July 4th may be a wonderful patriotic fun-filled holiday for us humans, but not so much for our pets.  In fact, more pets go missing on July 4th than any other day of the year! 

Since we are about a week away from this national holiday, it is the perfect time to be prepared in case your pet is lost.  So here is our San Jose Animal Advocates list of the 5 things you should do immediately if your pet is lost:


1 - Notify your neighbors.  Email a picture of your pet and where you last saw it to your neighborhood email group.  If your neighborhood doesn't have an email group, knock on some doors and let your immediate neighbors know.  Ask them to check their garages as often cats will go into a garage to explore and get locked in there!  Also, consider using a service like FindToto.com which alerts people in your neighborhood that your pet is missing.  They actually have a database with phone numbers of your neighbors!

2 - Post a flyer.  This age-old idea of posting a Lost Pet flyer actually does work!  There is even a useful online tool to help you create a good lost pet flyer asap!  Post these flyers on telephone polls, put under your neighbors' mats or in their mailboxes, etc.

3 - Search online for lost San Jose* pets.  Do a quick search to see if your pet has ended up at the San Jose Animal Care Center.  We have created an easy link for you to check all animals (dogs, cats, other) who have been turned in to our local shelter.  Here is the link:  http://bit.ly/sj-lost-pets
*Applies to residents of San Jose, Saratoga, Los Gatos, Milpitas & Cupertino.  If you live in another jurisdiction, see our Directory for the corresponding shelter.

4 - Go to the San Jose Animal Care Center.  Did you know that a shelter only needs to hold on to your pet for 72 hours?  If you are a resident of San Jose, Cupertino, Saratoga, Los Gatos or Milpitas and your pet is lost in that area, it will be brought to the San Jose Animal Care Center.   We recommend that you GO to the shelter and complete a lost pet report, and take a lost pet tour to see if your pet is there.  Hours for lost pet tours are Tuesday - Saturday 11:00am to 6:30 and Sunday 11:00am to 4:30pm.  They are closed on Mondays.  Need directions to the shelter? 

5 - Place a lost pet ad on Craigslist.  Since many people are not looking in the newspaper as much these days, it is a great idea to post a lost pet notice on Craigslist.  It is free, and it just might help you get your best friend back.

Speaking of July 4th, San Jose Animal Advocates will be at the Rose, White & Blue festival after the parade.  Come by and say hello, and we will have a handy reference card with these lost pet tips and more!  Have a safe and happy 4th!

Meet Hannah.  She is 9 years old and last year found an injured baby bird in her yard and took it to the Wildlife Center of Silicon Valley.   Through this experience she learned about what to do when you find injured wildlife.  She shared this experience along with a drawing of a baby mockingbird in a story featured in our Fall newsletter. 

This past holiday weekend, Hannah held her annual bake sale and decided that the proceeds should be split between the Wildlife Center of Silicon Valley and Golden Gate Greyhound rescue group.  She remembered the organization that took care of her injured baby mockingbird and wanted to do something to help other injured wildlife.