Is your animal companion missing?
Missing/Stolen animal companion Report
How to protect your animal companion

1. Always know where your dog or cat is. Treat your animal companion as you would a small child. Do not leave your animal companion outside unsupervised or off a leash. Do not leave your animal in your car unattended, or tied on the street while you slip into a store--not even "for just a second."
2. Keep a collar and ID tag on your animal companion at all times. Identification should include your name, address and current telephone number (day and evening, if possible). NOTE: Unscrupulous animal companion thieves will remove collars from stolen animals, but identification will help concerned dog wardens and humane society workers find you if your animal companion is lost. In addition, if your animal companion is stolen, a collar and ID tag found on a suspected thief's premises can provide evidence of theft for legal authorities.
3. Tattoo or microchip your animal companion for identification. Tattoo your animal companion on the rear inner leg, not the ear, as thieves or unscrupulous research labs may cut off the ear to eliminate the tattoo. Be sure to use a reputable tattoo service and register the number with your veterinarian or reliable service like the National Dog Registry (1-800-NDR-DOGS). Microchips implanted under the animal companion's skin can also provide identification using a specialized scanner to read and display the information. One microchip supplier in California is AVID (1-909-480-7505). Contact your veterinarian or local dog and cat clubs for referrals of local tattooing and microchipping services.
4. Spay and neuter your animal companion. This reduces your animal's desire to stray and reduces the risk of your animal companion being stolen for breeding purposes. It also helps alleviate the animal companion overpopulation crisis.
5. Keep current photos of your animal companion. If your animal companion is missing or stolen, photographs are extremely helpful in creating missing-animal flyers and identifying and reclaiming your animal companion from a laboratory, shelter or individual.
6. Never give your animal companion away without first knowing as much as possible about any new adoptive home. If you must give your dog or cat up for adoption, do not use "Free to Good Home" ads, unless you are willing to thoroughly screen prospective adopters. To screen adopters, ask for references, including a driver's license number, telephone numbers, a place of business, and the name of a veterinarian if they already have a animal companion. NEVER release your animal before visiting the prospective adopter's home.
7. Call people who have advertised animal companions through "Free to Good Home" ads. Warn them about the dangers of animal companion thieves. Urge them to get references and conduct home visits with any potential adopters. Ask your newspaper to preface these ads with warnings about the risk of animal companion theft.
8. Set up a neighborhood watch to protect animal companions and property. These programs have been very effective in stopping neighborhood crime and can prevent animal companion theft as well. Ask your local police or sheriff's department for advice about creating a neighborhood watch. Then talk to your neighbors.
9. Find out what's going on in your community. Are animal groups or shelters educating the public about animal companion theft? Does your local pound legally sell animals to research labs? If so, animal companion thieves may be attracted to your area. Pounds that sell animals to research create conditions in which there is a market value for local animal companions. When bunchers can't find high-demand animals at pounds, they steal them off the street. Find out what facilities your pound sells animals to, so that you and others can check these facilities. Does your local pound or shelter have a spay/neuter program? If they do not, this pound is not responsibly managed. Bring these issues up at town or city meetings. You may be able to gain public support for a county ordinance banning the sale of pound animals for research, or requiring a spay/ neuter program.
10. Look in the "lost" sections of local newspapers and talk to your neighborhoods. If there is a preponderance of Huskies, Shepherds, Labs and their crossbreeds -- premium research dogs -- missing in your area, it is likely that animal companion theft is occurring.
11. Educate the public about animal companion theft. Send letters to the editors to your local newspapers. Inquire at television and radio stations about airing a public service announcement (PSA) about animal companion theft.
12. Find out what U.S. Dept. of Agriculture-licensed dealers and research institutions are in your area. Call the USDA regional office nearest you for a listing. Eastern (410)571-8692; Southeast (813)225-7690; West (916)857-6205.
13. Find out how your tax dollars are being spent by the research industry. Call the laboratory animal department of your local, USDA-licensed research institutions. Ask questions. What kind of animals do they use in research? What kinds of experiments do they conduct? Where do the animals come from? From what dealers do they purchase dogs and cats? Do they require proper documentation from these dealers? If not, why? Have they ever visited the facilities of dealers from which they buy animals? How can they assure the public that they are not purchasing stolen animal companions for painful experiments? Will they allow members of the public to tour their animal holding facilities in search of lost animal companions? If not, file a complaint with your city or town government, asking for local legislation to establish and enforce public access.
14. Write a letter to the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, 14th and Independence SW, Washington, DC 20250. Urge the agency to enforce the laws against animal companion theft and punish animal dealers who violate the Animal Welfare Act.
15. Write a letter to your U.S. representatives and senators. Urge them to investigate the nationwide animal companion theft problem. The addresses are: U.S. House of Representatives, Washington, DC 20515; and U.S. Senate, Washington, DC 20480. If you don't know who your elected officials are, call your local library or League of Women Voters.

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