My Pet is Missing!

There are many reasons a pet can go missing:

• Someone left the gate open;
• They dug underneath the fence;
• They darted out the door when someone came in;
• Out of town company let them out.

Or, sometimes, it is more nefarious and someone kidnaps or steals your pet.  If you feel a pet has been stolen, be sure to contact the Wood County Sheriff’s Department and report the crime.

What can you do to get them back?

First, search the area.  See if you can recruit some help to search your neighborhood if your pet wandered off.  Take some food.  If you see the animal, do not give chase (they WILL run from you, they think it’s a game).  If you see them, call their name and with a calm demeanor crouch down with the food held out in your hand.  Let the animal come to you.  Don’t yell at them, give them quiet praise.  Sometimes it helps to search early in the morning when it is quiet and the animal would be hungry.   Many lost animals will eventually come home, so keep aware and keep an eye outside.

Gather Info

Assemble the following information: 

• A few good digital photos
• Type of animal (cat or dog)
• Breed (for example: beagle or terrier mix)
• Color (for example: white with black spots or brindle)
• Weight
• Age
• Location Missing from (for example: at intersection of FM 779 & Hwy 69, or on Wigley Street in Mineola).  
• Identifying features (for example:  blue collar, one ear flops over, brown spots on belly) 
• Are they microchipped?
• Were they wearing a collar & tags?
• Your name and phone number

If you have the capability, create a flyer in a “pdf” format that can attached to an email and printed.  If you can’t create a flyer, just include all of the information in an email.

Reach Out By Phone

Start calling all of the local shelters in the area, the local veterinary offices, and even the local groomers to see if anyone has been in with an animal matching the description.  Get their email addresses, and follow up with an email (with attached flyer) that has all of the information you collected.  Follow up every few days.  Here are some helpful numbers:

Wood County Shelters

• APET SPCA Animal Center, (903) 638-6902
• Mineola Animal Shelter, (903) 569-2252
• Winnsboro Animal Shelter, (903) 342-3400

Wood County Veterinarians:

• Quitman Animal Clinic, (903) 763-2315
• Lake Country Animal Clinic, (903) 569-5418
• Tri-County Veterinary Clinic, (903) 342-6136

Wood County Pet Groomers

• Pet Dynasty, Mineola, (903) 569-9000
• Doggy Stylz, Mineola, (903) 569-1500
• Paw Patch Pet Grooming, Mineola, (903) 569-8404
• Grooming Palace, Mineola, (903) 569-5786
• Happy Tails Pet S’paw, Alba, (903) 316-0252
• Holly Lake Boarding & Grooming, Holly Lake Ranch (903) 769-2400
• Canine Clippers, Quitman, (903) 878-2804
• Kaci G’s Mobile Pet Salon, Winnsboro, (903) 918-7157
• K 9 Designs, Winnsboro, (903) 342-3519
• Micheles Canine Designs, Hawkins, (903) 769-5032

Visit in Person

Visit the shelters in person, daily.  Sometimes animals don’t seem to match the description you provide, or look like the photos.  Only you can tell for certain if your animal is there.  Also, many shelters are run by volunteers, and the person you talk to on the phone, may only be at the shelter for a few hours each week.

Look on CraigsList

Check daily to see if any pet matching the description is listed either “for sale” or “found”.  If they are “for sale” and you feel your pet was stolen, you may want to contact law enforcement to find out how to proceed with getting your pet returned.

Use Social Media

Post your pet’s photo and info, with a “LOST” caption, on all available lost & found pet pages on Facebook.  Post on your own wall and ask your friends in the area to share your post.  Here are some of the lost and found Facebook pages:

• APET SPCA of East Texas (email us your information) - https://www.facebook.com/apetspca/
• APET SPCA Thrift Store - https://www.facebook.com/search/top/?q=apet%20spca%20thrift%20store
• Mineola Animal Shelter  - https://www.facebook.com/Mineola-Animal-Shelter-438796159479556/
• Winnsboro (TX) Area Pet Lost and Found  - https://www.facebook.com/groups/244750182281693/
• Animals of Wood County, TX  - https://www.facebook.com/groups/160149180854574/
• East Texas Cats and Dogs - https://www.facebook.com/East-Texas-Cats-and-Dogs-1621636104790525/
• East Texas Lost and Found Pets  - https://www.facebook.com/groups/152493994873728/
• East Tx. Lost Animals - https://www.facebook.com/groups/1560157597579440/
• Free Pets of East Texas - https://www.facebook.com/groups/freepetsofet/
• Lost and Found Cats and Dogs of Tyler, TX - https://www.facebook.com/lostcatsanddogsoftyler/
• Lost and Found Cats of East Texas - https://www.facebook.com/groups/156429001206599/
• Lost and Found Dogs and Cats of East Texas  - https://www.facebook.com/lostdogsandcatsofmineolatx/
• Lost and Found pets in East Texas - https://www.facebook.com/groups/1384862618405138/
• Lost Cats Texas - https://www.facebook.com/LostCatsTexas/
• Pets of E. Texas for Sale and Free  - https://www.facebook.com/Pets-of-E-Texas-For-Sale-and-Free-565628213491924/
• Responsible Rehoming of East Texas Pets - https://www.facebook.com/groups/1496243720620906/
• Spotting Spot-Lost Pets of Texas - https://www.facebook.com/SpottingSpotTX/
• Texas Emergency – Animals Lost and Found - https://www.facebook.com/EmegencyanimalsTexas/?ref=search
• Texas Lost Pets - https://www.facebook.com/Texas-Lost-Pets-237800459648295/
• The Cat’s Meow Rescue - https://www.facebook.com/TheCatsMeowRescue/ 

Prevention

If your animal is not microchipped, you may want to get them chipped or attach a GPS device to their collar that you can monitor with your smart phone.  Make certain they have a collar with a phone number (yours) people can call if the pet becomes lost.  If you worry about your dog being stolen, mount security cameras and post warnings on fences and doors.

Disclaimer:  The phone numbers and Facebook pages listed in this article (with the exception of the APET information) are provided as a curtesy to help you find your lost pet.  APET SPCA does not endorse or recommend any of these businesses or groups.

If you run across any other Facebook pages that could help someone else, please email us so we can include the page in this article.  If any of the phone numbers or links are no longer in service, or you know of an additional resource, we would also love you to let us know.