Losing a pet is a nerve-wracking experience! The best way to find your pet, however, is to act quickly!
Tips For Finding A Lost Pet
- 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.
- 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.
- Search for your lost dog or cat on Petco Love Lost: We have partnered with Petco Love Lost to easily help search the national lost and found database and create a searchable/shareable alert for your missing pet. Upload a a picture of your pet or searching by location. Powered by facial recognition technology, Petco Love Lost helps match found animals to reported lost pets nationwide. Visit Petco Love Lost and search now!
- Contact VAO at 856-627-9111 and ask to make a lost pet report. You can also email your information to lost@vaonj.org (include a picture of your pet).
- Visit the shelter to look for your pet in person. More than a thousand animals pass through VAO’s doors each year, so it’s important to visit on a regular basis if your pet is missing. We’re open 12:00-7:00 Tuesday through Friday, and 12:00-5:00 on weekends.
- Call your local animal control officer. They’re a good source of information, and often the first place contacted by someone who’s found a pet. Some animal control officers pick up and house stray pets. If so, visit their facility to see if your pet is there.
- Call local animal shelters. Make sure to supply a phone number where you can be easily reached. This document lists shelters in Camden County and the townships they serve.
- Call your local police non-emergency number. Officers sometimes pick-up stray animals that are held at the station temporarily. Residents may bring a lost animal to the police station, as well.
- Post to lost & found animal pages on Facebook or Craigslist, and be sure to include a photo.
- Hang fliers with your pet’s picture around the area where it was last seen.
- Contact vets and animal hospitals in case your pet has been injured and brought in.
- Place a “lost pet” ad in your neighborhood newspaper.
What You Need To Reclaim Your Pet
If we have your pet at VAO we know you’ll be relieved – and anxious to take it home! To reclaim your pet bring as many of these items with you as you can:
- Current government issued identification with your name and address (driver’s license; state ID, etc)
- Current vaccination records
- Current license documents
- Pictures of your pet
- Proof of ownership (vaccination records, adoption papers, bill of sale, city license)
- Note: There is a $50 fee for reclaiming your pet. We accept cash or credit cards. An additional $4 will be charged for every night the pet is with us.
How To Keep Your Pet Safe
- Don’t leave your animal unattended for long periods of time. Many pets become lost because they’ve been outside in a yard or enclosure for an extended period, and escape from an unnoticed opening.
- Always be sure your animal is wearing an appropriate collar with an identification tag and your contact information. If you change your telephone number, make sure you get a new tag for your pet with the updated information!
- License your dog. Dogs wearing licenses are much more likely to be reunited with their families.
- Microchip your pet and make sure that your information is kept current. Most veterinarians and shelters can provide this service at low cost.
- Secure all outside enclosures where you keep your pet.
- Never walk your dog off leash.