What to do immediately after your pet goes missing:

Walk the neighborhood: Take a walk around the immediate area and speak to any neighbors, postal service workers, landscapers, or anyone who may have seen your lost pet. You know your pet best, so look in areas that your pet may have been interested in or comfortable hiding in. Most pets are found close to home.

Share their scent: Put a couple of your pet’s favorite items near the most common entry ways into your home. The front door and the door into your yard would be the best locations. You can include items like their favorite bed, blanket, toys, their litterbox (if cat) and any other items they use frequently. Their scents may help them find their way home.

Next Steps:

Contact the Santa Cruz County Animal Shelter: The Santa Cruz SPCA does not take in stray animals. To increase the chance of reuniying a pet with their family, found animals are taken in by our our partners at the Santa Cruz County Animal Shelter. If your pet is lost, you should go to the County sheltyer as soon as possible. See the County shelter’s recommended steps here.

Search for your lost dog or cat on Petco Love Lost: We have partnered with Petco Love Lost to easily help search the national lost and found database and create a searchable/shareable alert for your missing pet. Upload a a picture of your pet or searching by location. Powered by facial recognition technology, Petco Love Lost helps match found animals to reported lost pets nationwide. Visit Petco Love Lost and search now!

Make sure your pet’s microchip information is updated: If a finder takes your missing pet to be scanned for a microchip, you want to make sure that all the information is correct so that you will be contacted immediately.