The lost-pet poster and WhatsApp message that actually get you calls
PetPort EditorialLast reviewed
What should a lost-pet poster say?
Six things, in this order: the word LOST, one large daylight photo, the species and colour, the area and landmark where it went missing, one phone number in very large type, and the line please do not chase, call me. Leave out the pet's pedigree, your address, and any mention of a reward amount.
What to do, in order
Pick the photo before you write anything
One full-body photo, taken in daylight, side-on, with the whole animal in frame and nothing else in it. Not a close-up of the face, not a cute portrait, not one with a party hat. The person who sees your pet will see it from ten metres away, from the side, probably from behind — that is the picture they need to match.
Put LOST and the phone number in the biggest type on the page
The word LOST across the top, the number across the bottom, both large enough to read from across a road. If the number is not the second thing a passer-by can read, the poster has failed no matter how good the rest of it is.
Give the area and a landmark, not an address
Missing near Alkapuri, behind the petrol pump tells somebody instantly whether this is their street. Your full address does not, and it tells strangers where you live. Area, landmark, and the date it went missing.
Add the one instruction that changes outcomes
Please do not chase — call and keep watching. Most sightings turn into losses because a well-meaning stranger tried to catch a frightened animal and it ran across a road. This single line is worth more than everything else on the poster except the number.
Cut everything else
The breed papers, the pet's full name and nickname, its birthday, how much you miss it, the reward amount. A reward attracts people who will hold an animal to negotiate. If you want to offer one, write reward and let the conversation happen on the phone.
Put it where people stand still
Where people are already stationary and looking at something: the society noticeboard, the guard's cabin, the lift, the milk booth, the chemist, the kirana shop, vet clinics, pet shops, the auto stand, the tea stall, the bus stop, the park entrance, the petrol pump. Ask before sticking, and use tape that survives rain.
Write the WhatsApp version as one forwardable block
One image plus a short caption in the same message, because a caption sent separately gets separated the first time it is forwarded. Photo, one line of description, area and landmark, one number, and the do-not-chase line. Ask people to forward it as it is rather than to write their own.
What people get wrong
- A face close-up instead of a full-body side-on photo.
- A phone number too small to read from the pavement.
- Sending the photo and the text as two separate WhatsApp messages, so the number is lost on the first forward.
- Putting a specific reward amount on the poster.
- Printing your home address rather than the area and a landmark.
- Writing a paragraph. A passer-by reads a poster for about a second and a half.
- Only putting posters where you walk. Put them where the guards, riders and shopkeepers stand.
Quick reference
| Must be readable from | Across a road, on a moving scooter |
|---|---|
| The photo | Full body, daylight, side-on, animal alone in frame |
| Biggest type on the page | The word LOST, and the phone number |
| The line most people leave out | Please do not chase — call and keep watching |
| Never put on a poster | Home address, reward amount, pedigree details |
| Best placement | Guard cabins, lifts, noticeboards, chemists, kirana shops, vet clinics, tea stalls |
| WhatsApp format | One message: image with the caption attached, never sent separately |
What is actually going on
A lost-pet poster is not a description of your pet. It is a road sign, read for about one and a half seconds by somebody who is walking past or riding by, and it succeeds or fails on whether one phone number was legible at that distance. Almost every poster fails the same way: too many words, too small a number, a portrait photo that shows a face nobody can match to an animal seen from behind, and no instruction about what to do. The WhatsApp version of the same message has the opposite problem — it gets rewritten by every person who forwards it until the number is wrong.
In India, specifically
Print in the language of the street, not only in English. In most Indian neighbourhoods the people most likely to spot your pet — guards, sweepers, delivery riders, house help, feeders — read Hindi or the state language far more comfortably. A poster with the number in numerals, the word for LOST in the local script, and the photo large enough to match at ten metres will outperform a beautifully designed English one every time. It is worth having a friend write the two lines out for you and printing both versions.
Questions people ask
What should I write on a lost dog poster?
LOST in large type, one full-body daylight photo, the species and colour, the area and a landmark, the date it went missing, one phone number in very large type, and the line please do not chase, call me. Nothing else. Leave out your address and any reward amount.
Should I offer a reward?
You can say reward, but do not print an amount. A stated figure gives somebody a reason to hold an animal and negotiate, and it attracts calls from people who never saw your pet. Keep the number of the conversation on the phone, not on the wall.
Where should I put lost-pet posters?
Where people are already standing still: guard cabins, lifts, society noticeboards, milk booths, chemists, kirana shops, vet clinics, pet shops, tea stalls, auto stands, bus stops, park entrances and petrol pumps. Ask permission, and use tape that survives rain.
Is WhatsApp better than posters?
They do different jobs. WhatsApp reaches your neighbourhood in an hour and then goes stale. A poster keeps working for weeks on the wall of a shop the delivery riders visit every day. Do both, and make sure both carry exactly the same photo and number.
How do I stop people misquoting my number when they forward it?
Send the photo and the text as a single message — image with the caption attached — so the number travels inside the image post. Ask people to forward that message rather than typing their own version, and put the number in the poster image itself.
General guidance for pet parents, not a diagnosis. Every animal is different — confirm anything that concerns you with your veterinarian.
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