Unlike car keys and a purse or wallet, finding a misplaced pet requires a bit more work than jogging your memory.

Pets, unlike those inanimate objects, can become scared or get picked up along the side of the road by a good Samaritan, making finding them an ordeal.

If your pet has been missing for some time, it might be time to check the local animal shelter to see if anyone brought it there.

Hopefully, your pet has been tagged with a microchip, which can help expedite a reunion.

If not, you will have to rely on the kindness of strangers to help you reunite with your cat or dog.

A new website called Finding Rover can help in that search, but only if the person who found the dog or cat has posted a picture. Other avenues in the recovery process include Craigslist, an application called Nextdoor or the Facebook lost and found page.

Checking all of them will increase your chances.

To ensure the best possible chance of finding a lost pet before it is lost, be sure it has a microchip.

Most shelters perform that procedure prior to it being adopted.

If you adopted your pet from a shelter, the staff will have that information on hand.

Don’t forget to update that record should you decide to move or get a new phone number.

Also, putting a collar with the pet’s information and home address will help, should your pet wander off.

And even though there is an abundance of technology these days to help in the search for a lost animal, don’t forget the tried and true method of a lost pet flyer and classified ad in the newspaper that includes a picture of your dog or cat and any pertinent details.