DOOR TO DOOR
✔︎ Pets are often recovered surprisingly close to home, by individuals who may be known or acquaintances.
✔︎ Gives you a chance to spread the word in person, and increases the amount of people in your immediate area aware of your pets status.
✔︎ You may encounter a person who found your pet and thinks they “rescued” them. Animals are often recovered months or longer after someone within a short distance "rescued" them and hadn't taken the measures to verify if the animal was micro-chipped or reported lost.
#2 Use Social Media and the Internet
POST
✔︎ Get word out fast by posting on Facebook, NextDoor, Instagram, and/or Twitter. Ask others to SHARE your post, so you will reach more people in a short period of time. This works faster than just about any other tool at your disposal.
✔︎ Posting to social media and the internet are great ways to gather and spread information quickly, and reach far, to a large group of people. Many people will go surprising lengths to help a pet get back where they belong.
DIGITAL SEARCH
✔︎ Pets are often stolen for profit and are sold quickly online or on "back pages,” like Craigslist, Facebook Marketplace, Reddit, OfferUp, and other platforms. Search on your own and ask everyone you know and communicate with on social media to do the same. Having as many people as possible searching online is a huge advantage over trying to do it all yourself.
AGAIN, OFFER A REWARD
✔︎ If you can offer a reward, do so. Be vague in the amount of the reward, as a large dollar amount can often be a negative as it is seen by some as a trap or "too good to be true". Individuals will attempt to collect the reward even though they do not have your pet.
✔︎ Write out on posters and flyers, "REWARD FOR INFORMATION LEADING TO RETURN.”
#3 Use Good Discretion
MEET IN PUBLIC, SAFE PLACES
✔︎ DO NOT meet individuals claiming to have your pet in any location that is not public and secure. People will come forward asking for "a sign of good faith" claiming to have spent time, or money already in their efforts to get your pet to you, these individuals DO NOT have your pet.
✔︎ Unfortunately you likely may come across people claiming to have your pet, who do not. They know how emotional and desperate you are, and are looking to take advantage of you.
RECOVERY SERVICES WHO OFFER HELP
✔︎ There are many people who will offer assistance, both voluntary or for a fee, but be careful of grand claims or promises.
✔︎ Sites such as Pawboost, Rover, and more, are reasonably priced and often great ways to increase your range, and thereby the likelihood of recovery.
✔︎ Whether it is a “professional recovery expert” or an app or website, do your homework and use caution when asked for money/payment upfront with no clear indication of what is being promised and offered.
REQUIRE A PHOTO TO VALIDATE RECOVERY
✔︎ Anyone claiming to have your pet should be able to provide a picture of your pet (over text, email, or a video chat), and be willing to meet in a safe space.
#3 Understand How Law Enforcement Works
DON’T EXPECT MUCH
✔︎ The lack of resources law enforcement has regarding pet recovery are currently very disappointing- so don’t expect much or anything from them in this situation involving your pet.
✔︎ It isn't that they don't care, they just don't have the jurisdiction and/or resources to spend on pet theft cases, as they are not prosecuted.
✔︎ Animal theft is not a felony in most cases, and even when the pet’s value makes it a felony, they are often seen as civil cases that need to be resolved by the courts and not the police/criminal courts.
#4 Understand How Microchips Work- many owners don’t.
THE PROCESS OF RECOVERY VIA MICROCHIP
✔︎ Implanted Microchips do not allow for tracking your pet, as many owners assume. An implanted chip simply stores information, usually in the form of a serial number.
✔︎ If someone has recovered the pet, the scanning vet must find the serial number, and then search in a database online to find the Microchip’s provider/manufacturer and their business contact information.
✔︎ Then, they need to reach out to that provider/manufacturer to determine the registered owner of the animal.
✔︎ Assuming all of these steps are done properly and in a timely manner, AND the original pet owner actually registered the Microchip, has kept the information current and has paid any required fees, ONLY THEN will an owner be notified of their pets status and location, leading to recovery.
✔︎ There are several major providers and each varies in their process and degree of effectiveness in recovering lost or stolen pets.
✔︎ Microchips are great, and have led to many happy reunions, but there are so many steps that must happen, and often go wrong or don't even transpire for a successful recovery.
MORE PROBLEMS WITH MICROCHIPS
There are two more main problems:
✔︎ ONE: liability to veterinary professionals and human error. Currently, with animals being labeled legally as property, the vet can be liable if questions about ownership come up. Many vets don't want to be in the middle, regardless of how much they love animals.
✔︎ TWO: Many vets have limited resources, short staff and/or little to no process in place to scan every pet that comes in, which contributes to the difficulty in taking the necessary steps to verify a new pet’s status and track or report suspicious cases on a daily basis.
GPS DEVICES
✔︎ While there are currently several excellent GPS/tracking devices available, they are flawed- once removed, these devices are useless.
✔︎ In the case of a stolen pet, anything the pet is wearing will likely be discarded- a GPS device, collar, harness, and/or clothing, as these elements are easily identifiable if the thief is stopped or confronted in the attempt to steal your pet.
✔︎ Any device used for the purpose of finding or tracking a lost or stolen animal needs to be able to be SAFELY secured to the animal and not easily removed without the right tools or knowledge.
✔︎ GPS devices are great for providing lifestyle or activity data about your pet to you, but are not a defense against an intentional theft, as they will be removed almost immediately unless they are designed to be tamper/theft resistant. Additionally, such a device should have a means of notifying you in the event of your pet’s removal from a trusted space, or even attempted removal of the device from you pet.
