Register and Tag Your Pet.  Having identification tags on your pet's collar gives you the highest probability that your lost pet will be returned to you. REGISTER YOUR PET through The Pet Protector System at www.help4pets.com and receive special tags to put on their collars, along with entry into their database. Here's what you'll receive:

Microchip Your Pets. This is a good backup to tags and registry with www.help4pets.com. Note that not all microchips (made by different companies) can be read by all scanners.

Tattoo-A-Pet. Contact them at 1-800-TAT-TOOS for a tattoo practitioner in your area. Then register your pet with Tattoo-A-Pet. I think this is another backup idea, but I'm not sure how practical it is.

The Light.   Picture in your mind a big beacon (similar to a lighthouse), or a beam of light shooting straight up (similar to the powerful lights used at night to announce a grand opening or event).  Picture this light coming from the area or object you wish your animal friend to go to or return to.  Hold the picture in your mind with the intent that it draw the animal to that spot.  Imagine that the beacon is circling 360 degrees, searching for and reaching out to your animal.  Your intent is that this beacon or beam of light is (not will, but is) drawing your animal friend back to you, guiding him or her home. Imagine that your animal friend can "see" this light in his or her mind too.  Intent is the most important part of this technique, so don't worry if you can't "see" such a light in your mind's eye. Imagine that you can.  Periodically reaffirm this intention by picturing the beacon or beam of light.

The Spoken Request. Talk out loud to a photograph of your animal friend. Tell them that you love them, you miss them, and anything else you want them to know.  Ask that they return to you as soon as possible. Ask them to be safe and careful in returning, especially around roads and traffic.   Respect their right to make decisions; ask, don't command. 

The Cord.  Imagine a big pink silky cord connecting your heart to your animal's heart, a "love cord". See this cord in your mind's eye. Have the intention that this cord keeps you connected to each other, and will help draw the animal back to you.

The Release.  And then, let go and trust.  For events to happen, we must ask and then let go and trust. E-motions are Energy in Motion.  Release your fear and anxiety so that events can continue to unfold. 

Trust.  Trust that the highest and best good will occur for all concerned.  Accept that the "highest and best good for all concerned" does not always match our desires.  If you believe in a higher power, call on a it, and on St. Francis of Assisi, the Patron Saint of Animals, for assistance with the situation.

Stay Positive, and TRUST.  THIS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT THING YOU CAN DO THROUGHOUT THE SITUATION. I cannot stress this enough! Stay positive that your animal is okay and can make it back home to you, and trust that the Universe is working on this situation for the highest and best good for all involved. Your positive, centered intent that your animal return home safely is as important as the work we do.  Visit the Cases and Testimonials page and read the Lost and Missing Animals case examples.  PROJECTING NEGATIVE ENERGY (fear, anxiety, worry, grief, anger, etc.), PESSIMISTIC THOUGHTS and/or DOOM-N-GLOOM WORDS at the situation doesn't serve you or your animal in any beneficial way. Right? Remember that your animal is connected to you telepathically and psychically, and they DO sense your angst. So project confidence, centeredness, Love and Light about the situation and to them. Support and encourage, don't scare and terrify them with your worries, doubts, etc. TRUST that they can take good care of themselves (they are very resourceful and have instinctual preservation mechanisms). REMEMBER: IF YOU'RE GOING TO SPEND ENERGY ON THE SITUATION, SPEND POSITIVE ENERGY - think, speak and active positively, act with Love, request that the situation and your animal be surrounded and protected by white divine Light. Ask for intuitive guidance from your guides, angels, God, benevolent beings, guardians, those who have passed before who may have an interest in this situation . . . don't worry about where the help comes from, just ask for it.

BREATHE, BREATHE, BREATHE. When you're tense, worried, upset, fearful, angry, grief-stricken, your body tightens up, your breathing becomes shallow, and you hold the negative emotions within your body and energy field. BREATHE. Take slow deep breaths, in through the nose and out through the mouth, to help you get calm and centered. Do this as often as necessary. BEING GROUNDED AND CONNECTED AND CENTERED HELPS YOUR PET CONNECT TO YOU. If your mind is swirling with fear and negative thoughts, there's no room for their guidance (or anyone else's) to come through.

VISIT THE NATIONAL PET RECOVERY WEBSITE for a 32 page manual on how to recover lost and stolen pets. Learn how National Pet Recovery finds missing pets. www.petrecovery.com

REGISTER YOUR LOST (or Found) PET at www.findthatpet.com. There is no charge for this service. You can post a photo and details. This is one of the only lost and found websites that use maps so you can pinpoint exactly where a pet was lost or found.

Expect Unusual Behavior. Animals do not act as we think they might when they get lost. See http://www.lostapet.org/101_archive_list.shtml and http://www.lostapet.org/lostpets101.shtml. Please visit this important website and read the articles listed for what to expect from a dog or cat behavior-wise when they get lost. This is vital information to have in the event your pet goes missing.

Keep Searching; and take a flashlight with you!  Continue to look around your neighborhood; check out debris piles, sheds, under vehicles, etc.  Don't rule anything out -- you'd be surprised where an animal can hide. REPEAT: Do NOT assume by looking at something that it wouldn't be possible, feasible, or likely your pet could be in that particular area/place. I had one case where the indoor cat (got out without the people realizing it) ended up in the basement of the building next door. Another ended up in the crawl space under a neighbor's house. CHECK IT OUT, no matter how impractical it may seem. FOLLOW YOUR INSTINCTS - if you're guided to "look over there" or "go down this road", do it. You're being given information to follow. It may be a dead-end, but if it keeps coming back to you, keep checking it out. It may be that "going down this road" will lead you to someone who has seen your pet. Stranger things have happened. Taking a flashlight along is important - shining it into dark spaces will help you see more clearly, and will also reflect off an animal's eyes, making them much easier to see.

Tell Everyone.  Post and hand out flyers to businesses in the area, your postman, neighbors, etc. 

Flyers should have a large picture of your animal (preferably in color), or a photograph/image of an animal of the same breed.  Add the words, "Reward" in big red letters, and "for Information Leading to the Return of this Lost Pet" in smaller letters, at the top of the flyer. Be sure to include the date that the animal was lost.  As a common courtesy, at the appropriate time, remove the flyers and let people know that the animal has returned or been found so that they're not still looking for your animal three months later.

Tell Animal Care Personnel.  Leave information with your veterinarian, lost animal agencies, shelters, animal control facilities, and rescue groups in the area. Also, contact the breed rescue group in your city/county/state.

Drive Around.  Travel the nearby roads in at least a two-mile radius of where the animal was lost. Walk any areas which seem remotely possible for your animal to be in, and do so on a daily basis. Animals are not usually comfortable around vehicles so they will probably not come up to yours.  If they can smell your scent and hear your voice (a few of the reasons for walking the area), it may give them enough of a sense of safety to come to you. NOTE that animals may not meow or bark when they hear you, especially if they are in instinctual preservation mode (i.e. hiding keeps them safe). When they are operating from instinct, they may not recognize you, they may run from you, or they may hiss, spit or bark at you. This is not unusual, don't be offended. Just do what you can to catch them without frightening them further.

Run an Ad.  Place an ad in the local papers.

Telepathic Communication/Connection.  Continue to use the special techniques noted above.

Follow Your Instincts.  Are there any areas around you that s/he could get into and not get out of, such as a shed, under a building, in a garage? Even if I receive information that s/he is outdoors and moving freely, that can change at any time.  I encourage people to follow their instincts and look anywhere and everywhere remotely possible for an animal to get into, and to do so on a regular basis. And if you have a gut feeling about something, check it out, no matter how impractical it may seem.

Be Patient, Stay Centered, and Trust in the Bigger Picture.  Your search may go on for some time.  Know that animals are very resourceful about taking care of themselves. They can do okay without food a lot longer than they can without water.  

Be Prepared for Surprises.  Rarely is this the case, but there may be a very small possibility that s/he does not want to return home at this time.  Animals have free will as people do, and make their own decisions. We ask and suggest, rather than demand, but sometimes it's not what they're willing to agree to or do. They may have decided they've completed what they came into your life to do with you, and have moved on to a new person or situation so they can continue to evolve spiritually, mentally, emotionally, and/or to be or service to someone else who can benefit from their unique presence.

Create a Support Structure for Yourself. These situations are very stressful and can be emotionally draining.  Call on friends and loved ones to help you stay centered and gently focused on the safe return of your beloved animal friend.

Bach's Rescue Remedy.  Please consider purchasing a bottle of the Bach Flower Essence known as "Rescue Remedy". This can be found at most health food stores and even certain grocery stores.  A dose is 4 drops; shake or tap the bottle lightly 8 times (each time before you take a dose), then take one dose every 5 minutes until you feel yourself relaxing and becoming centered again.  Then take one dose every hour or as needed during this time.  The flower essences are not drugs, herbs or homeopathy. They are vibrational essences (energy), and work to rebalance dis-ease in the mind, emotions and spirit.  It is an important tool to keep on hand, as it can also be given to animals in this manner.  It is especially useful in cases of trauma, shock, fright/terror, pain; before, during and after a seizure (give a dose every 5 minutes as soon as you suspect a seizure is coming on); after surgery to help with that disoriented feeling, etc.  See my Bach Flower Essences page for more information.

Utilize All Your Resources.  Several groups which offer advice about and/or assistance with locating missing animals:

www.lostapet.org Offers very important information regarding the behaviors of lost cats and dogs so you know what to expect and how to best search for them.

www.missingpet.net/index.htm  Missing Pet Network - you can register your missing pet here (an on-line forum)

www.petrecovery.com  National Pet Recovery

www.fidofinder.com A registry for dogs in the event they go missing in the future, and also a directory of dogs that have been lost, so people who find a dog can look on the site to see if they can find its owner.

Tattoo-A-Pet, 1-800-TAT-TOOS (828-8667)  You must be previously registered with them.

http://www.911parrotalert.com/ 911 Parrot Alert is run and maintained by volunteer members all around the world. Their primary objective is to gather and exchange information on missing and found parrots. They comb through Internet and newspaper ads, make contacts, and offer guidance and support to members with missing or found birds.