LOST & FOUND
What to do if your pet is lost or found in Cranbourne or City of Casey
It can be very distressing if your pet goes missing, but here at Casey and Cranbourne Veterinary Hospital, we help reunite many lost pets with their owners every year. So, if your pet goes missing, don’t despair, there’s always a good chance they’ll turn up safe and sound.
If your pet has strayed, we encourage you to use our lost and found service and contact our friendly team at the clinic. We can check our registry to see if your pet has been brought in and if not, we can record that it’s missing.
We also encourage pet owners to microchip their pets, as any animals that are found can then be easily scanned, and their contact details read.
NB Microchipping is now compulsory in Victoria.
Here are a few things you can do if your pet is lost:
Search your neighbourhood
Dogs especially will often turn up where you saw them last or loop back around to places they know, so always search around your home and local neighbourhood. It’s best to do this several times a day, especially early in the morning and at dusk.
Asking neighbours and their children to keep a lookout is also important, and you should also contact your local council pound and alert the rangers there. Try the Lost Dogs Home at Thompsons Road, Cranbourne, for example.
We would also encourage owners to regularly visit the pound, as colours and breeds are open to personal interpretation, and some can easily be confused.
Put up eye-catching posters
Putting up posters and distributing flyers with a clear and recent picture of your lost pet may help in locating it, so target as many public places as you can. These can include everywhere from grocery stores, churches, and schools to pet stores, animal groomers and other locations.
Letterbox drops to households is another way of getting attention, as cats, in particular, may often seek shelter in someone’s back yard or garden shed. They may also become trapped in a shed or enclosed space, so ask around and see if neighbours will check their locked sheds.
Place an advert in the newspaper
An ad in the lost and found column of local newspapers may help, and these are often free of charge. If you do this, you should check in with the paper every day in case someone has found your lost pet and is trying to locate you.
Check all veterinary clinics
If your pet was injured, they may have been taken to a nearby veterinary surgery before being taken to an animal shelter.
Don’t give up!
Never give up on your lost pet, as animals that have been lost for months are often reunited with their owners. Always keep searching, no matter what.
