How to make a lost pet flyer that works

Put the word LOST and the species at the top in the biggest letters that fit, add one large, clear photo, and put your phone number at the bottom in bold. That's most of a good flyer. People read lost pet flyers from a car at a stop sign or while walking past, so it has to work in a few seconds.

The rest of this guide covers what to include, how to design it, where to post it and what to avoid.

The layout that works

Keep it to one side of one sheet of paper, portrait orientation. From top to bottom:

1. Headline: LOST DOG or LOST CAT, in thick, dark capital letters across the full width. For a found pet, use FOUND DOG or FOUND CAT.
2. Photo: one clear photo, as big as you can make it, ideally half the page.
3. Name and key details: three to five short lines.
4. Last seen: area and date.
5. Contact: phone number, large and bold, and optionally a short web address.
6. Tear-off tabs along the bottom edge.

Resist the urge to add more. Every extra line makes the important parts smaller.

Choosing the photo

The photo does most of the work. Pick one that:

• Shows your pet's face and body clearly.
• Is in focus and well lit.
• Shows true colors and markings.
• Has a plain background, if possible.
• Doesn't include people or other pets.

If your pet has distinctive markings on one side, choose a photo that shows them. If your best photos are old, use the most recent one where your pet looks like it does now.

One photo is better than a collage. Four small photos are hard to see from a distance.

What details to include

Pick the three to five details that make your pet stand out:

• Breed or mix, and size (use "small," "medium," "large," or approximate weight).
• Main color and any obvious markings.
• Collar color, if your pet was wearing one.
• Temperament: "friendly, may approach" or "shy, do not chase, please call."
• Medical needs, if any, such as "needs daily medication."

Then add:

• Last seen: a cross street or landmark, plus the date. For example: "Last seen near Oak St and 5th Ave, Sept 26."
• Reward: if you're offering one, "Reward" is enough. You don't have to list an amount.

Tip: Leave out one identifying detail, such as a small scar, a white patch or a tag color. If someone calls saying they have your pet, ask them to describe it. That's how you tell a real finder from a scammer. Our guide to lost pet reward scams explains more.

Contact info

Use a phone number you'll answer, including calls from unknown numbers. Make it the second-largest text on the page after the headline.

A short web address to your online report is useful too, since it lets people see more photos and updates. If you post a free report on FoundRadar at /report, you get a public page with its own link and a ready-to-print flyer built from your report, so you don't have to design one from scratch.

Don't put your home address on the flyer.

Tear-off tabs

Tear-off tabs let people take your number with them. Cut 8 to 10 vertical strips along the bottom, each with your phone number and your pet's name ("LOST DOG, Max, 555-555-0123"). Cut between the strips so they tear off easily.

Tabs have a nice side effect: when they're gone, you know people are reading that flyer. Replace it with a fresh one.

Design tips

• High contrast: black or very dark text on white or bright paper.
• Bright paper helps: neon yellow, orange or pink paper stands out on a busy pole. Make sure the photo is still clear on it, or print in color on white paper.
• Large fonts: the headline should be readable from across a street. Use a simple, bold font. Skip script and decorative fonts.
• Color printing: worth it if your pet's color is a key feature. A red dog in black and white looks like a gray dog.
• Weatherproofing: slip flyers into clear sheet protectors, or cover them with packing tape, so rain doesn't wash them out.

Where to post flyers

Focus on places near where your pet was last seen, then widen out.

Outdoors

• Intersections and stop signs near the last-seen spot, where drivers stop and look around.
• Entrances to parks, trails and dog runs.
• Community bulletin boards at libraries, community centers, laundromats and coffee shops.

Before posting on utility poles, street signs or traffic poles, check your city or county sign rules. Many places restrict or ban signs on public poles, and some fine violators. When in doubt, ask your city's public works or code enforcement office, or post on private property with permission.

Businesses (ask first)

• Veterinary clinics, including emergency vets.
• Animal shelters and animal control offices.
• Pet stores, groomers, dog daycares and boarding kennels.
• Grocery stores and gas stations with community boards.

Most staff are glad to help. Hand them a flyer in person if you can, and ask them to keep an eye out.

Door to door

Hand flyers to neighbors directly, especially on your street and the blocks around it. People remember a face and a conversation more than a paper on a pole. Ask them to check garages, sheds and under decks.

Where not to post: mailboxes

Do not put flyers in or on mailboxes. Federal law and U.S. Postal Service rules reserve mailboxes for postal mail. That includes stuffing flyers inside, tucking them in the flag, and taping or tacking them to the box or post. Violations can lead to fines, and letter carriers may remove the flyers.

Instead, hand flyers to people, leave them in a door (not in the mailbox), or ask a neighbor if you can post one on their fence.

Warning: Also avoid posting on private property, fences and walls without permission, and keep flyers off traffic control devices where local rules forbid it. A flyer that gets pulled down right away doesn't help anyone.

How many to print

Start with at least a few dozen: enough for the intersections and businesses closest to the last-seen spot, plus extras for door-to-door. Print more as you get sightings or widen your search area. Keep a few in your car.

Checklist

• LOST DOG or LOST CAT headline, large and bold
• One clear, recent photo, as big as possible
• Three to five key details
• Last-seen area and date
• Phone number in large type, and a short web address if you have one
• Tear-off tabs with name and number
• Weatherproofed with a sheet protector or tape
• Posted near the last-seen spot, at vets, shelters and pet businesses
• Local sign rules checked; nothing in or on mailboxes

Keep flyers fresh

Walk your flyer route every few days. Replace faded, torn or rain-soaked flyers and ones whose tabs are gone. If your pet is spotted somewhere new, put up flyers there.

Take them down after

When your pet is home, go back and take down every flyer you put up, and ask businesses to remove theirs. Put a "FOUND, thank you" note on a few for a day or two if you like, so neighbors know to stop looking. Taking flyers down keeps your neighborhood clean, stops calls to your phone, and helps the next lost pet's flyers get noticed.

Close your online reports too, and thank anyone who helped. For the full search plan, see our guides for a lost dog and a lost cat.