Step 1: Call your local police department’s non-emergency number. Ask if anyone has reported finding an animal matching your pet’s description.

Step 2: Contact animal shelters in your area. (Our number is 262-677-4388). Ask if anyone has reported finding (or has brought to the shelter) a stray matching your pet’s description.

Step 3: Validate the chip. If your pet is microchipped, call the chip company to make sure your contact information on file is correct in case someone finds your pet and takes it in for chip reading.

Step 4: Get the word out digitally. Write up an online post and get it out there ASAP. Be sure to include a clear photo of your pet, a description of where he/she was last seen, whether he/she is microchipped and wearing a collar, and your name and contact information. Start by uploading the post to online sites such as: 

• Your personal Facebook and Instagram pages
• Your local “Nextdoor” website
• Lost Dogs of Wisconsin (on Facebook)
• Lost Cats of Wisconsin (on Facebook)
• Pet FBI (where you can fill out a basic lost/found report online)

Step 5: Get the word out the old fashioned way. Prepare a paper flyer based on the information in your online post and hang up copies around your neighborhood. Often, well-meaning people assume stray animals have been abandoned and will take them home.

Step 6: Follow up with your local shelters. Once you’ve gotten the word out about your missing pet, circle back to your local humane societies and fill out a formal “missing animal” report. You can find ours below. By submitting this report, we’ll have information about your lost pet on file and will contact you if the pet is brought to us.