Lost pets
Pets are members of our families, and anyone who has ever had a pet go missing knows the heartbreak and anxiety an owner feels when faced with lost pets. We were unfortunate enough to experience this a couple of years ago when our black Maine Coon cat sneaked out through an open door and disappeared.My daughter was heartbroken, as he was her special pet. We visited the shelters, and the neighborhood was plastered with fliers with a photo of Lucky on them, begging people to call if he was found. Weeks went by, and our hopes began to fade. We still checked the shelters, and still looked hopefully around nearby neighborhoods, but the chances of getting him back were becoming slimmer.
Unfortunately, we discovered him on the side of the road, a month and a half after he had gone missing. He had been killed by a car. But other than that, he was in good condition. Obviously, someone had taken him in and been caring for him. We never found out how near he was to us the whole time, but perhaps the person caring for him didn't see our fliers. I wish there had been a better way to contact everyone within the nearby area to search for him during that time he was missing.
We have found such a service available, started by another cat owner who hasn't recovered her pet either. (By the way, the photos of her cat on the site show a well-named cat, a very lovely "Cutie McPretty" ... our condolences to Cutie's owner, and hopes that she finds her pet, especially since she is helping others to find their pets.)
The service at FindToto lets owners who have lost dogs, cats, or other pets fill out an information form about the animal and where it was lost along with their contact information. FindToto then contacts hundreds (you select how many based on the population where the pet was lost) of people in the area by phone to let them know your lost pet's information and how to contact you.
The service seems to be quite effective. I read the testimonial page and was surprised to see how many people found dogs and cats based on calls from people who had been notified. In many cases, several people call with information about the missing pet, because a number of people will have seen the pet and hopefully someone has taken it in and will also respond. Even in cases where the pet is frightened and hiding, it is possible to find the cat or dog when a neighbor calls to tell you that your pet is hiding in the field near their house.
We thought this was a wonderful service. We hope that you never need to use a service like FindToto.com, but if you do, it's good to know that such a service is available. It's also nice to keep it in mind in case someone you know loses a pet too. I only wish we'd had such a service available when our Lucky went missing. It's been a couple of years now, but our daughter still thinks of him and we all still miss him. He was a wonderful companion.
