If you’re reading the story casually, I’ll start with a little miracle we had regarding a missing puppy right after a huge snow storm and cold snap in Princeton in January 2026.
If you’re reading this because your dog is actually missing, skip to the section below titled **Some Steps to Take When Your Dog Goes Missing**.
On one of the coldest days of the year, at the end of January 2026, one of my neighbors posted that their six-month-old puppy slipped away from a leashed walk and ran off. We had just gotten a huge snowstorm, and the puppy was white with black markings. Not the color scheme to be if you’re hoping to be a found puppy right after a snowstorm. Lola had been seen with a purple harness and dragging a leash, running up Mirick Road in Princeton toward Route 31. Luckily, it had stopped snowing and the majority of the plowing was done, or else I fear they would never have found her.
Calls went out, texts were sent and a flyer was posted on Facebook and distributed to neighbors. Multiple times a day, Lola’s owners would post updates, with only one alleged sighting, on the other side of town, which proved to be a false alarm. I drove around quite a bit, but there’s only so much staring at snowbanks you can do looking for the needle in a haystack that is Lola, the missing puppy. The fact that Lola was missing was particularly crushing because my neighbors only decided to get a new dog after a lot of thought because they had recently lost their two elderly lab mixes. Lola lives in a loving home, she just chose a tough time to get away.
Lola’s owners, friends and neighbors and just people who love dogs – – including somebody with a drone and a local business owner with a search dog spent the weekend outside– this was all during temperatures 15°F and below. Lola went missing at 2PM on a very cold Thursday, and after an exhausting weekend, including walking through the woods with bacon and toys to let Lola know she was near home, the owners were exhausted while back inside warming up, they heard a noise on their deck, and there was Lola! She was hungry and thirsty, but she didn’t seem to have suffered effects from the cold. I asked the owner to share what steps they took, and I’ve detailed below an assortment of things you might you if your dog goes missing.
From Lola’s owners on what they did when she went missing: We first contacted the chip company and set her status to “missing”. Then Facebook, texts, NextDoor, Missing Dogs Massachusetts, PetcoLoveLost, and we contacted On Mission Drone (which was instrumental in focusing our search). Of course the support of friends and neighbors, just getting out the word, and distributing flyers. And we have more of a sense of the resilience of dogs to survive. The cold was our biggest fear obviously. We also were fortunate that Don from Secondhand Summit went into the woods with his tracking dog. So many people stepped up to help. We were out in the woods yesterday with friends, with bacon, and Lola’s toys to give a scent that we were around.” Then a Sunday evening update: “Lola came back tonight! No fanfare, she just came back onto the side deck and I noticed her pacing back and forth. She seems fine overall, she is not freezing but she is hungry and thirsty! I can’t believe she found us!”
**Some Steps to Take When Your Dog Goes Missing**
My dog is missing, what do I do? If you’re an existing local newsletter subscriber and your dog goes missing, feel free to reach out to me with the details needed for me to customize the flyer here, and I will get you set up with printed flyers and a PDF/JPG version for online sharing ASAP. I’ve also created a list of mailing labels to the assorted municipal animal control offices and animal emergency hospitals, so I can print a set of mailing labels for you as well. Text me at 978 870 9260 for the quickest response!
If you’ve lost a dog and have other tips, tricks and techniques, reach out to me, and if they make sense, I will add them to my game plan below.
Search your home and property thoroughly.
Check every room, closet, under beds, behind furniture, and any small spaces where your dog might be hiding or trapped. Dogs sometimes hide when they’re scared or not feeling well.
Immediately search your neighborhood on foot. Walk or drive around calling your dog’s name, and ask neighbors if they’ve seen your dog. Ask them if they will call or text their adjacent neighbors. The first few hours are critical, and many lost dogs are found within a mile of home.
Contact local animal control and shelters. Call every shelter, animal control facility, and rescue organization in your area to report your dog missing and provide a detailed description. Ask if you can drop off or email a flyer with your dog’s photo and information.
Post on social media and lost pet websites. Share your dog’s photo and information on Facebook (including local lost pet groups) and other community platforms–lots of specific contact and details are included below. Include clear photos, your location, and contact information. When you share from your own Facebook profile, set the post to ‘public’ so that it’s shareable. Start your post with PLEASE SHARE AND HELP US FIND _______! to get the most visibility and actions by others.
Create and distribute flyers. Make eye-catching flyers with a clear photo, your dog’s name, description, your phone number, and where they were last seen. Post them in your neighborhood, at vet offices, pet stores, and high-traffic areas. *See above and I’ll whip out a flyer for you.
Check if your dog is microchipped and update the registry. If microchipped, ensure your contact information is current with the microchip company and alert them that your dog is missing.
Consider hiring professionals. Lola’s owners connected with a professional pet finding drone service. Check the online reviews for any company you’re considering hiring!
Contact local veterinary clinics. Call all veterinary offices in your area in case someone brings your dog in, and provide them with your dog’s description and your contact information.
Leave familiar items outside. Put your dog’s bed, a piece of your worn clothing, or their favorite toy outside your home. The familiar scent might help guide them back.
Set up a feeding station. Place food and water outside your home or where your dog was last seen. Check it regularly or set up a camera to monitor if your dog returns when you’re not there.
Don’t give up and expand your search. Continue searching at different times of day (especially dawn and dusk when it’s quieter), expand your search radius, and keep your posts and flyers updated. Many dogs are found days or even weeks after going missing.
When your dog is FOUND. Update your social media, people and organizations you reached out to, and take down the posted flyers.
FACEBOOK GROUPS AND PAGES
Central Mass Lost Pets
Found Cats and Dogs in Massachusetts
Granite State Dog Recovery
Help Lost and Found Pets in Massachusetts
Lost and Found Pets of Massachusetts
Lost and Found Pets of Mass
Lost Dogs Massachusetts
MA Lost Pets
Massachusetts Lost and Found Pets
Massachusetts – Lost Dogs, Cats and Pets
Massachusetts Lost Pet Locator
Missing Dogs Massachusetts
MSPCA Lost and Found Pets
Worcester, MA – Lost & Found Cats, Dogs & Pets – Paw Guide Network
WEBSITES AND COMMUNITY PLATFORMS
NextDoor
PawBoost
Petco Love Lost
ANIMAL RESCUES AND SHELTERS
Ahimsa Haven
Baypath Humane Society
Second Chance Animal Services
Sterling Animal Shelter
Worcester Animal Rescue League
EMERGENCY ANIMAL HOSPITALS
VEG ER for Pets, Shrewsbury
Tufts, Grafton
Wachusett Animal Hospital, Westminster (Urgent Care)
DRONE AND SEARCH RESCUES
Drone Pet Recovery
On Mission Drone
SPECIFIC TOWNS
Ashburnham
Animal Control
(978) 630-4950
EMERGENCY 978-827-4413
Ashburnham Lost and Found Pets Page
Ashby
Animal Control
(978) 303-5889
EMERGENCY 978-386-5652
Ashby Police Department Facebook Page
Boylston
Animal Control
(508) 869-2113
Rutland Animal Control
Rutland Regional Animal Control Services Facebook Page
Clinton
Animal Control
(978) 779-9981
Clinton MA Animal Control Facebook Page
Clinton MA Lost and Found Pets Facebook Page
Fitchburg
Animal Control
(978) 956-4082
EMERGENCY (978) 345-4355
Fitchburg and Leominster Animals Facebook Page
Fitchburg MA Lost and Found Dogs and Cats Only Facebook Page
Friends of Leominster and Fitchburg Animal Control Facebook Page
Leominster Fitchburg Animal Control Facebook Page
Gardner
Animal Control
(978) 630-4950
EMERGENCY (978) 632-5600 ext 0
Gardner Animal Control Facebook Page
Holden
Animal Control
(508) 210-5649
Holden MA Lost and Found Pets Facebook Page
Holden MA Police Department Facebook Page
Hubbardston
Animal Control
(978) 630-4950 (Gardner Facility)
EMERGENCY (978) 928-1405
Gardner Animal Control Facebook Page
Lancaster
Lancaster Police Department
Leominster
Animal Control
(978) 514-2381
Fitchburg and Leominster Animals Facebook Page
Friends of Leominster and Fitchburg Animal Control Facebook Page
Leominster Fitchburg Animal Control Facebook Page
Leominster MA Lost Pets
Lunenburg
Animal Control
(978) 582-4531
Lunenburg Animal Control Facebook Page
Lunenburg MA Lost and Found Pets Facebook Page
Paxton
Rutland Animal Control
(508) 886-4033
Rutland Regional Animal Control Facebook Page
Phillipston
Animal Control
(978) 939-8875
North Quabbin Regional Animal Control Facebook Page
Princeton
Animal Control
(978) 464-2928
Rutland Regional Animal Control Facebook Page
Rutland
Rutland Animal Control
(508) 886-2123
Rutland Regional Animal Control Services Facebook Page
Sterling
Animal Control
(978) 422-7331
AFTER HOURS (978) 422-7331
Sterling Animal Control Facebook Page
Templeton
Animal Control
(978) 939-5638
Winchendon Templeton Regional Animal Control
Westminster
Animal Control
(978) 630-4950
EMERGENCY (978) 632-5600
Westminster Police Department Facebook
West Boylston
Animal Control
(508) 210-5646
West Boylston Police Department Facebook Page
Winchendon
Animal Control
(978) 297-1212, ext. 0
EMERGENCY (978) 297-1212, ext. 0
Winchendon Templeton Regional Animal Control
Am I missing anything in this RESOURCE STORY? Please message me with any info you have, so I can always keep my CENTRAL MASS RESOURCE STORIES as current and relevant as possible!
