by Barbara Besteni

Created on: May 05, 2008

When Gary and Susan Englund's cavalier King Charles spaniel, Max, slipped out of the side gate of their yard and ran away, they were devastated.

"Susan was hysterical," Gary recalls. "Max had become part of the family."

After an unsuccessful search through their neighborhood, the first thing the Englunds did was to create fliers to put up in the area and drop off at local veterinary clinics, bank drive-through windows and ATMs.

According to Miami-Dade (Fla.) Animal Services, one of the largest pet rescue groups in the country, this is one of the most effective ways to find a lost animal.

Post Your Fliers

The flier should be brightly colored to attract attention, contain a color photograph and a brief description of your pet. Post these fliers in your neighborhood, at stores, in veterinary offices and in any other location that will allow you hang to them. Include a phone number and offer a reward. Studies show that rewards bring home more pets.

The agency suggests you tell neighbors that your pet is missing. Call nearby schools and ask them to include your pet's photograph on their bulletin boards. Ask your postal carrier and sanitation workers to keep an eye out as well.

Many shelters and local animal rescue groups maintain lists of lost and found pets on their Web sites. Send a picture of your pet and look over the ones that have been found. Web sites such as PetFinder.com can also aid in your search.

"We registered Max on FidoFinders.com," Englund said. "Susan also went to the Humane Society and animal control every day, hoping someone had dropped him off. We just wanted to get as much exposure as possible."

Englund even sent an e-mail to the one of the local television stations asking if they could do a story to help find him Max. It was a long shot, but a small mention was published on the station's Web site. There was no response.

But the Englunds continued to be proactive. They filed reports with all the police stations around the area and continued to rally their neighbors. After three weeks of searching, Susan says, she thought she might never see him again.

"The worst part was not knowing if he was safe," Gary says. "We hoped that someone had picked him up and was taking care of him but feared finding out he had been hit by a car."

Gary, however, never gave up hope. Experts agree that hope and persistence, combined with a little bit of good luck and timing, are the recipe for bringing your lost pet back home. That was the case with Max.

Almost four weeks after

• 1
• 2
• Next Page >>