What do I do if my pet gets lost?

Losing a pet is nerve-wracking and scary, which is why you shouldn’t have to handle it alone. Pawscout’s here to help! Our Lost Pet Report feature helps you create a digital lost pet poster that you can share to your Pawscout social feed—and everywhere else.

Marking your pet as lost

First, navigate to the Home screen and select your lost pet. You’ll see the neighborhood map, where you’ll press the ‘+’ icon to generate a menu of options. Choose “Report Lost.”

Completing a Lost Pet Report

From there, you’ll be guided through an incident report that includes where your pet was when you saw them last, the circumstances, and your contact information.

We automatically pull details from your pet’s profile to populate your report. This includes their name, photos, and any medical needs or temperament information you’ve previously listed in their profile. You can edit your report if you notice anything that’s incomplete or out of date.

Adding contact information and permissions. When adding your contact info to a Lost Pet Report, you will have the option to enter an email, phone number, or both. You’ll also be asked if you want to make your contact information public, meaning that it will be visible on your report’s unique URL. We highly recommend making your contact details public! It’s the easiest way for the Pawscout community (and their friends) to let you know when they’ve found your pet.

Sharing your Lost Pet Report

When you’re finished with your report, you’ll have the opportunity to preview before posting. Your Lost Pet Report will automatically be shared to your social feed, and nearby Pawscouters will be notified by text and email that a lost pet is in their area.

Additionally, your Lost Pet Report will have its own unique URL. Share the link on whatever social networks you use in addition to Pawscout—Facebook, Twitter, Nextdoor, WhatsApp—to spread the word as far and fast as possible.

On iOS, you can edit your report anytime to add details or correct mistakes. At this time, Android users must select “End Search” and start again to make changes.

Ending your search

When you’ve found your pet or choose to cancel your report for another reason, select “End Search” in the options menu below your Lost Pet Report.