. The local animal service groups that intake stray animals are:

• The City of Great Falls Animal Shelter
  • (406) 454-2276
  • 1010 25^th Ave NE, Great Falls, MT
  • All stray animals posted on the GFAS Petco Love Lost and Pawboost site
• Maclean-Cameron Animal Adoption Center
  • (406) 727-7387
  • 900 25^th Ave NE, Great Falls, MT
  • All stray animals posted on their MCAAC Petco Love Lost site
• Pet Paw-see
  • (406) 231-1132

7.  Continue to spread the word about your missing pet: Make sure any posters or fliers made are large and bright with only relevant information on it. Place in high traffic areas and in the vicinity of where your lost pet went missing

8. Don’t give up! Finding a lost pet can take time. Remember to regularly check websites that you have posted your lost pet on and make updates as needed. New lost and found pets are added regularly to Petco Love Lost, Pawboost,  and to your local shelters.