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The following information may help you find an animal's owner if you have found a pet.

1.  If you find a pet always the first thing you must do is confine it. Don't put it in with your pet/s as this may lead to fighting and injury to either the found animal or your pet/s.


2.  Do not let the animal go back on the street. This can lead to the pet being injured or killed, and may result in a car accident that could harm a human.


3.  If the animal is wearing a collar then take it off and look for any tags. If there are no tags check the inside of the collar as some people will write a phone number or name there. put it back on when you have finished.


4.  Try to identify as much about the animal as you can. Is it male or female and has it been desexed? Look for ear tattoos inside both ears. The desexing tattoo is a circle made up of about a dozen dots with a line through it. It can be in blue, green or black ink and is usually in the left ear (though not always). A M tattoo (usually right ear) indicates a microchip however not all dogs that are microchipped will be tattooed.


5.  Have the pet scanned for a microchip at your local vet or at a shelter. Please note not all vets have a scanner so check with them first before taking the pet to them. Also microchips sometimes don't scan - the chip might not be compatible with the scanner being used, or it has moved so that it is missed - so that is is sometimes worth having the pet rescanned with a different scanner and operator. Walk through, multichip scanner that are often owned by big shelters are more sensitive than handheld scanners.


6.  If you are unwilling to keep the pet any length of time the next step is either take the animal to a pound or shelter or contact the council ranger and have him pick the animal up. Its a good idea to find out where it is going as if you do find the owner then you can tell them where to look.

7.  At this point you have ensured the animal's safety but you can do more if you wish.


8.  Do a letter drop and put notices up in your local shops. Include information such as a description and photo (if possible) of the animal and a contact phone number. Put the date found on all notices.


9.  Ring all the local veterinary clinics.


10.  Contact all Animal Shelters in your city. The more information out in many hands the more likely you can find the pet's owner.


11.  Contact your local Council and all Councils in the surrounding area.


12.  Advertise that you have found a pet in local newspaper and the big city dailies. Check all papers thoroughly. Look in all columns dealing with animals and the "Lost and Found".


13.  Contact your local radio stations. Some will make free announcements however the best approach is to ask for help not demand an announcement.


Please remove all posters from public property and inform all others that were aware of the search that the owner has been found, or after a reasonable amount of time has passed. This makes it easier for the next person who is looking for assistance.