California Lost Pet Resources

Here are some of our favorite businesses who have supported us while searching for lost pets in California, resources and just places we love: 

Henco Pet-Vet Distributors – Los Angeles (Sun Valley, CA): 11025 Fleetwood Street, Sun Valley, CA 91352, 818-767-5273 – Hands down our favorite pet supply store in Southern California (if not the United States!) It is a basic warehouse with rows and rows of all sorts of pet supplies – for birds, cats, dogs, reptiles and more! We get our Search Dogs treats and toys here all the time. This is a great place for supplies for hamsters, rabbits and guinea pigs.

La Quinta Inn San Diego – Miramar: 10185 Paseo Montril, San Diego, CA, 92129, 858-484-8800 – This is a centrally located La Quinta that is pet friendly. A great location for staging a search for a lost dog or missing cat in San Diego.

La Quinta Inn San Diego – Vista: 630 Sycamore Ave, Vista, CA 92083, 760-727-8180 – One of our favorite La Quinta locations. Very convenient and pet friendly. A few restaurants within walking distance of this location in Vista, California.

La Quinta Inn Carlsbad: 760 Macadamia Dr, Carlsbad, CA 92011, 760-438-2828 – Perfect for staging a lost pet search in North County San Diego. They are dog friendly and lots of space to walk dogs in Carlsbad, California.

La Quinta Inn Temecula: 27330 Jefferson Ave, Temecula, CA 92590, 951-296-1003 – Our favorite La Quinta in Southern California! They are newly renovated and have first floor rooms with wood floors for our Search Dogs. There are many restaurants within close walking distance.

Linda Michaels, MA – Del Mar: 858-259-9663 – Hands down the best Dog Behaviorist we know. She helps with happy dogs and dogs with some issues. Highly recommend her. She comes to you, and is located in Del Mar, California.

Trader Joe’s – Redlands: 552 Orange Street, Redlands, CA 92374, 909-798-3888 – Our favorite Trader Joe’s in Southern California. There is always ample parking in the shade for the Search Dogs. Lots of restaurants to get carry-out food after a lost pet search in Redlands, CA and the Search Dogs love a special doggy treat from Trader Joe’s!

Hound Town Dog Park – Moreno Valley: 11150 Redlands Blvd, Moreno Valley, CA 92555 – Great dog park in Moreno Valley, CA with one side for big dogs and one small. Our Search Dogs love this dog park!

Successful Search Areas in Southern California

In the Inland Empire area we have had success searching in: Yucaipa, Mentone, Redlands, Loma Linda, Racho Cucamonga, Calimesa, San Bernardino, Riverside, Ontario, Big Bear, Lucerne Valley, Moreno Valley, Highland, Fontana, Upland, Rialto, Chino, and Chino Hills.

In the Palm Springs area we have had success searching in: Palm Springs, Joshua Tree, Rancho Mirage, Palm Desert, Cathedral City, and Cathedral City.

In the Los Angeles County area, we have had success searching in: San Dimas, Burbank, La Verne, Pomona, Diamond Bar, Agora Hills, Arcadia, Beverly Hills, Calabasas, Glendale, Glendora, La Canada Flintridge, Pasadena, San Fernando, South Pasadena, and other cities and neighborhoods – too many to list.

In the San Diego County area, we have had success and founded the company in San Diego County. We have worked in almost every neighborhood looking for a lost pet! We have had success searching in: Carlsbad, Chula Vista, Del Mar, El Cajon, Encinitas, Escondido, La Mesa, Lemon Grove, National City, Oceanside, Poway, San Marcos, Clairemont, Temecula, Santee, and Vista.

In the Orange County area, we have had success searching in: Aliso Viejo, Anaheim, Costa Mesa, Dana Point, Fountain Valley, Fullerton, Irvine, Laguna Beach, Laguna Hills, Laguna Niguel, Lake Forest, Mission Viejo, Orange, Placentia, Tustin, and Yorba Linda.

• Find out how strict your city or municipality is for how to proceed with witness development (getting the word out about your lost pet). Some areas let you put up any size missing pet flyers or signs, others have specific requirements. For example, Big Bear Lake, California is very strict and will immediately remove lost pet signs, while Big Bear City (San Bernardino County municipality) will let lost pet flyers and signs stay up longer.
• Find out how strict your Homeowners Association (HOA) or Property Manager is about searching for your pet and posting lost pet signs and flyers. Some HOAs are wonderful and supportive about a lost pet search. Others are ridiculous and consider a lost pet search the same as door-to-door sales! Find out how they will be from the start so you can skip frustrating interactions or start with other methods. Ask specifically if you are allowed to post a sign in your own yard, how big and for how long. If you have an apartment with a visible balcony or deck, ask the same questions about hanging a sign from your balcony or deck about your lost pet.
• Make sure you are checking ALL shelters that surround your area daily. In many parts of Southern California you could live in one area that is covered by a specific shelter, and yet one street over is covered by a different shelter! This is critical if you have a dog that is shy or skittish, or a lost dog you think could have traveled further away from where missing. Remember: Some shelters have VERY short hold times until they can adopt out your pet!
• Use social media – and keep using it. Don’t just post once on one page. Refresh, “bump” or post new content on social media so it keeps visible to people.
• Focus, focus, focus. Don’t get slowed down in your search by random comments and outlandish concerns.
• NEVER say your pet was stolen – except to the police. Many people are concerned that their pet was stolen. However, spreading the word about “pet theft” in your case can be a detriment – especially if that was in fact what happened! People do not want to get involved, help or get in trouble if you say your pet was stolen.
• Many missing pets disappear near canyons or wide open spaces in Southern California. There are miles of networks of canyons in San Diego, for example. There are countless open spaces in Temecula, Mentone, Murrieta, Yucaipa, and Moreno Valley, California. Hiking and frantically calling a lost pet’s name is not a good idea most of the time. If you are calling for your pet, do so in a happy and calm voice. “Let’s go on a ride” or a similar phrase that tells your pet you are not angry or panicked is the best option, but for shy pets or a pet lost in an accident, it might cause your missing pet to panic no matter what.