Lost and Found
What do I do if I find a lost pet?
Call the authorities. Never put yourself in harm’s way by attempting to capture an animal that is behaving aggressively. If you cannot safely approach the animal or if it runs away, call your local animal control or police department immediately. Be sure to give the dispatcher the exact street address where the animal was last seen.
If you capture the pet. If the animal has no ID tag its best chance of being reunited with its owner is at an animal shelter. Call your Local ACO or Police, they have 24/7/365 access to the shelter to make sure the pet is warm, has food, and water. The shelter is the one obvious place where owners are likely to look for lost pets. While most shelters maintain a database of “found” reports, these reports are often inaccurate due to the subjectivity of the person describing the animal. Many people are not familiar with breeds and coat colors and may not be able to give an accurate description of the animal they have found. One acceptable alternative would be to post a picture of the found animal in the shelter’s computer database if the shelter has software with that capability. This would allow you to hold the lost pet, while still allowing the owner to find it at the shelter via a photo.
Post fliers. Whether you hold the lost animal yourself or place it in the custody of your local shelter, there are several ways you can help find the owner. If possible, take a photo of the pet and post fliers around the area where the pet was found. Be sure to also distribute the fliers to local veterinary clinics. You should also post a found report and photo on the “Pets” section of Craigslist Pets Section If you found the pet in your own neighborhood, go door to door with a photo of the animal and see if anyone knows who owns it. You can also place a found ad in the classified section of your local newspaper (these are usually free).
Animal Control Officer List for Maine
Here is the link for the Maine Federation of Humane Societies which lists the shelters and rescues in Maine:
Maine Federation of Humane Societies
What to do if you lose your pet
How to reunite with your best pal
When your beloved dog or cat strays from home, it can be a traumatic experience for both of you. Here are some tips that we hope will help you find your pet.
Search the neighborhood
How you conduct your search will depend on your pet’s personality and species. A confident, outgoing pet may have made new friends, while a shy or easily scared pet is more likely to be hiding somewhere or staying clear of strangers. Mission Reunite and the Missing Animal Response Network offer search techniques and online training to teach you what steps to take when your cat or dog goes missing. See how to find a lost cat or how to find a lost dog. LostCatFinder.com’s How to Find Your Lost Cat video search guide and e-booklet is another good resource.
In general, walk or drive through your neighborhood several times each day. Ask neighbors, letter carriers, and delivery people if they have seen your pet.
Most indoor cats become frightened when outdoors and will often find a place to hide close to home, on average up to three houses away. Indoor-outdoor cats, on the other hand, may travel several blocks. Focus on searching under decks, bushes, sheds—any dark hidden places around your house. Ask the neighbors on each side of your house if you can search their properties as well. Don’t forget to look inside garages and sheds where your cat may be trapped.
Contact local animal shelters and animal control agencies
File a lost pet report with every shelter within a 15-mile radius of your home and visit them daily, if possible.
To find your local shelter, search online or type in your zip code at The Shelter Pet Project's shelter search. Some shelters even post photos of found animals on their websites, making it easy to check if yours is there. Often shelters are able to loan you a humane trap to set, which can be particularly helpful if your pet is shy and/or frightened. For lost cats, contact local trap-neuter-return (TNR) groups as your cat may have joined up with a colony or be seen by someone who is feeding cats in the area.
If there is no shelter or TNR group in your community, contact the local police department or local animal control agency. Provide these agencies with an accurate description and a recent photograph of your pet. Notify the police if you believe your pet was stolen.
If your pet has a microchip, alert your microchip company so that your pet can be flagged as lost.
Engage your community
In person
Post notices at grocery stores, laundromats, barber shops, community centers, veterinary offices, dog parks, traffic intersections, pet supply stores and other locations. Include your pet's sex, age, weight, breed, color and any special markings. When describing your pet, leave out one identifying characteristic. Listen for this characteristic when people who claim to have found your pet describe your pet to you.
Hang large and brightly colored flyers around your neighborhood and be sure to include on the flyer a clear photo of your pet, a description of your pet leaving out one identifying detail, and a phone number. Keep your flyer simple and legible. Posters that offer a reward and/or indicate that your pet needs special medication often get extra attention. Post them where people see them—at eye level in bus stops and on telephone poles or lamp posts on neighborhood streets.
Online
Use social media to your advantage! There are many lost and found animal groups on Facebook, so search for one or more in your area and post a notice of your missing pet there. Also post on your personal Facebook, Instagram or other social media accounts. Include helpful hashtags to help people in your area find your post.
Petco Love Lost is a national database that utilizes pet facial recognition technology to search thousands of found pet listings from users and shelters across the country. Simply upload a photo of your pet to start the search.
You can also try:
NextDoor or Front Porch Forum; check the lost and found section and post a lost pet notice.
Your homeowner’s or neighborhood association if you have one; contact them and ask them to help spread the word among your neighbors.
For more information follow the link
Below is a link to their Facebook Page