Cover Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association
Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association
ISSN:
0003-1488
Publication Date:
15 Jun 2007
  • 1

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    Lord LK, Wittum TE, Ferketich AK, et al. Search and identification methods that owners use to find a lost cat. J Am Vet Med Assoc 2007;230:217–220.

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Search methods that people use to find owners of lost pets

Linda K. Lord DVM, PHD1, Thomas E. Wittum PHD2, Amy K. Ferketich PHD3, Julie A. Funk DVM, PHD4, and Päivi J. Rajala-Schultz DVM, PHD5
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  • 1 Department of Veterinary Preventive Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210
  • | 2 Department of Veterinary Preventive Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210
  • | 3 Department of Veterinary Preventive Medicine, College of Public Health, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210
  • | 4 National Food Safety and Toxicology Center, 165 Food Safety and Toxicology Building, East Lansing, MI 48824-1302
  • | 5 Department of Veterinary Preventive Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.2460/javma.230.12.1835
Volume/Issue:
Volume 230: Issue 12
Online Publication Date:
15 Jun 2007
Restricted access
Reprints and Permissions Purchase Article

Abstract

Objective—To characterize the process by which people who find lost pets search for the owners.

Design—Cross-sectional study.

Sample Population—188 individuals who found a lost pet in Dayton, Ohio, between March 1 and June 30, 2006.

Procedures—Potential participants were identified as a result of contact with a local animal agency or placement of an advertisement in the local newspaper. A telephone survey was conducted to identify methods participants used to find the pets' owners.

Results—156 of 188 (83%) individuals completed the survey. Fifty-nine of the 156 (38%) pets were reunited with their owners; median time to reunification was 2 days (range, 0.5 to 45 days). Only 1 (3%) cat owner was found, compared with 58 (46%) dog owners. Pet owners were found as a result of information provided by an animal agency (25%), placement of a newspaper advertisement (24%), walking the neighborhood (19%), signs in the neighborhood (15%), information on a pet tag (10%), and other methods (7%). Most finders (87%) considered it extremely important to find the owner, yet only 13 (8%) initially surrendered the found pet to an animal agency. The primary reason people did not surrender found pets was fear of euthanasia (57%). Only 97 (62%) individuals were aware they could run a found-pet advertisement in the newspaper at no charge, and only 1 person who was unaware of the no-charge policy placed an advertisement.

Conclusions and Clinical Relevance—Veterinarians and shelters can help educate people who find lost pets about methods to search for the pets' owners.

Contributor Notes

Supported by the Kenneth A. Scott Charitable Trust, a KeyBank Trust.

Presented in part at the Conference of Research Workers in Animal Diseases Annual Meeting, Chicago, December 2006.

Address correspondence to Dr. Lord.