According to the Humane Society of the United States, approximately 10 million cats and dogs stray from their homes each year. If your pet becomes lost, the following procedures can be helpful:

1. Telephone all animal shelters, humane societies, animal control agencies and other animal protection groups within a fifty-mile radius and file a lost pet report. Visit shelters in your area every few days. Some shelters hold animals for only three days. The law varies from state to state. Pets with ID are held longer.

2. Search your neighborhood with the help of friends. The early morning hours and sunset are good hours for finding lost dogs. For cats, the best time to look is in the evening, when streets are quiet. Take a flashlight and look under cars, bushes and alleys. Take a friend for safety and food so when your pet is found, it can be fed and calmed immediately. Remember to keep someone at home to answer the phone. Go to animal "hangouts", playgrounds, parks, and other homes with animals. If you walk your animal on a leash, a lost animal will return to familiar places such as parks and playgrounds. If you have recently moved, some animals will attempt to return to the prior residence if reasonably local or they will find a hiding place in your new home.

3. Always look closest to home first. For cats, don't overlook the most out- of-the-way places such as closest, drawers, or boxes stored high in the garage. Call your pet's name and listen for a reply. Remember, some animals may be too scared to respond.

4. Set up a temporary outdoor pet comfort station. Leave fresh food and water outside in a large cardboard box lined with an old towel or other item that smells familiar to your pet. If your pet returns at night while you are asleep, the food and shelter may save its life. For cats, set the litter box outside. Disperse and article or two of clothing around the perimeter of your residence. The familiar scent could bring your pet home.

5. Question joggers, neighbors, pedestrians, postal carriers newspaper carriers, garbage collectors, meter readers, UPS , Federal Express and other delivery people in your neighborhood. 6. Post fliers at local public places. Include a photo, physical description and phone number. Place an ad in your local newspaper and check the "found" ads frequently. More than 2,000 radio stations nationwide will broadcast missing pet information. Your local humane society or animal control department may be able to tell you which stations perform that service in your community. Offer a reward.

www.familysafety.com/safety/find.shtml