I lost my dog

• Friendly, confident dogs often go toward people and other dogs. Someone may have picked them up, so posts and shelter checks matter most.
• Shy or frightened dogs often hide during the day and move at dawn, dusk and night. They may run even from their own family.
• If your dog is shy, ask people not to chase or call out to it, and to tell you where they saw it instead.

Stop. Don't run toward them. Sit or crouch, look away, talk softly, and toss food near you. Many frightened dogs come closer when no one is moving toward them. If the dog keeps returning to one spot, set out food and water, and consider a motion-activated camera. Animal control or a rescue may be able to lend a humane trap.

Search again early in the morning and late at night with a flashlight and favorite food, when streets are quiet. Leave an item that smells like home (an unwashed shirt, the dog's bed) where your dog went missing.

• Use one clear photo where the dog's face and markings show.
• Give the area and date your dog went missing.
• Hold back one identifying detail so you can tell real sightings from scams.
• Keep the post updated, and re-share it every few days.
• Check found-dog posts, not just your own. Read writing a lost or found notice for more.

Lost-pet scams are common. Some scammers pretend to be shelter staff and say the dog was hurt and needs payment now.

• Ask for a current photo, or a description of the detail you held back.
• Don't pay anything before you have your dog. Don't send gift cards or app payments.
• If someone claims to be from a shelter, hang up, look up the shelter's number yourself, and call it directly.
• Meet in a busy public place and bring a friend.

Visit shelters in person, and check found posts on Fénix Animal Project (opens in a new tab) and Petco Love Lost every day. Dogs have come home after long absences. If your dog is found, remember to take down flyers and tell the shelter and the microchip registry.