What to do, in the order you would do it.

Start searching on foot from the place your dog was last seen, and leave someone at home in case they come back. Within the first few hours, call your microchip registry, your local animal control and nearby shelters.

A cat that slips outside usually hides close to home and stays quiet, so search your own yard and your neighbors' yards slowly and thoroughly before you widen the circle. Look under decks, in sheds, garages and bushes with a flashlight, call your microchip registry and local shelters, and visit those shelters in person every day or two.

Keep yourself and the animal safe first, then check for an ID tag and get the animal scanned for a microchip at any vet clinic or shelter. Report the animal to your local animal control or shelter, post a found report with a photo and the general area, and check lost-pet posts nearby.

If the kittens look clean, quiet and plump and are in a safe spot, the mother is probably nearby: step well away and watch for a few hours before doing anything. Kittens that are cold, wet, crying constantly, injured or in danger need help now: keep them warm and call a local shelter, rescue or vet for advice before you feed them anything.

You choose an animal, apply, and the shelter or rescue reviews your application, which may include references, a call, a meet-and-greet or a home visit. A person at the organization decides.

Keep the first week quiet and predictable. Prepare a calm space before your dog arrives, go straight home, keep visitors and outings to a minimum, and build a simple routine of meals, short walks and rest.

Start your new cat in one quiet room with food, water, a litter box and a place to hide, and let them come out on their own terms. Introduce other pets gradually, by smell first and sight later, over days or weeks.

An older dog or cat often comes with a known personality, habits and history, and usually needs less training and supervision than a young animal. In exchange, plan for more frequent vet visits and possibly ongoing medication.

A foster cares for a shelter or rescue animal in their own home until it is adopted or ready to go back. The organization usually stays responsible for the animal and its vet care, and often provides supplies; the foster provides a home, daily care, transport to appointments and honest updates.

Trap-neuter-return (TNR) is the practice of humanely trapping community cats, having them spayed or neutered and vaccinated, ear-tipped so they are recognizable, and returned to the place they live. The aim is to stop new litters so a colony gets smaller over time.

A stray cat is a pet that has lost its home or wandered; it is usually used to people and may be someone's missing cat. A feral cat has had little or no contact with people and avoids them.

A relaxed cat has soft, half-closed eyes, ears facing forward and a loose body; a tail held up as it walks toward you is usually a friendly greeting. Ears turned sideways or flat, wide eyes, a low or wrapped tail and a crouched, still body mean the cat is worried and wants space.

A relaxed dog has soft eyes, a loose open mouth and a loose, wiggly body. A dog that turns its head away, licks its lips, yawns, lowers its body or shows the whites of its eyes is unsure and asking you to slow down.