Humane Association of the Lowcountry (HAL)

Missing Pets

grey cat for adoption

1. Start your foot search immediately! As soon as you discover your pet is missing, take steps to recover it. Do not just wait for the animal to find its way home. We cannot emphasize too strongly that time is critical.

lost cat poster

General search tips - Cats

General search tips - Dogs

General search tips - Parrots

2. Visit the Beaufort County Animal shelter every 1-2 days. Please bring a photo of your pet. You are the only one who can positively identify your pet. Leave your name, address, a daytime phone number, and a description of your pet. Inform them if your lost friend has a microchip.

3. Create a flyer. Consider offering a reward to the public. Be sure to include the date and the area where your animal was lost or found.  Go door to door in your neighborhood dropping off flyers. Post signs in nearby convenience stores, grocery stores, and Veterinarian's offices, not on utility poles. If a picture is included on the sign, it is easier for someone to identify your pet.

4. Check with your mail carrier, garbage collector, and other individuals who regularly frequent your neighborhood as well as local vets and the Urban Search and Rescue team.

5. Sign up to have Toto phone calls sent to your neighbors.  They enter the exact address of where your pet was last seen into their mapping system, serving as the center point of the search area, which then pulls the data of phone numbers in a radius starting from the center point out.  Read a sample Toto Alert below:


This is a lost pet alert from your neighbor Brian. He lost his dog Cody on July 5th. Cody is a brown and black German Shepherd. If you have seen him or can help, please call 859-555-5555. You can also view your neighbor’s lost pet and their contact info at TotoAlert.org.

Please note: There is a fee for this service.

6. Missing Pet Partnership is a national, nonprofit organization dedicated to reuniting lost companion animals with their owners/guardians. The website offers behavior-based lost pet recovery tips and referrals to lost pet services. The URL is http://www.missingpetpartnership.org/

7. Try using facebook.  Here is a story of dog that went missing Beaufort while on a trip from Georgia and was found via Facebook.

We hope these tips help you find your beloved pet.

Micro-chipping

With one in three pets getting lost in their lifetime, ensure that your pet (dogs AND cats) is microchipped. There is a greater chance of a happy reunion if your lost pet is microchipped.  Microchipping is available through HAL. We provide low cost clinics at the Ladys Island Feed & Seed most Saturdays for a small fee.  We can do some apointments on an exception basis.