New Lost Pets Resource in St Louis Missouri Area

Image: Animal Care Arlington

There's a new resource for folks who have lost their pets in the St Louis, Missouri area.  STL Lost Pets is a collaborative effort by the Animal Protective Association (APA), St Louis County Animal Care & Control, and the Humane Society of Missouri.

If you've lost a pet, you can search their comprehensive list of Found Dogs and Found Cats which include photographs.  You can also contact local shelters (exhaustive list of contacts provided) and submit a Lost Pet Report.

STL Lost Pets offers this advice for anyone looking for a lost pet:

• Start looking immediately.  Do not assume that your pet will "come back when he's ready."  Animal shelters are required to hold stray animals for only five days, after which they may be placed into a new home or humanely euthanized.  Don't give up!  Many pets are found after being missing for weeks or even months.
• Check with all neighbors within 4-6 blocks of your home.  Sometimes pets, especially cats, are found a short distance from where they live.
• Post signs in your neighborhood with a photo detailing your pet's color, size, breed, age, sex and any identification.  Offering a reward might speed your pet's return.
• Visit ALL animal shelters in your area as often as possible.  Animals might be picked up in one area, but taken to a shelter in a different place, so be sure to call and/or visit as many shelters as possible.

STL Lost Pets strongly encourages microchipping your pet and they even offer discounted microchipping services to pet owners.  

A study of more than 7,700 stray animals at animal shelters showed that dogs without microchips were returned to their owners 21.9% of the time, whereas microchipped dogs were returned to their owners 52.2% of the time.  Cats without microchips were reunited with their owners only 1.8% of the time, whereas microchipped cats went back home 38.5% of the time.

You can find out more about STL Lost Pets at their website www.stllostpets.org