What matters most first?
Instinct often makes you run shouting or drive around the whole city. More often this scatters the animal farther. You need facts and a calm, systematic search near the spot first.
- Record location and time – even if "just near home".
- Quiet walk-through before loud shouting.
- Direct contact with neighbours.
- Poster with photo and specific street.
- Veterinary clinics and shelters on the first day.
What to write down and how to record?
- Last seen location (house number, landmark).
- Time (date and approximate hour).
- Description: species, breed, colour, size, collar, microchip.
- Circumstances: noise, fireworks, possible direction.
- Mark on a map where you have already searched.
What changes at 2, 6, and 24 hours?
Within 2 hours most animals are still relatively nearby. After 6 hours the radius often grows – especially if there was fear or traffic. After a day you need a wider strategy: volunteers, posters, possibly repeated scanning of a larger area.
Practical tip: If after 4 hours there is no news and the area is larger than a few hectares – do not repeat the same route. Expand or consider aerial search.
When to call for professional help?
A thermal drone helps when you need to quickly survey a larger area and get GPS coordinates. It is not the first step in every situation, but useful when you cannot cover ground systematically on foot.
- Forest, fields, tall grass – limited visibility on the ground.
- Several hours have passed and direction is unknown.
- Night or dangerous terrain on foot.