Rescue Rex

Lost your pet?
Found someone's pet?

Dogs can be quite adventurous and if given the chance to escape will go out and explore their local area (and beyond), but they really dont understand how panicked and stressed their owners can get or the dangers that their travels can get them into.

Having your pet identified with a microchip, with correct and up to date animal /owner data should provide you with some peace of mind, because it provides a permanent link to you as an owner, both now and in to the future, for the life of your pet.

It is essential for the lifetime of your pet that you continue to check that your pets microchip is still able to be found!  This can be done by a simply having your pet scanned when visiting the vets or popping into your local pound facility, to have them scan and check the details.

By following the steps below it will help increase your chances of your pet being returned to you and your family sooner.

Contact your local Council let them know that your pet is missing.  This also gives you a chance to check that the contact details are correct on the microchip so that you can be contacted as soon as the pet is found.  Have any relevant paperwork with you (eg microchip number) as well as a detailed description based on breed, colour, sex, where lost, and any other identification (such as tattoos etc.) that they have, including the day, date and time (if known) that your pet went missing.

If you dont know the microchip number or cant find the relevant papers, contact your veterinarian, council or animal welfare shelter who can scan your pet and supply you with the microchip number.

If you dont know what NSW council you're in or need to find your local council's details, click here.  It is also worth contacting neighbouring Councils in case your pet is found in another area. Click here to find more links to the NSW local government website to find council details.
 
Visit your local Council pound facilities, not just once, but regularly, as pets sometimes are presented days or weeks later. A large number of animals pass through pounds and shelters , and sometimes your description over the telephone, especially cross breeds, can be misinterpreted.  It can happen that someone who finds a pet may try and keep the dog themselves, only to take to a pound several days or weeks later.

Contact veterinarians in your local area and after hours emergency veterinarian centres to advise that the animal is missing.

Door knock or letter drop your local area. Cats especially can be locked in garages or under houses. Ask your neighbours to please check.

Place notices on the notice boards at the local shops advising that the animal is missing.  It is beneficial if you can include a recent photograph of the animal.  You may want to withhold some information so you can question a caller to confirm they have your dog.  Offer a reward, if you wish, but do not state how much the reward is

Contact the local media. Local newspapers can place an ad in the "Lost and Found" section of the newspaper. Radio stations may announce lost animals in the community announcement sections.

Some local Councils have websites that list local Lost and Found Pets in their area, many with the option of pictures

Check out websites devoted to reuniting pets and their owners by listing missing pets on line, for example http://www.petsearch.com.au/.

We wish you the best of luck in finding your pet.

If you have found a stray, it should be scanned for microchip to determine if it is has one.
This can be done at a vets, a pound/shelter or by an authorised implanter.

In NSW, it is against the law to keep a stray, and hopefully if it's owner is looking for them, they will know to look in the pound.  If you are worried that the owner wont find the animal within the time it is given, tell the rangers/pound staff that you wish to be notified in the event that it is not picked up or at risk of being put to sleep, so that you are able to help the animal further by adopting it and giving it a new home.

It is recommended that you either contact your local Council to arrange to have the pet collected, or drop off the animal at a local pound or vets. If the pet is injured, please take it immediately to a vet so that medical treatment can be addressed, and this should be done by contacting a Veterinary Clinic or Hospital in your area, and if out of hours, an Animal Emergency Centre.