Have you lost a pet in Charlotte? Here’s what to know to bring them home

On an online platform where missing pets are a frequent topic of discussion, a Charlotte resident posted to Nextdoor about a stray dog.

“This dog was seen in Wedgewood today, and behind Publix on 901. Not sure if it was found by owner yet? Anyone missing this dog,” the commenter wrote.

Many Charlotte residents have shared photos of the pets in recent search efforts, while others have shared their experiences with encountering stray animals.

In another post, the same person detailed coming across the same dog on its property, “The white husky is back in our yard again. Currently, appears to have an AirTag. We are trying to get him on a leash. Anyone missing him???”

Nextdoor has partnered with Pawboost, a lost & found database where pet owners can make flyers for help with lost or stray animals.

Pawboost says there are over 1,500 lost and found reports to the public every day, the agency told KRCR, a California-based TV station.

What are the chances of someone actually finding their pet?

According to the National Library of Medicine, “While 15% of dog and cat owners lost their pets, dogs had higher recovery rates (93%) than cats (75%) as well as being returned using different search methods.”

In a study, NLM found cats were likely to return on their own, while dogs were more likely to be lost more than once.

However, “cats were less likely than dogs to have any type of identification,” NLM said. They recommend collars, ID tags or humane trapping as “valuable approaches.”

What preventative measures can I take?

Give your pet a tag that includes an up-to-date phone number. Often, someone who finds your pet will see this first.

“Your pet should be wearing a collar and have their ID tags at all times,” Brittany Baumann, a spokesperson for Animal Humane Society said.

Another preventative strategy is Microchipping a pet early on. “I highly recommend all pets are microchipped even if they are primarily indoors,” Pittman said.

Microchips do not have active GPS trackers in them. So you won’t be able to track your lost pet. However, when they are found, the contact information associated will be used to reunite them with you.

“Most shelters/animal hospitals will register your pet in the database for you,” but it’s important to make “contact information is most up-to-date for you and can be checked on the microchip database website,” Emily Pittman, Virtual TeleAdvice Support at Petfolk Veterinary and Urgent Care in Charlotte said.

According to Pittman, microchipping is typically done at the time of their spay or neuter, but it can be done at any time.

What should I do if I find a lost pet?

While American Humane recommends that you contain the pet with care, the agency advises pet owners call local authorities. “Never put yourself in harm’s way by attempting to capture an animal that is behaving aggressively,” the organization stated.

Check the pet for an ID, and get the pet scanned for a microchip. And if the pet has no ID, you should take them to an animal shelter.

You can also post fliers and advertise a found pet by posting the pet online, posting fliers around the area and local veterinary clinics.

What should I do If I lose my pet?

It is recommended for pet owners to continually check the database of lost pets and surrounding shelters. “Stray animals are typically held per NC state law for a minimum of 72 hours for an owner to come reclaim their pet,” according to Guilford County officials.

• Pet owners can also file a lost pet report. You can do so either online or by calling 311.

• Updating your animal’s microchip information and all of your contact information so that if someone takes them to a veterinarian, someone will be able to contact you.

• Sit familiar belongings outside. By placing clothing, blankets, their bed, or food like tuna outside of your home, you may be able to draw your pet back home.

If you need further assistance, the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department recommends contacting Epic Animal Recovery, which specializes in tracking and lost pet recovery.

“Charlotte is an amazing place if you’re going to lose a pet because there’s so many animal lovers,” Epic Animal Recovery founder Michelle Wilson told The Charlotte Observer.

Wilson says if you’re unable to find your pet immediately, it’s important to post via social media and “get on the lost and found pages, which Charlotte has a handful of.”

Here’s what the recovery process is like at the Charlotte animal recovery agency:

Searching: After completing a lost pet form, generally, you will need to conduct a “hasty search,” which requires you to look for your pet immediately. But, Wilson advises pet owners to use discretion when calling out your pet’s name because of “busy roads, especially in Charlotte.”

Signage: After that, your next step is posting “simple, bright eye-catching signs that are visible from a vehicle,” Wilson says this is still a “number one way of generating sightings.”

Scent luring: After determining where the pet is based on sightings, “We might try to do some scent luring.” However, “if we’re seeing that there is a disconnect in the pet already, we go into trapping. And we put humane traps out depending on the situation,” Wilson said.

If the pet remains missing for another four to five days, Epic Animal Recovery considers deploying its own search dogs to assist. So, you will need a scent article which is an item that has the pet’s scent.

While each situation is unique, Wilson said she once had a case in Rock Hill that lasted a year and a half.

The recovery process can “go from a matter of minutes to a matter of over a year,” she said.