I’m sure we’ve all seen flyers of lost pets posted on utility poles and such. Ask yourself something: do you remember what any specific dog mentioned on any of these flyers looked like? Odds are that, despite the best of intentions, those pet owners made at least one of several possible mistakes. Here are a few to avoid, as well as several good ideas that may not have occurred to you.
First things first: use the available technology! Your computer can be a great place to start. The first thing you should do is this: enter the phrase “lost dog” and the name of your town or city into a search engine such as Google. The resulting page will give you valuable information regarding local animal shelters and such, and it may even provide you with an excellent “one-stop” solution!
Many cities will have a “lost pet site” online, usually sponsored by a local animal shelter or veterinarian’s office. These sites have two distinct advantages; first, it makes it possible to include a digital image of your pet in the ad, and second, you can include an email address, making it much easier to contact you if your dog is found.
However, not all towns have this service available. Even if your town does, there really is no substitute for “saturation posting”, especially on any well-traveled roads near your home.
Some things to keep in mind: first, a picture is worth a thousand words of description. It will also make it much easier for whoever found a dog to know they found your dog.
Second, larger really is better! I know people who have taken some of the political posters folks mount in their yards and papered them over with one large lost pet ad. This approach also has the advantage of being post able anywhere you can stick the stake into the ground!
Flyer placement is critical. If you are posting a flyer in an area thick with foot traffic, you will want to ensure the flyer is posted in such a direction, and at such a height, that it would be impossible to miss seeing it if you’re walking by. Again, pictures can be very eye-catching.
Another thing you may want to bear in mind as you’re putting your posters together is a reward. You needn’t even specify the amount; I’ve been told that this one word, alone, can significantly increase the odds that someone seeing your dog will take the trouble to see it gets back to you, so make sure it’s prominently featured in your flyers and posters.