• First, call your neighbours to find out whether they're missing a pet or know of anyone who is.
  
  
• Next, check with local shelters and animal rescue organizations to find out whether anyone has reported the pet missing. If not, make sure they have a record of the pet you have found. Click here for a list of London shelters and animal rescue organizations. Click here for a list of Middlesex shelters and animal rescue organizations. (Note: if you decide to take the animal to your local animal control agency, you may want to inquire about the agency's euthanasia policies and consider whether you can keep the pet yourself while you search.)
  
  
• You can create a flyer to get the word out. Here's an MS-Word template based on the flyer shown at right. Our Flyers page has suggestions of where and how to distribute your flyers. If you live in a small town or neighbourhood, be sure to post the flyer in your local grocery store - all of your neighbours will see it there. Tip: don't include a complete description of the pet - keep an identifying feature back so that you can be sure that anyone claiming the pet is the real owner.
  
  
• Many newspapers, including the London Free Press, will print Found ads free. See our Newspaper ads page for a list of area papers.
  
  
• If you still haven't found the pet's home, you might want to call or email animal shelters outside of London/Middlesex. Click here for a list of shelters in neighbouring municipalities. Click here for a list of shelters in the southern Ontario region.
  
  
• You can check "lost and found" websites to see if anyone has reported a similar pet missing. If not, you can post the pet's information for other people to search.
  
  
• Many people who have found pets want to ensure that the pet will have a happy ending even if they can't find the original home. If that is the case, consider whether you can keep the pet yourself or if you know someone who can. If not, classified ads are a good way of finding new homes for pets. It's a good idea to meet the prospective adopters before you commit to letting them adopt the pet.
  
  Best Friends Animal Sanctuary in Kanab, Utah has an excellent 12-page brochure in PDF format*: "How to find homes for homeless pets". The brochure includes sample flyers and ads, advice for screening prospective adopters, and an adoption contract. Also from Best Friends: Finding a New Home for a Pet and "Help Me ... I Found a Stray" - A practical guide to helping stray animals. (*Download the Acrobat PDF reader.)

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