Universal Press Syndicate Checking shelters in person is essential when a pet goes missing.

First on the "to do" list: Make some "Lost pet" signs.

You don't need to describe your pet from nose to tail. If you've lost a large black dog, start with that. Make sure the sign can be easily read from a distance. Include your phone number and area code. And put the word "reward" in big, clear letters. Money can motivate a lot of people who might not care much otherwise. So can appealing to emotion, such as by writing "Children's pet" or "Needs medication."

Print enough signs and display them in the most effective way possible -- place some signs where drivers can see them and some for pedestrians. Also, put signs in places where pet people go: veterinary offices, dog parks, pet-supply stores and pet groomers. You'll also need to place a lost-pet ad in local newspapers and on Web sites.

Enlist the help of friends, family and neighbors in the search, and go door-to-door in your area. Ask neighbors to check garages, tool sheds and crawl spaces. Cats often slip into such spaces unnoticed and are trapped when doors are shut behind them.

You'll need to visit every shelter in your area and to look through the cages and runs yourself. Shelter workers are busy, and they might not remember seeing your pet or recognize him from your verbal description. Ask to see the pets in the infirmary as well as in the general runs, since your pet might have been injured.

And keep looking. Pets can turn up weeks or even months after they go missing.