If you have lost a pet, we want to help you take the steps necessary to reunite with your four-legged friends. Southern Pines Animal Shelter holds all stray animals for 5 days to give owners a chance to reclaim their pets. Dogs and cats receive a full body scan for microchips at the time of intake and before they are adopted or transported. In the event that identification is discovered, attempts are made to contact owners over the course of the 5-day stray hold period.
Petco Love Lost helps to reunite lost pets with their families using facial recognition. Free & easy to use, pet parents are welcome to create an account for their cat or dog. Just enter a photo of your pet, and if they ever go missing, you can alert Petco Love Lost to search the database to find possible matches from community finders and local animal welfare organizations. Additionally, they have missing pet poster and social media post templates, plus tips and articles about how to most effectively reunite pets with their families.
Recommended Steps to Finding Your Lost Pet:
1. Search the Neighborhood
- Walk or drive through your neighborhood several times each day. Ask neighbors, letter carriers and delivery people if they have seen your pet. Hand out a recent photograph of your pet and information on how you can be reached if your pet is found.
- Each year, Southern Pines takes in over 1,500 lost pets. If you have lost a pet, we want to help you take the steps necessary to reunite with your four-legged friends. To help you find your lost pet we encourage you to personally visit the shelter at least every other day to look for your pet in person. We have hundreds of pets on site and animal descriptions may contain inaccuracies or may be incomplete. You know your pet best, and we encourage you to visit our shelter to look for your dog or cat.
- We also encourage you to look through online adoptable animals for breeds, colors, age ranges, or other characteristics that could match your pet. Often, breeds listed by shelters are a best guess so your animal could be listed with an incorrect breed. Similarly, animals entering shelters are aged determined by the condition of their teeth so its not a perfect science. It is not uncommon for an older animal to be listed quite a few years younger if their dental health has been monitored and treated throughout their lifetime. Click here to view a full list of local shelters.
- Use the internet to share notices with Lost and Found Pages and local shelters and rescue organizations.*
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The Lost and Found Pets of the Pinebelt Facebook Page is monitored by several area shelters, including Southern Pines, Southern Cross Animal Rescue, and Hub City Humane Society. Area residents are invited to post both lost and found pets on the page, with the purpose of creating a central location for networking lost pets and getting them home. Whether you've lost a pet or found a stray, posters are encouraged to: 1. Upload a picture 2. Include geographic location where the pet was lost or found 3. Include pertinent information about the pet (age, breed/mix, collar, microchip, gender, altered status, unique markings etc.) 4. Share contact information *For a full list of Lost and Found Facebook pages and groups, please click HERE.
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5. Spread the Word
- Get the word out by posting notices at local shops, libraries, veterinary offices, community centers, pet stores, and other locations. You can also advertise in newspapers and even by writing in glass chalk on the wind of your car. Include your pet's sex, age, weight, breed, color and any special markings. When describing your pet, leave out one identifying characteristic and ask the person who finds your pet to describe it.
6. Don't Give Up!
A pet—even an indoor pet—has a better chance of being returned if he/she always wears a collar and an ID tag with your name, address and telephone number. Microchipping is also available at your local veterinarian or the Southern Pines Healthy Pet Clinic.
