Usually not at first. Do the free steps, then vet anyone hard: check references and training, get a written contract, and never pay a stranger who found you.
Start with no, then see if the answer changes
For most owners, the answer is not yet. Most of what a pet detective does in the first days is work you can do for free and often faster: call shelters, walk the streets, put up posters and collect sightings. Hiring someone starts to make sense when you have used those steps and need a skill you do not have, or you cannot physically do the work. Even then, you need to check the person carefully, because this field has real scams and no outside body we could find that vouches for its members. We found no independent study of whether pet detectives improve recovery, so no one can honestly promise you a result. This post covers how to tell whether you need one, and how to check someone before money changes hands.
What the title means
Pet detective is a label, not a qualification. We found no government license for it, though we did not check all 50 states, so if someone claims a license, ask which agency issued it and call that agency. Lost Dogs of Wisconsin, a volunteer group, says no accredited school trains dogs to find lost dogs, and that some services charge a lot for work you can do yourself. People using the title may be a dog handler, a trapper, a former shelter worker, a volunteer who takes donations, or a fraud. So ask what the person actually does. A search with a dog, advice by phone, setting and watching humane traps, and printing and hanging signs are different services, worth different amounts. If you need one of them, look for that skill, and ignore the job title.
Try the free help first
Before you think about paying, ask the people who do this without charging. Your local shelter and animal control can tell you who they trust. Ask them directly: is there a lost pet group or humane trapper here that you would send your own family to? Many areas have volunteer lost dog groups, and they may know which paid services have a good record and which do not. Pet FBI, a lost pet organization that is not connected with the federal FBI, says its services are free, and warns that anyone asking for a fee in its name is running a scam. Shelters and rescues may lend humane traps. Neighbors can walk streets and share posts, and our post on how to organize volunteers for a lost pet search shows how to divide up the work.
When paying might be reasonable
There are a few fair reasons to pay. You may be elderly, disabled, recovering from surgery or living far from where your pet went missing, so you cannot do the legwork. You may have repeated sightings of a dog that will not come to anyone, and no local volunteer who knows how to set a trap. Your pet may have a medical need that makes every day count, in which case you should also ask your vet what to tell searchers. Paying for a specific task is safer than paying for a promise. A clear job looks like this: set and check one humane trap at this location for three nights, for this total price. Paying a large sum for a promise to find your pet is the arrangement to avoid.
Five checks before you agree
First, the FBI’s El Paso office warns of fake companies that advertise as the best at finding missing animals, and advises checking references and the source of a person’s training. So get the real business name, phone number and address, and search them with the word scam. Second, check them on BBB.org and BBB Scam Tracker. Third, call past clients yourself. Lost Dogs of Wisconsin suggests five or six, by phone, because online praise is easy to fake. Ask what the person did and what happened. Fourth, if they claim a certification, Pet FBI says to contact the certifying body and confirm it. Fifth, ask your shelter whether they know this person. If the only proof you can get is a Facebook page, or everything comes from one account, stop there.
What the scam looks like
Pet FBI describes a pattern to watch for. A comment appears under your lost pet post from a satisfied customer, urging you to contact an agency right away. That comment is fake. The account is new, it gives no location, it wants money up front, and it guarantees results with a promised refund. The BBB describes similar contact from fake search services, with a payment asked for through a peer-to-peer app. Lost Dogs of Wisconsin says that some pet detective services contact owners after seeing their flyers, and that you should be very careful with them. Your phone number is on your posters, so expect this. Never give out a verification code, and do not hand your photos to someone you have not checked. Reporting the account to the platform and to BBB Scam Tracker protects the next owner.
Questions and terms to get in writing
Ask for a written contract and read it before you pay. It should name the person doing the work, the exact tasks, the dates, the total cost and what happens if you end it early. Lost Dogs of Wisconsin says reputable services use a contract and accept credit cards. The BBB says never to wire money or use a prepaid debit card for someone you do not know. Good questions are: What would you do first in my case? What would make you tell me this is not worth paying for? Will you ever chase or flush my pet? How will you keep me updated? Then listen for honesty. Someone who says the odds depend on the weather, the time passed and the terrain is more believable than someone who talks about a success rate. A guarantee is a reason to end the call.
Sources
KFOX, FBI El Paso warning, November 2023: kfoxtv.com/news/local/fbi-el-paso-field-office-issues-warning-about-lost-pet-scams. Pet FBI, lost pet scams: petfbi.org/lost-pet-scams. BBB lost pet scam alert: bbb.org/article/scams/8612-lost-pet-watch-out-for-this-scam-text-message. Lost Dogs of Wisconsin, ten things before hiring a tracking dog service: lostdogsofwisconsin.org/post/ten-things-you-need-to-know-before-hiring-a-tracking-dog-service.