Social media will generate sightings which will be the key to narrowing down where they have gone. Make lost posts on the sites below. Ask the public not to chase and to only report sightings. It is very important that there is no chasing as that may run them out of the area. If there are sightings reported, do not share the exact location with the public as good samaritans will sometimes try to “help” by going there to find them which may scare them even further away. Unfortunately, dogs that have been out for a short period of time can revert to survival mode and instinctively run from most people, even family
- https://www.indylostpetalert.com/make-a-report/
- https://www.pawboost.com/
- https://nextdoor.com/city/indianapolis–in/
- Indy Pets: Lost & Found
- Post on Nextdoor App and ask neighbors to review camera footage for any sightings so their travels can be tracked.
- Post on FB pages (personal, family and friends).
- Post on local lost/found and buying/selling online pet groups (FB and other).
- Post on Craigslist.
For all of the above, re-share or “boost” the posts every couple of days to make sure they do not get buried under other posts. Indy Lost Pet Alert and Pawboost will also re-post if you ask them to. Also, review the “found” sections on these sites in case someone has already posted an alert.
Outside of social media, the most important tool for recovery is signs and flyers.
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- Place a lost dog sign in yards, hang flyers in neighborhoods and at nearby intersections and pass out to neighbors and other citizens. To start, post within a 2 mile radius of where they went missing. Then, increase the radius by 2 miles every additional day they are gone. We recommend that flyers are kept basic, like the example shown. Indy Lost Pet Alert provides a flyer when a lost report is filed. Signs and flyers need to be done as soon as possible near where they went missing.
- If sightings come in from other locations, signs and flyers also need to be put up around those areas.
Notify and check animal shelters.
Some shelters post their animals online (petharbor.com) but it’s always best to physically visit them in person every couple of days. Indianapolis Animal Care Services on Harding St holds strays for 4 days before they can be put up for adoption. Other shelters may have different stray hold timing.
Make a lost dog report with the shelters, rescues, veterinarians and animal controls in town and surrounding areas within a 20 mile radius.
Put out food, water and the dog’s bed or an article of clothing at the location where the dog was last seen.
If the dog is microchipped, update the contact information with the chip company and submit a lost report as soon as possible. You can contact the facility that chipped the dog for the number/chip company information or use http://www.petmicrochiplookup.org.
Some common microchip companies are…
24PetWatch – 1-866-597-2424 – www.24petwatch.com
AKC – 1-800-252-7894 – www.akccar.com
AVID – 1-800-336-2843 – www.avidid.com
Home Again – 1-888-466-3242 – www.homeagain.com
Search the neighborhood – walking and driving. If the dog does not willingly come when called out to, do not continue to call or chase them. This may frighten the dog and could prolong your search by scaring them further away. Even owned dogs can go into survival mode and will not come to owners. If you are in close proximity to the dog and they do not run but do not willingly approach you then you should sit or lie down, make no eye contact and gently toss out treats to lure the dog in (hotdogs and cheeseburgers are usually a hit).
DO NOT offer a reward. Rewards encourage people to chase the dog.
Peaceful Souls can engage to assist with recovery via humane trapping once the dog is consistently sighted in the same area/returning to a feeding station where they feel safe. Peaceful Souls does not have the manpower to do any type of tracking so we rely on owners to follow the recommendations outlined above to narrow down the recovery area.
As noted above, to generate sightings, the most important things to do are posting on social media and getting physical signs posted and flyers passed out. If sightings occur outside of the sign/flyer area then new signs will need to be posted and more flyers passed out in the new area. The goal is to virtually track the dog by relying on generated sightings. It is also critical that the dog is not chased/pursued by anyone, including the owner, as it will just push them further out of the area. The text “Do not chase or call out to. Report sightings only.” needs to be on all social media posts and signs/flyers. In order to be trapped, the dog must feel safe returning to the same place consistently.
If there have been consistent sightings in the same area, please contact us using one of the options in the Contact Us section and we can discuss the situation.
