What to do if your pet gets lost

There is nothing more stressful as a pet owner than when your beloved family member goes wandering without you and without your knowledge.
One of the hardest parts is knowing where to start and what to do to get them back home safely.

The team at Kellyville Pets have put together a few tips to help get you started.

Tip #1 - Have your phone on you at all times, never on silent. If someone finds your pet and calls you using the number on a name tag, you do NOT want to miss that call.
First Point of Contact
The very first thing you should do is get in touch with your vet and any other vets close by and let them know that your pet is missing. Give the vet a good, clear description of your pet which includes species, breed, gender, colour, and any other identifying features such as collar colour etc.

Tip #2 - Keep records of microchip numbers, leg ring numbers and any other vet records in a place that is easy to access.
Second Point of Contact
Call your local pound or animal holding facility and let them know the same details as you did your vet. For the Hills District NSW area that would be:
Blacktown City Council - Animal Holding Facility
415 Flushcombe Road
Blacktown NSW 2148
(02) 9839 6161

Hawkesbury - Companion Animal Shelter
10 Mulgrave Road
Mulgrave NSW 2756
(02) 4560 4644 

Tip #3 - Name tags are very helpful during these situations.

Your pet should be wearing a properly fitted collar with a name tag attached. This needs to have your pets name, your phone number and address engraved. Click HERE to see our range of Pet ID Tags.

This type of identification should be worn 24/7 just in case.

Third Point of Contact
In this day and age, social media helps return more pets home than ever before.

We have local Facebook groups which are community based. Anyone who finds a stray pet is quick to post on forums to find its home.

Hills District members may want to look at the following links -

Hills District Pets - Lost, Found & Injured

Blacktown & Surrounds Lost and Found Pets

Lost Pets in NSW

.

Once returned home safely, there is one final tip which needs to happen:
Tip #4 - Making sure your yard, cage, aviary, pets home etc is completely secure so your pet cannot escape again.

Make sure your pet is microchipped (or the like for other species) and is registered with your local council.

See our info on How to keep pets safe when home alone