If your pet does become lost, don't delay. Take the following steps to help bring your companion animal home to safety.

• Act fast! Don't waste days hoping your pet will come home. The sooner you begin your search, the better the odds of finding him.
• Search your neighborhood or the area where your pet was lost and let people know she's missing.
• Call your pet's name and check any places she could have become trapped, such as in basements or garages or under vehicles. A lost pet often will hide during the day, so be sure to go out again at night with a flashlight and call for her.
• Sometimes a can of food can lure a hungry and scared pet to you.
• Check with your local shelters every day. Don't just call -- also visit the shelters to search for your pet. Many animals are difficult to describe over the phone, and only you really know what your pet looks like.
• Call all animal control agencies in your town and surrounding areas. Animal control officers work through the police department and pick up stray animals. Call them or check their shelters at least every two days.
• Use your pet's photo to make "lost pet" signs. Put them up in your neighborhood and in post offices, libraries, pet supply stores, veterinary offices, and grocery stores. Inform your veterinarian and groomer that your pet is lost in case they receive a call.
• Place ads in local newspapers and offer a reward in case someone found your untagged pet and was thinking of keeping her.
• Watch the found ads. Respond to any that might be close to your pet's description. A week of wandering the streets can make white pets look drab gray, and the ad's description might not exactly fit.
• Call local radio stations. Some radio stations will broadcast lost pet information for free. Give them very detailed information on where your pet was lost, his description, and how to contact you.
• Visit the websites of national locator services Petfinder.com and 1888pets911.org.

Remember that pets wearing ID tags increase their chances of finding their way back home.

Whether it is lost or stolen, losing a pet is an agonizing experience. According to the National Council on Pet Population Study and Policy, only about 2 percent of cats and 15 percent of dogs that enter U.S. animal shelters as strays every year are reunited with their owners.

The reason is shockingly simple -- too many owners fail to put identification on their animals, especially cats, to ensure their safe return home. Yet, even the most responsible pet owners can face unexpected circumstances that cause their animals to accidentally stray. This is especially true during summer when windows and doors tend to be open.

The following are common types of identification that can mean the difference between life and death for your best friend. Remember, with each of these methods, it is imperative to keep your information up to date.

ID tags

All cats and dogs need to wear collars with city licenses and rabies vaccination tags. Personal ID tags are essential backups. The tag should include the owner's name, address, telephone numbers (day and evening) and the pet's name. Also:

• If you are willing to pay a reward, put the word "reward" on the tag.
• If you are traveling, put a temporary tag on your pet with the contact information of someone who knows how to reach you.
• Use a collar especially made for cats that has a short piece of elastic sewn in it.
• These collars allow the cat to escape if it gets caught on window blinds, furniture, fencing or other objects.
• Tag your cat even if you never let it outside. It could slip through an open door and easily become lost in the neighborhood.

Tattoos

A tattoo is a permanent ID system that involves marking a code on the pet's skin. The finder calls a database and uses the code to obtain the owner's current address and phone number.

This is an invaluable ID should a pet be stolen for research, since laboratories will instantly know the animal is not abandoned, but a beloved pet.

Microchips

Microchips are tiny electronic capsules embedded under the pet's skin. When a pet is found, any agency with a scanner, including many animal care and control agencies, veterinary clinics and research labs, can quickly identify a code that links the animal to its owner through a database.

Please, for your pet's sake, show you care by properly identifying it.