What every pet owner should do:
Have you taken the time to teach your pet his/her address and telephone number? No? Then by all means your pet should have an I.D. Tag. This is important, even if you've had the pet microchipped. The people who find your pet may not think to take him in to a vet to be scanned for a chip, and a visible tag may get your pet back to you sooner.
My pet is lost, what do I do now?
When your pet is missing, quick action is essential. A frightened pet can easily get into dangerous situations.
1. Contact all local animal hospitals (go through the yellow pages), to see if your pet was perhaps injured and brought in for treatment.
2. Distribute flyers with a photo of your pet, and contact the local paper to place a lost ad. Be careful, however, if someone reponds to your ad, particularly if a large reward is involved. Never go by yourself to meet the person, and always meet in a public place, just in case it is a scam.
3. Contact government animal control departments. (This is usually a separate number from the police, so check the phone book under government offices. Some are listed below.)
4. Contact local animal shelters.Here's a list of shelters and animal control offices to get you started:

Anderson Animal Shelter 1000 South LaFox, South Elgin IL 60177 847-697-2880
Animal Adoption Associates Chicago Lakeview Shelter PO box 2104, Chicago IL 60690 Hotline:630-370-1129 www.gxweb.com/adoption
Animals Deserving of Proper Treatment (A.D.O.P.T.) PO box 4131, Naperville IL 60567 630-355-2299
Animal Welfare League 6224 South Wabash, Chicago IL 60637 773-667-0088
Animal Welfare League 10305 Southwest Highway, Chicago Ridge IL 60415 708-636-8586
Anti-Cruelty Society 157 West Grand Avenue, Chicago IL 60610 312-644-8338
City of Aurora Animal Control & Care 600 South River Road, Aurora IL 60506 630-897-5695
C.A.R.E./Evanston Shelter 2310 Oakton Avenue, Evanston IL 60202 847-705-2653
Hinsdale Humane Society 22 North Elm Street, Hinsdale IL 60521 630-323-5630
Joliet Township Animal Control 2807 McDonough Street, Joliet IL 60436 815-725-0333
Lake Shore Animal Shelter 225 West Division, Chicago IL 60610 312-409-1162
Naperville Humane Society 1620 West Diehl Road, Naperville IL 60563 630-420-8393
Noah's Ark Animal Sanctuary, Inc. 111 N. First Street, Rockford IL 611-3947
Peoples Animal Welfare Society (P.A.W.S.) 8301 West 191st Street, Tinley Park IL 60477 815-464-7298
Pets Are Worth Saving (P.A.W.S. Chicago) 2337 North Clark Street, Chicago IL 773-244-7853
David R. Lee Animal Care Center 2741 South Western Avenue, Chicago IL 312-747-1406
DuPage County Animal Control 120 County Farm Road, Wheaton IL 60187 630-682-7197
For Paws Animal Shelter PO box 8260, Bartlett IL 60103
Frankfort Township Animal Control 11008 West Lincoln Highway, Frankfort IL 60423 815-469-4907 (no adoptions)
Friends Forever Humane Society 59 East Monterey Street, Freeport IL 61032 815-232-6164
Pets In Need Midwest PO box 58, Ringwood IL 60072 815-728-1462
South Suburban Humane Society 11 West End Avenue, Chicago Heights IL 60411 708-755-PETS www.sshspets.org
Tree House Animal Shelter (cats only) 1212 West Carmen Avenue, Chicago IL 60640 773-784-5488
West Suburban Humane Society 1901 West Ogden, Downers Grove IL 630-960-9600 www.wshs-dg.org
Will County Humane Society 24109 W Seil Rd, Joliet IL 60431 (815) 741-0695

I found a pet, what should I do?
1. If you find a dog or cat that has a rabies tag, you can track down the owner yourself and get the animal back home faster. Jot down the number on the tag and the county, then call the county the tag is issued from and give them the tag number of the animal. They should be able to give you the name, phone number, and address of the party that owns it. You can also get the vets' number that vaccinated in the event the party moved but is still going to that vet.
2. If the animal has no I.D.tag, bring it to your veterinarian to have it scanned for a microchip I.D.