I found a lost pet, now what?

You’ve found a stray animal in your neighborhood or roaming around an area you’re visiting. What should you do now? 

Great question. Fur Kids Foundation sees many people who spot a lost animal and post about the animal on some popular Campbell County Facebook sites, including, but not limited to:
• Gillette Area Classifieds
• Gillette Area Pets 
• Gillette Dog Walking Group 
• Gillette Pet Adoption 
• Gillette Pet Rescue & Adoption 
• Gillette WY Lost and Found Pets
• Say Yes to Gillette – Campbell County Dog Park
• Wright Animal Shelter

As many of you know, social media is a wonderful way of getting the word out about a topic; however, Fur Kids Foundation is suggesting that it isn’t the only/main course of action one should use for lost pets. There are many people who may not be using Facebook, or may not be a member of the group pages listed above, who have lost their pet, and are hoping to find them.  

If you find a dog or cat that you believe to be lost from its family, please consider taking the following actions if you can access the pet safely:

1. If the pet is wearing a collar with tags on it, and it allows you to touch them, please check its tags to see if there is a phone number or an address where the pet can be returned. 
   
2. Contact Animal Control at 307.686.5249.  Even if you don't see a tag, the animal may have a microchip that will get the animal back to the owner. You may hold the pet while they search for the owner if you'd like.
   
3. If, for whatever reason, you cannot reach Animal Control, or do not wish to call them, please consider calling a veterinarian in town or bringing the pet by a vet’s office. There are four offices in town:
   Animal Medical Center of Wyoming, LLC, 307.682.1507
   Gillette Pet Vet Clinic, 307.696.8387
   Red Hills Veterinary Hospital, 307.696.2525
   Thunder Basin Veterinary Clinic PC, 307.687.0336
   
   Again, if the pet is not wearing tags, they may have a microchip that will get the animal back to its family. 
4. Drive around the neighborhood where you found the pet to see if there are any lost dog flyers hanging up. You might spot the one that helps return the pet to its family. 
   
5. Conversely, you could also consider making a “found dog” sign and posting it in the neighborhood—some will even make a large sign and post it in the spot they found the pet. We suggest this poster only have a small description of the pet (color and breed) and list your phone number. If you receive a call about the lost pet, you can ask the owner to describe them to make sure you return the pet to the correct family. 
   
6. And, of course post it on the social media sites listed above. Again, we do suggest that this is just a description and a note where you found the pet. 

Fur Kids Foundation encourages you to take these actions because we want to see all lost pets be reunited with their families. 

If you’re looking for more information, check out what these national organizations have to say:

1. Cesar’s Way: What to do if you find a stray dog 
   
2. Humane Society: What to do if you find a stray pet 
   
3. Missing Pet Partnership: I found a stray dog