Education Matters

Notify Authorities

Contact Anderson County Animal Control. They will pick up your pet if it has strayed away from home and keep it safely at the shelter until it can be reunited with you. Contact us so we can be on the lookout for any information to help your pet get home. Call the local vets, The Animal Clinic (502)839-3236 and Anderson Animal Hospital (502)839-9201, because they may have scanned your pet for a microchip or had it brought in if it has been injured.

Search

Search the area where it was last seen carefully. If you can get a group of friends, this can allow you to cover more ground. Dogs may travel very far in a short span of time, if you do not find them, posting flyers will be your next step. Place scent items, such as your pet’s bedding in an area you think he will return to. Inside cats typically do not travel very far. Your cat is most likely hiding in a shed or under your deck, afraid to come out. Leave out food and water and eventually his thirst and hunger will draw him from his hiding place. Calling your cats name will probably scare him, because he will hear the stress in your voice. Try to speak in the voice you normally talk to him with so he is not frightened even more. DO NOT put your cat’s used litter outside. This can draw in dangerous threats such as territorial and aggressive cats, dogs, or wildlife, therefore keeping your cat from returning sooner and endangering its life. There is good reason your cat instinctively buries his waste! If you know where your cat exited the house, leave that door or window open if you can. He will return to your home if given the opportunity. Outside cats can travel surprisingly far. Do not be discouraged if you cannot find them. Placing food out should draw them back home if they are still in the area. Talk to your neighbors and let them know you are missing your pet.

Post Flyers

Create a flyer that you can post at businesses, the vet’s offices, animal shelters, and on street posts and utility poles in the area it went missing. The Anderson News can help publicize your missing pet, too. Make sure you include a high quality photograph that shows any distinguishing markings or characteristics. Don’t forget to include the street your pet went missing from and a reliable way to contact you.

Social Media

Social media allows people who do not know each other to communicate. For pets lost in Lawrenceburg and the surrounding counties, we encourage you to use The Official Lost and Found Pets of Anderson County Facebook page to share their photos. Anderson County Animal Control and Anderson Humane Society monitor this page, so if you post your lost pet on this page, we will know what they look like and who to contact if they turn up. With the help of our 1,500+ members, this page has reunited countless families with their beloved pets.

Identification

Check the animal for a name tag, license, or Rabies tag. If the pet has a Rabies or license tag you can contact whoever issued the tag and they should have a record of the cat or dog’s owner. If you are able to take the animal to a veterinary clinic or a shelter, staff can scan it for a microchip. A microchip number can help track down the contact information for the owner.

Social Media

Reach out to people you do not personally know by taking advantage of social media platforms. Posting the pet on The Official Lost and Found Pets of Anderson County Facebook page will let over 1,500 members see the lost pet and, hopefully, help it find its way home.

Contact Authorities

Contact Anderson County Animal Control and Anderson Humane Society. We will record information about the lost pet so we can help to reunite it with the owner when they reach out to us. Call the local vet’s offices, The Animal Clinic (502)839-3236 and Anderson Animal Hospital (502)839-9201, since they may be familiar with the animal or may have been contacted by the family searching for their pet. If you do not want to house the cat or dog until an owner is found please call Animal Control to pick it up. They can keep it safely at the shelter until it can be reunited with the owner. If you see dogs that appear to be lost, please notify Animal Control as soon as possible.

Post Flyers

AHS, Animal Control, the local vets, and even many businesses are happy to post “found pet” flyers. Put flyers on utility poles and street posts in the area is was found. The Anderson News can help get the pet’s picture out there, too. Be sure to include some sort of description or photo, where it was found, and a reliable way to contact you

Can’t Find Owner?

You may turn in any stray cat or dog to Animal Control whenever you need to. AHS does not take in strays, since we try to hold only pets waiting for new homes. If you have contacted all the proper authorities, posted the pet’s picture in public and made a reasonable attempt to find the owner, you can then keep the pet or find it a new home yourself. You should allow the owner at least 1-2 weeks to contact you before moving forward with re-homing the pet. Remember, if you decide to keep the animal, it is up to you to make sure it is vaccinated against Rabies and has a dog license (if applicable). If you need assistance with having the pet spayed/neutered please check out some resources that offer low cost or discounted surgeries here. We highly recommend having the pet spayed/neutered and vaccinated prior to re-homing in order to eliminate any chance it will be used for breeding which is irresponsible when the pet’s lineage/history is unknown. AHS is happy to help you find the pet a loving home in any way we can.