Most of us at one time or another have had that moment of panic when we realize that our pet is lost. If you care about your pet, it is a terrible feeling and a fearful and confusing time. The first reaction is usually to drive around looking and calling the animal’s name. It’s a good idea, but don’t spend too much time just doing that. It might work for a horse, but a dog on the hunt or one looking for romance isn’t likely to be on the road in plain sight and a cat is probably holed up somewhere underneath a porch or up a tree after being chased by a loose dog.
Don’t waste too much time in denial that your pet is lost. If after a short period of timesearching, you haven’t found your pet, then immediately call Aiken County Animal Services, Aiken Public Safety Animal Control, and the SPCA. All of these sources keep and exchange lost and found information. Call and check every day and even visit the shelters to see what has been brought in. More than 8,000 animals are admitted to the two shelters and to be honest, it is possible that information can fall through the cracks. Check for yourself and keep checking.
Next, call every newspaper you can think of and put a notice in the lost and found section. It doesn’t cost much and some newspapers do it for free. If you can afford it, it doesn’t hurt to offer a reward.
Now get back in your vehicle and put up posters at every major intersection. Put the poster in clear plastic so rain storms don’t ruin it. Knock on doors and leave a card or flyer. Most people are very helpful and may have seen the animal. Don’t confine yourself to just a short distance away or only go in the direction that you think he headed. Chances are he went the other way and is a lot further away than you think. This is especially true for hunting types and unaltered animals.
Call your veterinarian and post flyers in veterinarian’s offices. If your dog or cat has a rabies tag on, the finder will likely call the clinic phone number.
If you follow ALL of this advice the chances are you will get your pet back. When you do, learn a lesson from it. Have your pet micro chipped and sterilized. If you live in the City of Aiken, register it so Jeff Wilson, the animal control officer, can scan and immediately bring it back. All shelters must scan for a chip and most veterinarians will if they know the animal is a stray.
Something very important to remember is, that by state law, all shelters must keep an animal for five days in order to give an owner an opportunity to claim their pet. After that it can be euthanized. Don’t let that happen to you. Get the pet microchipped, have it spayed or neutered to keep it from wandering in search of a mate, try to keep some visible identification on a collar that fits properly, and build a good fence.
Important telephone numbers for pet owners include:
- Aiken County SPCA 803-648-6863
- City of Aiken Animal Control 803-642-7620
- Aiken County Animal Services 803-642-1537
You can also check the following website: Aiken Pets Reunited. This is a website set up and run solely to reunite animals and their owners.
