When anything, anyone, or any dog goes missing, chaos can follow. Even though you probably treat your dog well and he or she lives a great life at your home, your dog will most likely escape whenever an opportunity arises. If your dog escaped from your home and/or your dog is lost, creating a missing dog flyer can help you get your dog back to your home quickly.

When creating this flyer, keep the words “big” and “bold” in the back of your mind at all times. If people have trouble reading the poster or if the font is too small to read, the chances of you getting your dog back will decrease. You should opt to type the flyer to ensure that the words are legible. First, open a blank Microsoft Word document. Make the font as big as you can get it, and type “MISSING BEAGLE,” for example, in bold across the top of the document. Of course, if your dog isn’t a beagle, substitute it with whatever breed your dog is.

Next, insert a large and clear picture of your dog into the center of the flyer. The picture should be a full shot of the dog and hopefully a color photo. Below the picture of your dog, type in key details. In a few sentences using a slightly smaller font than the title, type out what people need to know; let people know your dog’s name, your phone number or contact information, what your dog looks like, and any other facts that you think are important. If your dog has something that clearly sets him or her apart from other dogs, such as only having three legs for example, be sure to include that here. Print out a few dozen of these flyers and hang them up all over your neighborhood and city.

After the flyers have been made and are hung up all around your area, there’s not much else you can do. Contact your local animal shelter on a daily basis to be sure that no one has brought your dog there. If your dog is wearing a pet ID tag, then someone may bring your dog back to your home before he or she even sees a flyer. Once you finally get your dog back, make sure you put a pet ID tag with all of your dog’s vital information on it if your dog isn’t already wearing one.