Lost dog or cat flyer maker

What to put on a lost pet flyer

People look at a flyer for a few seconds, often from a car or while crossing the street. Give them what helps them recognize your pet and reach you, and leave out the rest.

A headline you can read from across the street

LOST DOG or LOST CAT in the largest letters on the page. The form sizes the headline to fill the width, whatever its length.

One clear photo

Pick a recent photo of the whole body that shows the color pattern, not a close-up of the face. A black-and-white printer flattens colors, so describe them in words as well.

Facts that set your pet apart

“Black cat” fits thousands of cats; “black cat, white patch on the chest, green collar” fits one. Add the breed or type, sex, age and the collar, and whether your pet is microchipped: a vet or shelter will scan for it.

Where and when

The corner or landmark and the time you last saw your pet. It tells people where to look and helps you sort a real sighting from a mistaken one.

What to do if they see your pet

A frightened dog or cat may run even from a friendly stranger. If yours is shy, say so, and ask people to call you rather than chase.

Your number, large

One number you will answer at any hour, big enough to read from a few steps away. The QR code dials it from a phone camera, and the tear-off strips let people take it with them.

A reward, if you want one

A reward line makes people look twice; you don’t have to name an amount. When someone calls, ask them to describe your pet before you meet, and never pay anything before your pet is back with you.

Where to put lost pet flyers

Start where your pet went missing and work outward. Cats especially are usually found close to home: in a study of 1,210 missing cats, those found alive were a median of 50 meters (about 55 yards) from where they got out, and 75% of the cats were found within 500 meters, about a third of a mile. In a US survey of pet owners, 93% of lost dogs and 75% of lost cats were found, and searching the neighborhood was the most common way dogs were found.

• Street corners and intersections around the spot where your pet went missing, at the eye level of drivers and people on foot.
• Your neighbors’ doors: knock, hand them a small flyer, and ask them to check sheds, garages and under decks.
• Vet clinics, emergency clinics, animal shelters, pet stores and groomers nearby, if they agree to put it up.
• Community boards at grocery stores, laundromats, libraries and coffee shops.
• Dog parks and walking trails, if your dog is lost.
• Check local rules first: some cities don’t allow signs on utility poles. Slip the flyer into a clear sheet protector or tape over it so rain doesn’t ruin it, and take your flyers down once your pet is home.

What else to do in the first hours

Flyers work best together with a search on foot and a few phone calls. Do these while the trail is fresh.

1. Search on foot, right away. Walk the area and call your pet’s name calmly, with a favorite treat or a squeaky toy. Look under porches, in sheds and garages and under parked cars: a frightened cat often hides and stays silent rather than coming when called.
2. Call and visit shelters and animal control. Call the shelters and animal control for your town and the towns around it, and leave them a flyer. Then visit in person every day or two: a description over the phone is easy to mix up.
3. Tell local vets. Call the vet clinics and emergency clinics near you. People who find an injured or lost pet often take it to a vet, who can scan it for a microchip.
4. Check the microchip registration. A chip only helps if the registry can reach you. When shelters in a 2009 Ohio State study could not find the owner of a microchipped stray, a wrong or disconnected phone number was the most common reason. Call the registry, report your pet missing and make sure your current number is on file. If you don’t know which registry holds the chip, AAHA’s Microchip Lookup shows which of its participating registries have the number.
5. Post it online. Share the flyer on local neighborhood groups and lost-and-found pet pages. In the print dialog, choose Save as PDF to get a file you can post or text to friends.
6. Keep your phone on. Answer unknown numbers for a while, and keep a few flyers and tape in your car.

If you found a pet

• Look for a tag, and take the pet to a vet clinic or shelter to be scanned for a microchip.
• Report it to your local shelter or animal control: that is where an owner who is searching will call.
• Switch the form to “I found a pet” and post the flyer where you found it. Keep one detail off the flyer and ask callers to describe it.