Helping to reunite lost pets with their owners is one of the most important jobs we do at the Adams County SPCA. Here is how you can help lost pets return home.
 
If you lose a pet…

If your dog or cat becomes lost, you must act quickly to try to find it and to alert those who may be in a position to help you.  Here are steps you should take as soon as you know your pet is missing.

Search Your Neighborhood

Begin by searching your own property thoroughly. Check under porches and in garages, basements and other out of the way places. Cats and small dogs have been known to get stuck in tight places like drainage pipes. Remember that if your pet has become injured, it may even be hiding and reluctant to come out. Call its name and listen for a soft reply.

Check with your neighbors and ask their children to watch for your pet while they are outside. Alert your letter carrier and newspaper delivery person as well. Give everyone a description of your pet and your phone number so they can contact you. If your dog is a male and is not neutered, inquire whether any female dogs in the area are in heat.

Drive slowly around your neighborhood. Your pet may recognize the sound of your car.  If you have recently moved, be sure to also search your old neighborhood.
 
The strong scent of familiar items can help attract your pet. Place your pet's bedding and favorite toys (and your cat's litter pan) outside your home. Your sweaty gym socks or jogging suit may also get your pet's attention.

Social Media

FIND TOBY in PA is a Facebook group of rescue volunteers and good-hearted people who want to help reunite lost pets with their owners. They do this through networking info, offering advice, supplying tips via posts & emails, lending out humane traps & giving genuine, heartfelt emotional support. They have people who will volunteer to go out on foot searches when the situation is urgent. This is a free service.

https://www.facebook.com/findtobyinpa/

Bring Home Athena

Helping lost and found pets in Franklin County, Pennsylvania and surrounding areas!

https://www.facebook.com/BringHomeAthena/?fref=ts

Notify State Police & County Control
Pennsylvania State Police (Gettysburg) - 717-334-8111
County Control - 717-334-8101

Call Us
Adams County S.P.C.A. (Gettysburg) - 717-334-8876

Call the Adams County SPCA Animal Shelter. Provide a description and your contact information (See Lost Pet Flyer). Follow up as soon as possible with a visit to the shelter and give the staff one of your signs and a photograph of your pet. Also call shelters in the surrounding counties right away, and give or send each one a sign and photograph of your pet. Continue to visit your local shelter regularly, at least weekly if possible, and visit surrounding shelters if you can. Shelter workers will keep a report of your missing pet on file, but remember that people may not describe a pet in exactly the same way. Only you can identify your pet with certainty. Never feel that you are visiting too often.

​

Post Flyers

Post signs in the general area where your pet was last seen. Post a sign in your front yard.  Also post signs at public places such as supermarkets and businesses that have community bulletin boards (See Lost Pet Flyer). Include a description of your pet and its photograph, if possible. Be specific enough to identify your pet, but for security reasons, withhold some details you can use later to help determine whether someone has actually found your pet. (See "A few words of caution," below.) State the date and area where your pet was last seen. Include daytime and evening phone numbers and your first name only. Don't include your address. Offer a reward, but don't state the amount.

Above all, be persistent! Pets have been known to reappear many months after they were lost. They sometimes also travel long distances. Continue to check with the animal shelters even if you have heard nothing for long periods.