More Short & Sweet HomeSafe Stories

PetLynx helps animal companions get home ... safe!


PetLynx turned out to be very successful for me as I found Oreo the very next night.  A lady had found him and posted it on PetLynx. Thank you very much for this site,  I didn't even know that it existed until my dog went missing.

    Sherry

I have PetLynx to thank for reuniting me and my pet! After three months of seemingly endless searching, within 5 minutes of posting her on PetLynx she was found! I was overjoyed with tears and was so happy to see my pet was safe. Thank you PetLynx and Calgary Animal Services. Without you I wouldn't have been able to find my cat :) .

   Kendra

Thanks to PetLynx I have my dog is now home safe and sound. I would like to thank you and your staff for a job well done. So, on behalf of Sheeba (my friend's dog which I lost) and myself, I'd like to thank all who helped with her safe return!

Pearl O.

Find out how PetLynx could help your pet get HomeSafe? Click here.

Posted by Terri Perrin, Online Communications Editor

Look-a-Like Lost Cats Equals Double Trouble!

This unusual PetLynx HomeSafe story is an excellent example of why all companion animals  should have some form of permanent identification, such as a tattoo or microchip.

"We were elated when we thought we had found our domestic long-haired cat, Lulu, in a backyard just three houses down from ours," wrote Nina S. of Calgary "She appeared nervous, hungry and thirsty, but otherwise healthy. We considered that 'Lulu' may have became disorientated after being chased into a hiding spot and then had no idea how to get home again.

"But there was something in the shape of this cat's face,... the density of her coat and the way she reacted to our dog made us doubt ourselves. Was this really our Lulu, we wondered? It sure looked like her but...."

PetLynx Results in Immediate Action!

I found the PetLynx website after my cat, Tilley, became lost. I have been down this road before with a lost kitty and I know about the sleepless nights spent wondering and the heart sick feeling spending days hoping... comforting children and pretending to be hopeful while imagining good endings.  

Almost immediately after posting Tilley's information on PetLynx, I viewed the 'found' listings and there he was! Thankfully, Tilley is now happily at home ... and my heart is not apart. Thank you so much for this service! PetLynx is outstanding and has taken away what could have been days of searching and sadness.

Thank you!

Debra S.

Posted by Terri Perrin, Online Communications Editor

Mysterious "Disappearance" Has Happy Ending

Have you ever "lost" your cat, only to discover it hours later sleeping on your bed or hiding in a gym bag?

This relieved pet sitter never did find out where kitty was hiding but was relieved to know she had been HomeSafe all along!

I was cat sitting for a co-worker who was away for three weeks. The inside of her house was getting painted and there were painters in and out for the first three days.  For the first two days, I couldn't find Smokey, but just figured she was hiding.  On day three she was still missing so I had two other people help me search the house but we still couldn't find her.

Kitty HomeSafe After Three Weeks

I had noticed a very pretty, long-haired cat wandering in our neighbourhood for a few weeks and no-one seemed to know whom she belonged to. One day, I reached down to pet the cat and discovered that -- underneath all of that hair -- she was very thin. She acted like she was starving so I gave her some fish and she gobbled it up. I knew then the cat was genuinely lost.

I bought some cat food and continued feeding kitty for a few days. Eventually, I posted a "Found Cat" report on PetLynx and made a poster. Soon after, I received a call from a woman saying it was her teenaged daughter's 12-year-old cat. She had been checking PetLynx regularly and was trilled to find my posting. Their cat had been missing for three weeks!

It was a very emotional experience when they came to get their cat. The girl was so relieved that she had finally found her life-long friend she cried tears of joy! She was so thankful that she sent me flowers.
 

Thank you PetLynx for providing this service. I felt so sorry for the cat and it was helpful to have somewhere to turn to for assistance in locating her owners.

Evelyn K.,

Calgary, AB

Posted by Terri Perrin, Online Communications Editor

The Cats Came Back!

More HomeSafe Success Stories:

I just wanted everyone to know, that if you have lost a pet…. don’t give up and prayer is always a great resource! I had lost my indoor cat, named Paws, for two and a half days. He had never been outside before and he is declawed from a previous owner so, needless to say, I was quite worried about him. But with a lot of prayers and searching, he came home! I had left food out for him on the back deck as well as his litter box. So my Paws is now home safe and very happy to be home!

Shannon B.

Edmonton, AB

I was moving and hadn't gotten settled enough to bring my cats, Milo and Cidney, to my new home. One day, Milo bolted past my ex-wife while she was leaving the house and ran down the street. I emailed a friend of mine a few pictures of Milo and she was kind enough to post lost cat ads on Kijiji, Craig's List, PetLynx, and the SPCA website.

Milo was gone for two weeks before someone saw his picture on Kijiji and contacted me. I rewarded the person for keeping Milo safe. Apparently the young man was learning how to drive with his father and just about hit Milo as he darted in front of the vehicle! When they stopped to check that the cat was okay, Milo jumped into the car!

After I picked Milo up from his rescuers, I made arrangements to pick up Cidney, so they could be together at my new home.  I thanked all my friends for supporting me and not letting me give up hope in finding him.

The End ;)

Lost your pet? Don't give up hope!

We adopted "Haley" from the Arizona Humane Society last November. She soon became our much-loved little princess. Although she has been kept as an indoor cat, she managed to sneak outside one day and was missing for almost two weeks.

I never gave up hope that I would find my beloved little cat. I went to the Dog Pound and the Humane Society to check for her every day. I also continued to walk through our neighborhood, calling her name every night -- sometimes until 1:00 in the morning. (My friends and family thought I was crazy but I didn't care!) I also left my arcade door open a crack, just in case she came back on her own. Guess what?! She did come back!

One morning I woke up to a familiar meow. It was Haley! My family and I were thrilled that she had returned on her own! Although it was not a factor in her recovery, we were certain we would eventually get Haley back because she has a pet identification microchip that was implanted by the Humane Society. Please ,if you every adopt a pet, make sure you get the chip put in or, if they don't offer it to you, ask for one. This chip provided us some peace of mind.

If you have lost your pet.... I hope that our story helps give you hope!

Thank you,

Cammie Lynn H.

Step by Step to Help a Lost Pet

Found a pet? Here help:

Be safe! Not Sorry! If the animal is aggressive or you fear for your safety, call your local animal control centre for assistance.



If the animal is manageable, check for identification and record this information on a sheet of paper.



Once you have written down all of this information, register the animal as "Found" on PetLynx. Don't worry if you can't find any form of I.D.! PetLynx's AutoMatch system can make matches based on physical description alone! 

Look for ID on collars: If there are no visible tags, take the collar off and check for a hand-written phone on the underside o the collar

Check for tattoos: Look inside both ears, on the inside hind legs and on the abdomen. Don't worry if you can't decipher the tattoo, PetLynx can search for AutoMatches even with a partial tattoo number.

Check for a Microchip: This form of "electronic identification" is smaller than a grain of rice and is inserted under the animal's skin. You can't actually see or feel a microchip, so will have to take the animal to a veterinary clinic or animal shelter to have the animal "scanned" for a microchip.

In addition to adding the pet to the lost and found network, PetLynx enables you to easily create and print posters to distribute around your neighbourhood.

You should also:

• Contact your local SPCA and Animal Control Centre. 
• Contact local veterinary clinics, pet groomers and pet supply stores. 
• Check the "Lost and Found" column of your local paper. 
• Place an ad in your local paper -- this ad space is generally offered free of charge.  
• Ask neighbours if they recognize the animal. 
• If you have found a purebred animal, contact a breed organization. 

When you find the guardian, don't forget to contact the various groups keeping records -- including PetLynx -- and let them know the animal is HomeSafe so they can take the animal off their records.

Lost Your Cat? Search From a Cat's Point of View

The Davies family were concerned when Boots, their eight-month old kitten, was recovering from spay surgery because she seemed to be experiencing some discomfort. Needless to say, they were frantic when they couldn't find her a few hours after they had brought her home from the vet!
After a quick search of the house, they registered Boots as “lost” on PetLynx™.


Thankfully, Boots was not really missing, she had just decided to curl up in a little ball and sleep for a few hours! The kitten reappeared when she was hungry.


“Although we know she likes warm and hidden away places, we failed to check a little crawl space under the stairwell!” explained Mr. Davies. “We had turned the house upside down looking for her, but didn't look there.”

The Davies’ say they learned a valuable lesson; one that they’ll be sure to use the next time kitty pulls a disappearing act! They suggest you look through your home from a cat’s point-of-view. Even get down on your hands and knees to search!

“Be sure you check hidden away places,” said Mr. Davies. “Look through the whole house room by room, closing each door behind you as you go.”

Helpful Hint for Missing Cats

When Goliath went missing, his guardian went to her local SPCA to search for her lost cat. One of the employees suggested something different that she could do, in addition to registering with PetLynx and all of the other steps she was taking to find him.

She suggested putting something familiar to the cat outside to help lure him home -- such as his scratching post, litter tray or favorite cat bed. This can be especially helpful for indoor cats, not familiar with the sights and smells of the great outdoors.

"I put Goliath's scratching post outside as soon as I got home from the SPCA," explained Peggy. "Twenty minutes later I went outside to call Goliath and shake his bag of treats and I heard a faint meow... and there he was! He was in the backyard, hiding on the lower apartment's porch. I was ECSTATIC to see my baby boy back home."

"Thank you to PetLynx, the SPCA and everyone else who was concerned and helping me find my cat"

Peggy

Purr-fect Ending in Australia

A microchip helps another pet get HomeSafe

"Clyde", a Himalayan cat, was recently reunited with his owner after a mysterious three-year odyssey in which he strayed 2,400 miles (3,800 kilometres) into the Australian Outback.

Ashleigh Sullivan, 19, said she had given up hope of ever finding Clyde after he vanished from her family home near Hobart, Tasmania. A the time, he was about a year old.

"I'm positive he remembers [us]. He's not acting like he's suddenly appeared somewhere and is frantic," Sullivan said as she tearfully held her contented cat.

A nurse found Clyde wandering at a hospital in the remote Queensland state town of Cloncurry. She cared for him for four months before taking him to a local vet as she was leaving town and could not take the cat with her.

A vet traced Clyde's owner from the cat's microchip.

But no one has a clue how Clyde managed the 185-mile (300-kilometre) sea journey across the Bass Strait from Tasmania, off mainland Australia's southeast coast, and then about 2,000 miles (3,200 kilometres) overland to Cloncurry, deep in the arid interior of the Outback.

An animal transport company returned the cat to Hobart for free.

"It's pretty special to have him back." Sullivan said. "I'm overwhelmed."

Kudos for Heping Reunite a Lost Cat!

"I am impressed by PetLynx! What a terrific way to reunite lost pets with their people -- thank you for this service!" wrote Demerse C. from Calgary.

"I found 'Leo' in SW Calgary one evening when returning home from walking my dog," she explained. "The cat's friendliness and desire to be around people really made me think that he wanted his family, so that was a big reason why I pursued finding his people so vigorously."

Demerese took pictures of the cat she would later learn was named 'Leo.' She made up “Found Cat” posters and put them on several of the lamp posts in the area, as well as the local grocery store. She emailed the posters to several vets, put the information on Kijiji, and filed a PetLynx report out that same evening.

Although there has been several close matches on PetLynx, the pet family was not located. Demerese then decided to take the cat to the vet to check out his tattoo and see if he had a microchip. The vet was able to identify him through the tattoo in his ear, and found his owners that way. The owners had given up hope of ever finding their beloved Leo again, since he had been missing for about six months.

"I really appreciate the PetLynx website, and will definitely use it in the future," concluded Demerese. "It’s nice to know that there’s a place to [help] reunite people with their pets."

Local Service Providers: Calgary Animal & Bylaw Services, Calgary Humane Society