With all the pets I've had in my life, you'd think I'd have seen just about everything. And for the most part, that's true. But there's one thing I haven't dealt with because I've been both careful and lucky: I've never had a pet go missing for good.

I've come close a couple of times. A few years back, I was staying at my brother's house, while buying one home and selling another, when my smallest dog slipped through a gap in the fence. Fortunately, he immediately latched on to some nearby children who took him home and called the number on his ID tag.

Not long after moving into the new home, I lost my parrot, but that too ended happily. As with most successful recoveries of lost pets, it was the things I'd done before Eddie got out that brought him back home again. Eddie didn't fly away to a likely death because his wings were clipped to keep him from all but the lowest of flight patterns – and because we had a relationship of trust that extended beyond my front door.

Here is what you need to know if your pet bird takes wing:

Prepare for possible loss

Have your bird microchipped. Keep his wings clipped to prevent him from flying away, and make sure everyone in the family knows to keep doors and unscreened windows closed. In Eddie's case, I'd forgotten he was sitting loose on a play stand rather than in his cage. When I walked out the front door to get groceries out of the car, I didn't see him hop out behind me and didn't realize he was missing until after I'd put away the groceries.

Don't waste time

The longer your bird is out, the smaller the chance of recovery. Immediately start searching nearby. If you have some game you play that would elicit a response from your bird, start playing it. In Eddie's case, he responded immediately to my whistles because it's a game we play all the time in the house.

Lure your bird with treats

Eddie had climbed more than a dozen feet up into a nearby bay tree. His favorite treats didn't work on him – probably because he'd just had a big breakfast – but they might work with another bird or even with Eddie at another time. Because birds are more likely to eat at dawn and dusk, even a bird who's not immediately interested in treats may come into a familiar cage at feeding time.

Use the hose, cautiously

Because being sprayed from the hose is frightening and may injure the bird, don't go for this technique first. But it can be successful. In fact, a good soaking is finally what brought Eddie down after all else failed. He was so angry at the soaking that he was anxious to bite me, so I wrapped him in a towel for the safety of us both.

Had I not been able to collect Eddie relatively promptly, I would have put up fliers around the area and at the local bird shop, pet supply stores, veterinarians' offices (especially avian veterinarians) and pet shelters. And I would have taken out both print and online classified ads, all offering a reward.

More important than anything: Keep up the search. Many birds are found days, weeks and months after they're lost, but they're found by people who don't know just who is looking for the pet. If you don't keep putting the word out, your bird may be lost to you for good, even if someone finds it.

Video bonus: Training expert Mikkel Becker shows how to teach your dog to ignore items you don't want picked up while you're out walking. See it at www.vetstreet.com/ teach-your-dog-to-leave-it.

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Pet Connection is produced by a team of pet-care experts headed by veterinarian Dr. Marty Becker and journalist Gina Spadafori. The two are also the authors of several best-selling pet-care books. Email them at petconnection@gmail.com or visit www.petconnection.com. Back columns: www.sacbee.com/spadafori.

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