I love people — in a general way — who rescue animals almost as much as I love the animals. I also appreciate all the people who work and network to find said animals' humans or new adoptive families.

Pet rescue is an art and a science. The art part occurs in convincing a lost, scared dog or cat that it's OK to approach. The science takes place when disseminating information about the animal. This applies, too, to the people who send out notices that their pets are lost.

It's genuinely helpful to include the pet's name. If a potential rescuer sees an animal matching a published description, that animal might show a bit more trust if the person can call him or her by name.

Also, include as much of a physical description as possible. The pet's estimated weight, its age, colors and markings, unusual markings, the color of a collar, anything and all things that can lead to a positive ID. Oh, and list the animal's sex. Just keep something  in the hole to weed out people trying to lay a false claim.

Indicate the part of the neighborhood in which a pet was found or last seen.

In short, provide all the information possible. Rescuers, reunifiers, medical personnel, people posting online notices about lost-and-found pets [ahem], need all the facts they can get to make for happy endings to these way-too-many stories.

Thank you.

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