You found a pet. Now what? First of all, thank you. We say "Thank you" because so many people won't stop to help an unknown animal. You are a Good Samaritan and it's people who are willing to make that extra effort who make a difference in this world. So again, we say Thank You.
Now let's figure out how to get this missing family member back to its family of origin.
PetHub Tag or Collar
Let's go through this systematically:
- If this animal has a tag or collar that shows a web address like, "PetHub.com/tag/" with a bunch of letters and/or numbers beneath it, you've come to the right place. Go to http://PetHub.com/tag and type in that series of letters and/or numbers to view the profile for that animal.
>> View Pet's Profile - If the profile only has a Contact Owners button, click it and type in a message that includes how the owner can contact you. They've chosen to keep their personal email and phone number hidden for privacy reasons but that doesn't mean you can't reach them. We'll send your message to them so that they can call you back to get the animal back home.
>> View Pet's Profile - Scan the tag with your iPhone, Android, or other smartphone (or a bystander's smartphone). Over 50% of us have smartphones and PetHub.com can pull the GPS location off the phone and email it to the pet's owner to help them start working their way to you. Most Androids and Windows phones have scanning software already installed, but if you don't have it on the phone, you can download any of the free QR Code software applications for your device.
>> Get Free Mobile QR Code Software - Revisit the pet's online profile often because it is likely that our system notified the owner that you just viewed the animal's profile and we prompted them to update the profile with their contact info and any other applicable data.
>> View Pet's Profile - Look to see if there are medications the animal needs or dietary concerns if you end up keeping the animal overnight. The owner should have included this on the pet's profile that's linked to through the tag and web address etched on the tag.
>> View Pet's Profile - View the pet's list of providers if the owner has included those. A sitter, daycare or trusted vet may be closeby.
>> View Pet's Profile
Other Steps
There are some other steps you can take while waiting to hear back from the owner, including:
- Talk to people nearby about the animal. Ask them if they recognize it and let them know you're trying to contact the owner.
- If the animal is injured, get it to a veterinarian and re-check the animal's profile pointed to by the PetHub.com tag -- it's possible it's insured so if there are extreme measures that need to be taken to nurse the animal back to health, it's possible they're covered by insurance
- Look around to see if there is a nearby pet business from which the animal may have escaped -- doggy daycares, grooming salons, pet supply stores, trainers. Also keep an eye out for someone walking with a leash that's missing an animal on the other end (and looking around worried).
- Call us. Although the owner may have chosen to hide their phone number, we might have it in our records and can call on your behalf (but we cannot provide you with their data, only place the call for you). We are at 1-855-PET-HUB1 (International callers: +1 774 469 4636 )
- Contact your local shelter -- the goal is to get an animal home before it enters a shelter, but if you're unable to care for it, unable to locate the owner, and the local businesses don't recognize the animal (and believe me, Doggy Daycares know their clients' pets well), you need to keep them safe and your local shelter is there to help. Plus, the owner may already have contacted the shelter using our Shelter Alert system so they just might already be on the look-out for this wayward critter.
Again, thank you for making the effort to get this animal home to its family. Call us so we can brainstorm other ideas with you and help you think through your options.