According to the American Humane Association, only about 17% of lost dogs and 2% of cats ever find their way back from shelters to their original owners. Close to 9.6 million pets are euthanized every year because their owners can't be found.

If you have a RORR adopted dog or foster dog, please contact our lead liason for lost dogs Zita Macinanti  macinanti@gmail.com

Laura Totis has a great track record for finding lost pets. She has information to help you too... the quicker the better.

Email: lauratotis@gmail.com

Website: http://www.ljtpettracking.com/

Phone: 410-236-2788

Another tracker who has assisted RORR is Jordina Ghiggeri.  Her contact info follows:

Lost Pet Professionals: http://www.lostpetprofessionals.com/
Jordina Ghiggeri
jordinathorp@yahoo.com
(781) 264-5243

Other good resources: http://www.PetAmberAlert.com

Or try Dogs Finding Dogs, a nonprofit organization of highly trained handlers and dogs that can track and find a lost pet. Click here to find them on Facebook.

As a precaution for dogs that are known to run or have a history of running, we highly recommend a GPS device such as: http://www.pettracker.com/.

Tips on Locating Lost Pets
By Donna Velardi
Website: http://www.zodiapet.com

When our pet goes missing or lost, we panic. We feel dread and imagine every worst case scenario that could have happened or is going to happen. If we take the following steps, our rate of success in locating our pet will dramatically increase.

• We need to keep an open and clear mind. - This will keep you thinking straight and clearly. - Don't Panic! - If your pet is missing, (when missing, your pet knows where they are and how to get home) as opposed to lost (lost is when they don't know where they are or are unable to come home), if you call them in a panicked voice they may not respond to you as this is not the "voice" they are used to. So, try to remain calm and call your pet in a "normal" calm voice.

• Start your search immediately - don't wait. The sooner you start your search the more successful you will be in locating your pet quickly.

• Search your home immediately (especially for cats). - Look under and behind items such as washing machines, reclining chairs, sofas and behind the fabric of all the furniture. Also, check drop down ceilings and other small places that make great hiding places for small pets.

• Walk your neighborhood - leave flyers with your pet's photo and pertinent information. Leave flyers in all mail boxes. Post flyers on trees, polls, etc., and put them in a plastic covering as to protect them from the weather elements. Also, place in grocery stores and offices. Leave flyers within at least a 1 mile radius of your where your pet went missing.

• Talk to as many people as possible. - Actual contact with people is best as people respond and will be more helpful when they have personal contact.

• When searching, bring a powerful flashlight with you so you can look in dark places.

• Call all local animal shelters and visit them to see if your pet was brought there. It has been the experience of some that when a phone call is made accurate information is not always given, that is why a personal visit is better.

• Place an ad in all local newspapers. - Get the information out to as many people as possible.

• Don't be afraid to consult with an animal communicator. They sometimes can give some detail as to the location of your pet. Please inquire about fees and don't be taken advantage of. The cost should not be that much more than their normal hourly fee and should include follow up calls from you.

• Keep the faith. If you don't find your pet within a week or two, do not give up. Sometimes it can take weeks or even months to be reunited with your pet. Did you ever wonder where all those pets in shelters came from? Some are lost pets whose caregivers gave up on them.

• Follow your intuition - if you are connected and bonded with your pet, follow what you feel. You will be amazed at what you find.

• Don't be taken advantage of by scam artists - There are people out there who prey on vulnerable people. They charge large amounts of money to tell you what to put on a flyer and where you should post them. If you chose to contact a pet detective or an animal communicator, they should be reputable people, ask what their success rate is and ask for references. Also, their fee should be reasonable.

What you should include in your flyer:

• Recent photo of your pet
• Pet's name
• Your first name and phone number (a cell phone is best as it protects your privacy and you can always carry it with you)
• Description of your pet and any unusual markings

Locating a Lost Pet

Losing a beloved pet - even for a few hours - is a very distressing experience for pet and owner alike but research shows that reuniting with your pet is much more successful if it can be easily identified.  The following steps will help in this process.

First, make sure your pet is wearing an identification tag with your phone number and their name on it.  Also, ask your vet to microchip your pet, if it hasn't been done prior to you acquiring the pet. This will identify it for life and details are recorded on a database that will be used to reunite pet and owner in the event that your pet gets lost.  Remember to update your details if you change address. Identification tags and micro-chipping may be a requirement in your area. Finally, photograph your pet regularly in case you need to use the photo on a "missing" flyer later on.

If your pet does go missing, don't panic! Look in and around your house first, checking all nooks and crannies including washing machines, clothes dryers and drains.  Your dog might have accidently been locked in a room and cats are known for finding excellent hiding holes and ignoring calls.

Dogs and cats rely on their sense of smell to locate their home so place some of your unwashed clothes, your pet's litter box or favourite toys outside your door to help guide them home.

Door knocking in your local area can also help. While walking the streets, carry your pet's favourite biscuits in a tin that you can rattle while calling their name. Also carry a torch to check dark spaces. A frightened or injured animal will hide and not necessarily come when called.

Phone your local council, animal shelters and vet clinics to leave information about your pet and your contact details, and then distribute flyers with the latest photo and description of your pet in the local area. Remember to withhold several identifying marks of your lost pet in case you need to verify that a person has actually found your pet later on.

Dogs can walk a long way from home so place advertisements in the "Lost and Found" section of your newspaper. There are also sites on the internet that allow you to post a description and photo of your lost pet for free.

Last but not least, visit all the animal welfare shelters and council pounds in surrounding areas every few days. Remember that your description of your pet may not be the same as how the shelter is describing it. State laws vary as to how long an animal has to be kept before it can be rehoused or euthanased.

What Happens If My Dog Gets Picked Up As A Stray?
By Heidi Meinzer

Website: http://petlawblog.wordpress.com/

You let Fido out in your fenced-in back yard while you go grocery shopping one day. Little do you know, the gate latch is coming undone, and a gust of wind blows the gate open. Fido gets out and has a fun romp through the neighborhood. A friendly animal control officer captures Fido, fortunately without incident. The officer leaves you a voicemail message that Fido is fine, but that she's taking him to the pound because Fido is not licensed and registered.

You don't understand why Fido had to go to the pound. He was wearing his tags with your contact information and proof of his rabies vaccination. On the way to the pound, you ask yourself whether the animal control officer had the right to impound Fido.

In fact, the animal control officer had no choice but to impound Fido. Of course you can reclaim Fido, but the pound can and will require you to license and register your dog and pay any connected license and impoundment fees before you can take Fido home.

Virginia Code Section 3.2-6562 requires officers to capture and confine "any companion animal of unknown ownership running at large on which the license fee has not been paid." The pound must comply with the holding period required by Section 3.2-6546. That holding period requires the pound to hold an animal for five days while it attempts to locate the owner.  If the pound can ascertain who the rightful owner is, it must hold the animal an additional five days to give the owner time to claim the animal. The law gives the pound the right to require the owner to pay the license fee and all impoundment costs before returning the animal to its owner.

If the rightful owner doesn't step up, the animal is deemed "abandoned" and becomes the property of the pound. The pound may arrange for adoption or release to a rescue or shelter, or may euthanize if it follows specific procedures in the statutes. The law also gives the animal control officer the ability to euthanize if the animal is injured, disabled or diseased "past recovery" or to the point that a reasonable owner would euthanize.

If your dog is picked up as a stray, there are several things you can do to get your dog back as safely and quickly as possible:

NEVER LEAVE YOUR DOG OUTSIDE UNATTENDED! Even if you have a fully fenced yard, you should let your dogs out only when you are home and able to supervise them.

Make an identification tag for your dog, and keep all contact information on the tag current.

Keep your dog’s rabies vaccination up to date.  Make sure you have a tag and several copies of a certificate indicating accurate information for your dog's most recent rabies vaccination.

Register your dog in the locality in which you live. Keep your dog's license and corresponding tags up to date, and keep several copies of a certificate showing that your dog is properly licensed and registered.

Securely fasten the identification, rabies, and license and registration tags to your dog's collar. Make sure your dog is wearing her collar and tags any time you go out with her.

Don't count on tags alone. Have your dog microchipped, and have several backup contacts linked to the microchip, including your dog's veterinarian information and other emergency contacts. Get a tag that says your dog is microchipped, along with the contact information of the microchip company, just in case the microchip malfunctions.

If your dog has any special medical needs or allergies, make sure to have a very visible separate tag to alert people to these needs. Include this information on the microchip and in your dog’s registration.

Don't hesitate to create other tags and add other microchip information if appropriate. For instance, good rescues (like A Forever Home where I got Sophie) will give you a tag to put on your rescue's collar, will ask you to include them in the information you provide to the microchip company, and won't hesitate to step in and claim your dog if you are unable to do so for some reason.

To post pictures of lost animals to the general public, please see this link:

http://www.wbaltv.com/pets/25476447/detail.html