First of all, make sure your pet is actually missing! Many a pet parent has panicked when their pet "disappeared" from their home or fenced-in yard, when in fact the pet just found a good hiding spot. So first, make sure they're actually lost. If they are, start by looking for them in the area they were lost. While looking, call friends out to help search. Friends are also great to help with many of the following steps. 

Call your microchip company. Let them know that your pet is lost and check with them to be sure that your contact information on file is current. If someone scans your pet, they will let your microchip company know and they can contact you. Many microchip companies also blast out lost pet flyers to shelters, vet offices, and on social media. 

Check online to see if the pet has been found by someone. Post your pet if not!

• PawBoost.com. This widely-used site is a great resource for lost & found pets. Check to see if someone has found your pet. 

• 24Petconnect. Much like PawBoost, this is a great site and the go-to for local animal care. 

• Your neighborhood NextDoor. 

• Facebook groups like Lost Dogs & Cats of Broward County, Lost Dogs of Broward & Dade County. There are lots of smaller lost & found groups, including ones for specific cities you can search for. ​

List your pet as lost on social media. 

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Include: 

1. A clear photo of your pet

2. When & where your pet went missing

3. Your contact information. Preferably, include two contact numbers in case you are not available when someone reaches out.

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Sites to post on:

• PawBoost.com. You can create a listing, which will be blasted to social media and PawBoost's users. You can also use the site to print off LOST flyers to post in your neighboorhood. 

• Your neighborhood Nextdoor.

• Your personal Facebook as a public post so your friends can share to other people & groups.

• Facebook groups like Lost Dogs & Cats of Broward County, Lost Dogs of Broward & Dade County. There are lots of smaller lost & found groups, including ones for specific cities you can search for. 

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• Get flyers up just as soon as you can! You may even enlist the help of a friend to make and print flyers while you are still out looking for your pet. The more flyers you have posted = the more eyes that are looking out for your pet!

• You can create your own flyer, or use the feature on PawBoost.com to make it easy.

• Go door-to-door in the area and leave a flyer at every single house. Yes, this can get expensive — that’s a lot of color copies! — but it’s your most effective bet. Even if people see the signs you hang, chances of them remembering your number or running back to the sign if your cat or dog crosses their path could be slim. But, if they have your information and the cat’s picture right in their home, they’re much more likely to make that call quickly and as soon as they see your lost pet! Also, no need to worry about weather ruining these.

• Make sure you post flyers on all commonly-used roads to enter and exit your neighborhood. 

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Tips for effective flyers:

• Print in color if possible. A black & white flyer is better than no flyer, but a color flyer will help to attract attention and help people to recognize your pet. 

• If designing a flyer yourself, make sure you keep it simple. Think: as few words as possible in a BIG FONT. Choose bright colors like red and yellow for the background to help the flyer stand out. 

• If you can, laminate your flyers. Then you won't have to replace them if it rains a few hours after you put them up.

• Add two contact numbers in case you are not available when someone calls. You can also create a Google Voice number to use and have it forward to your phone and your backup contact.

• Add a QR code. You scan one with an iPhone app and it pulls up a URL you’ve set it to. You can have the QR code direct to a public Facebook post about your lost pet or a website you've created about your lost pet. Make sure your contact information is on whatever you direct the URL to so people don't have to try to remember your phone number. 

• Make sure you post flyers on all commonly-used roads to enter and exit your neighborhood. 

• If your pet is skittish, add a "DO NOT APPROACH" note on the flyer, asking people just to call you with any sightings. 

Lots of lost pets are found right away. If yours is still missing after a day or so, you can take the following steps to step up and continue your search. 

• Create a website for your lost pet and include it on your signs.

  • Make a free, simple site with Wix.com or Blogger.com.

  • Buy a short and easy-to-remember domain from godaddy.com or a similar site, something like findBubbles.com (if your pet's name is Bubbles) and forward the domain to your site.  

  • Keep it updated with important details: your contact info, additional pictures of your pet, a downloadable (and printable!) version of you sign, where your pet was last spotted, and any other information about her that might help.

• Refresh the signs after a few days. Like anything else, people just don’t see things after they’ve been there for a while. After a few days of driving past your signs, they don’t stand out anymore or they might think your cat is already found and stop looking. You can even buy some bright neon labels and printout out “STILL MISSING Sat., 9/24” on them and stick one on every sign that had been up for a few days. All of the sudden, your signs stand out again and people will read them all over and stay alert for kitty. Also, they provide a date, so no one thinks you just forgot to take the sign down and removes it themselves; they’ll know it’s current.