# How much of a reward would you ...?



## MyBabiesDaddy (Jan 1, 2013)

Hey all,

Recently I saw some flyers at PetCo for lost dogs. One person was offering $500 and another was offering $5,000. If my cats got out, I'd probably offer a $1,000 reward, but my girlfriend instantly said she's offer a $5,000 reward. So, how much WOULD you offer? Also, if you've already lost a kitty that was/wasn't returned, what reward DID you offer? Do you think more money makes it more likely to be returned? It's not like someone will drive around looking for your cat because they see a large reward.


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## Arianwen (Jun 3, 2012)

No idea - but as much as I could - the figures you quote would be a fortune around here! I know people for whom the higher offer would be about six months wages.


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## Blakeney Green (Jan 15, 2013)

I think the answer to this depends a lot on the dynamics of where you live.

I currently live in an extremely economically depressed area. (The poorest county in my state.) If one of my cats were lost, I would offer $100. That would be enough money around here to make people consider it worth their while to keep an eye out.

If I offered _too_ much, people would take it as a joke or scam, and would actually be _less_ likely to look because they wouldn't believe I was good for it. Offering an amount they would consider absurd wouldn't win me any points, because a reward doesn't work unless the person thinks there's a decent chance they can collect. 

Frankly, no one around here would consider $5,000 or even $500 a reasonable amount to expect, so it would be even worse than offering no reward at all - if I had an impassioned plea but didn't offer money, at least there would be no doubt I was serious, like there would be if I over-offered too extravagantly.

Offering the maximum you can afford is not always the best way to bring your cat home. You have to know your local culture, IMO. In some places, more might be better, but not everywhere.


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## Carmel (Nov 23, 2010)

Most lost pet posters only say "Reward offered" or something along those lines, I don't really like advertising how much you're offering, especially if it's 1,000 or more dollars. Frankly, I wouldn't offer more than 500, if someone is going to return the pet, they should be willing to do it for free!

No matter if you're in a wealthy area or not, if 500 doesn't entice them, they likely aren't going to be swayed and have at least hopefully fallen in love with the found animal.

Usually all it comes down to is simply that no one has found the pet... not all pets are found, reward or no.

Sometimes I see posters with outrageous offers of reward, my first thought is they must really want their pet back, but the second is that I would never accept such a reward, and that advertising such amounts along with your address/phone number might not be the wisest move.


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## Marcia (Dec 26, 2010)

I'm sure it depends on how much people think they can afford. Some just may not have much no matter how much they love their pets. I frankly don't think it is a very good idea to say how much you would offer on a public forum.


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## jusjim (Jun 30, 2009)

Frankly I don't much like the idea of offering a reward, especially a large one. There's a possibility of kidnapping for profit. Not unknown, usually with pedigreed dogs.

OK. $50.00 max. But I go with Carmel's "reward offered".


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## MyBabiesDaddy (Jan 1, 2013)

jusjim said:


> Frankly I don't much like the idea of offering a reward, especially a large one. There's a possibility of kidnapping for profit. Not unknown, usually with pedigreed dogs.
> 
> OK. $50.00 max. But I go with Carmel's "reward offered".


It would be hard to kidnap a cat for profit if you're not sure how much the owner will pay!  It's hardly worth the risk of getting caught if someone would pay $50, for example.

Marcia, I started this topic because another member had written about his cat escaping and it made me start to think about what I'd do if my babies got out. I'm curious to hear opinions from people who feel their reward was why their cat was returned, or someone who posted a large reward and still didn't get their cat back. I was also curious to know what is the monetary value of our cats, and that's been answered already - you pay what you can afford, since I know our cats are actually priceless to us all.


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## doodlebug (May 13, 2006)

I think a large reward, like $5000, would bring out the crazies and weirdos. People trying to pass off other cats as yours etc. If you're an average middle class person, I think $250-500 is reasonable. But I also wouldn't advertise how much on the ads/posters. Rewards make me kind of uncomfortable, who's to say someone wouldn't hold the cat and demand more money.


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## Alex Harris (May 4, 2012)

If I really wanted my pet home,I would offer quite a bit.I wouldn't post it on a flyer though. There is a lot of desparation when you lose a pet and are trying everything to find them. I think a lot of people feel as though offering a higher amount will guarantee the return of their pet. There are some people close to me who have been looking for their little dog who has cancer. He was stolen from their home in early January and they are now offering $2,000 as a reward. They have a facebook page and have posted fliers everywhere,most of which are being torn down as soon as they are posted.


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## 3gatos (Nov 28, 2012)

I would probably offer dinner or something. If I found a kitty, I wouldn't want anything for finding it, so I don't know if I would give something if someone found my cat.


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## grrawritsjordi (Dec 29, 2012)

This is a good question.. Right now I wouldn't be able to offer anything, but I plan to start a kitty fund as soon as I get back on my feet. (Tax check will help).

I think $100 is a good reward. $5000 is ridiculous, IMO. It's not like the people are taking care of the animal. (If they were, then I would definitely compensate them on top of the reward for being awesome.) But finding an animal and giving it back to it's owner doesn't take that much of an effort.

Unfortunately, I think if Moosey got out, the only way to get her would be to trap her. She would definitely not go up to a stranger.


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## Blakeney Green (Jan 15, 2013)

grrawritsjordi said:


> It's not like the people are taking care of the animal. (If they were, then I would definitely compensate them on top of the reward for being awesome.)


Yeah, agreed. If they actually incurred any expenses finding my cat - for example, the kitty was injured and had to be taken to the vet, or it took them a few days to find me and they fed him in the meantime - I would pay them back for whatever they spent. I consider that separate from the reward.

If it was just a matter of flipping over his collar tag and calling the number on the back, though, that doesn't seem like something a person should expect to be heavily compensated for.

And to be fair, I think just about anyone around here would help if they could, reward or no.


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## Merlin_Guinevere (Sep 2, 2012)

As much as I could afford--my kitties are priceless to me.

That being said, I probably wouldn't put the amount in the flyer, and would offer about 100$ (but would be willing to go higher if they were being held for ransom or something! lol)


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## snowy (Aug 23, 2012)

Umm...I don't think I have seen any mention of reward for lost pet found so far, maybe I haven't seen all (_I'm sure there are people out there who will offer reward_). So, personally, a reward never crossed my mind, but certainly if the other party had paid for any expenses, medical or transport etc, I will pay back. Mind me, but I think most honest person or animal lover would certainly feel embarrassed receiving reward. People willing or even bothered to return lost pet are certainly some kinda pet lover, who else would be bothered at all, even to look at the posters. Of course, there will always be some non-pet lover on the lookout for some kinda money making thing - lost pet reward. Well, just my personal opinion.

Anyway, not giving reward doesn't necessarily mean our kitties aren't worthy.


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## 3furbabies (Dec 7, 2011)

I don't think I would ever offer a reward.... You shouldn't have to. People should do it out of the goodness of their hearts. I would offer am enormous thank you but that's it. It Would never cross my mind to expect a reward either.


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## Greenport ferals (Oct 30, 2010)

I put up flyers and went door to door looking for my cat Pip. I advertised a $50 reward. Pip was gone 6 weeks, but was found by a neighbor about a half mile away. I remember crying with happiness when I went to pick Pip up. The neighbor wouldn't hear of a reward. She was so happy for me that she had tears in her eyes too.

A few years ago an old black Lab showed up in our driveway. He was very hungry and very tired. I fed him, watered him and made him comfortable, then got on the phone to the humane society. They found his owner. Incredibly, that old dog had walked more than 30 miles. The reunion of the dog's owner and his person was priceless. She insisted I take $50, and after I declined, she put it in my pocket. I had mixed feelings about it, remembering my own lost pet. But I used it for cat food, and then I felt OK.


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## rightsaidfed (May 31, 2012)

My pet insurance actually covers a reward for a lost pet as well as costs to advertise in newspapers, print flyers, etc. I want to say its a few hundred, but I haven't looked it up.

Personally, I probably wouldn't accept a reward. If they insisted, I'd probably donate it to a local shelter or vet clinic.


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## MyBabiesDaddy (Jan 1, 2013)

3furbabies said:


> I don't think I would ever offer a reward.... You shouldn't have to. People should do it out of the goodness of their hearts. I would offer am enormous thank you but that's it. It Would never cross my mind to expect a reward either.
> 
> 
> Sent from Petguide.com Free App


In a perfect world people would do things out of the goodness of their hearts, but we know that's not true . I guess the way I see it, if someone saw a flyer with a large reward offered, they would remember it. That way, if they happen to come across our kitties they'd be more likely to either catch them or at least call us. I'm obviously not talking about people like the people on this forum who love animals. I'm taking about regular Joe and Mary Shmoe out there who couldn't care less about an animal, but sure care about money.


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## Zephyriddle (Mar 28, 2012)

I could understand people offering huge awards if the lost animal is a champion show dog. For example, my show prospect dane was $2500 from the US and if I were showing him in the states it could easily cost me $10 000 to finish him plus $1500 to have his health testing done, so offering $1-5000 as a reward might make sense since the dog is so valuable. 
I probably wouldn't offer more than $50 as a reward for the cats. I prefer to put things like "needs medication daily" on fliers to deter people from keeping the pet. 


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## yingying (Jul 19, 2011)

My cats are purebreed and are microchipped. So if they went missing and can't be found in shelters/vets place for weeks, its most likely that someone has kept them as their own pet. In this case, it's most reasonable to offer a price higher than purchasing a purebreed, so that ppl will think "oh well, why not return the cat, take the money, and buy one for myself?". So if my cats go missing, I will offer $2000. It's not a crazy price for my living area either, where a 2 bedroom condo cost 400k+ and average houses are over 1M.

PS: I remeber last year someone lost his Golden Retriever. He posted the info on street and online: "I will give you $2000 and no question asked!", and his dog was returned in a week


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## Arianwen (Jun 3, 2012)

I think putting Reward Offered could work in that it would encourage local kids to keep an eye out.


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## 3furbabies (Dec 7, 2011)

yingying said:


> PS: I remeber last year someone lost his Golden Retriever. He posted the info on street and online: "I will give you $2000 and no question asked!", and his dog was returned in a week


Wowzer, I'd love to have been the one who found that dog! :mrgreen:

Only 1 of my 3 cats are chipped and the other two are not chipped/registered/don't wear collars so the chances of them being found by anyone other then myself or bf are pretty much none. I still wouldn't offer a reward even if I could afford it although I would put missing flyers up with my info. 

I have seen lost flyers in my day though and typically the average reward posted that i've seen is $100-$1000


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## yingying (Jul 19, 2011)

I think that guy had a reason to believe his dog was stolen (forgot why, but it was mentioned in the local news). 

In large city like Toronto, even though most ppl are nice and caring, there are still quite a few bad apples. If my cats go missing, I won't rush to put up the reward, because there is a good chance that nice ppl will find them and send them back (I would still offer them $200 to show my gratitude though). If they are missing too long, then a large reward could bring attention of those who don't care, or just used as money to "buy" them back. You know what? I would even give a reward to anyone who can give me valid "tips" for finding my cats!


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## MyBabiesDaddy (Jan 1, 2013)

Truth is, I doubt anyone would be able to return my cats since they're not the type who approach strangers. I guess my best bet would be hoping that the reward would motivate people to keep an eye out for them and contact me if they think its them. I guess I would offer a reward for info that leads to me finding the cat too! Good idea.


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## grrawritsjordi (Dec 29, 2012)

MyBabiesDaddy said:


> Truth is, I doubt anyone would be able to return my cats since they're not the type who approach strangers. I guess my best bet would be hoping that the reward would motivate people to keep an eye out for them and contact me if they think its them. I guess I would offer a reward for info that leads to me finding the cat too! Good idea.


I definitely know for a fact Moosey would starve before she went up to a stranger.


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## MyBabiesDaddy (Jan 1, 2013)

I guess that's also another benefit to feeding ferals. When cuddles got out of the house, he didn't run away because he was too interested in the ferals we were feeding. It's probably a good idea to find out who's feeding the ferals near your house and put extra flyers around there.


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## snowy (Aug 23, 2012)

grrawritsjordi said:


> I definitely know for a fact Moosey would starve before she went up to a stranger.


Same here, ET will certainly not go up to a stranger, he will probably go into hiding and starve. Unless someone have a professional trap and lure him in with food.



Greenport ferals said:


> She insisted I take $50, and after I declined, she put it in my pocket. I had mixed feelings about it, remembering my own lost pet. But I used it for cat food, and then I felt OK.


For us here in Sg, its a practice for chinese to give a 'red packet' _(undisclosed money in a red envelope)_. I would certainly do that and will insist cos its me and hubby's habit to give a token of appreciation for any favours received. But of course, when the other person very firmly reject, we will respect and won't insist, it happened before.


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## hal1 (Jul 16, 2011)

Large amounts are unnecessary. If they find it they'll return it for any reasonable amount, like a couple hundred.


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## spidermilk (Jan 12, 2013)

Around here people NEVER offer rewards but there are a lot of low income people and cash-strapped students. If I see a stray dog or kitty running around my neighborhood I always try to call them to me so I can help them get home. The cats never come, but I am 100% on dogs. I am going to try to find the animal's owner reward or not. I don't like stray animals around my home and if I lost a pet I would hope that someone would be kind enough to try to return them to me.

The idea about finding who is feeding the ferals is very good! I have always worried about my cats getting lost if they did get outside because I doubt they would let a stranger approach them and people around here just assume cats who are outside are strays our outdoor cats and ignore them.


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## jadis (Jul 9, 2011)

I wouldn't put an amount on a flyer, but I would be willing to give someone $50 to $100 or reimburse them if they had to take the animal to the vet or something. I wouldn't be able to give someone $5,000 even if I wanted to, because I don't have it.


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## Zerafian (Feb 19, 2013)

Id put $$$ reward on the poster if it happened. A dont have a lot money but would give would I was able if someone found them.


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## Savannah (Mar 6, 2013)

Being in West Los Angeles...I agree with this post and would offer a high amount. 




yingying said:


> My cats are purebreed and are microchipped. So if they went missing and can't be found in shelters/vets place for weeks, its most likely that someone has kept them as their own pet. In this case, it's most reasonable to offer a price higher than purchasing a purebreed, so that ppl will think "oh well, why not return the cat, take the money, and buy one for myself?". So if my cats go missing, I will offer $2000. It's not a crazy price for my living area either, where a 2 bedroom condo cost 400k+ and average houses are over 1M.
> 
> PS: I remeber last year someone lost his Golden Retriever. He posted the info on street and online: "I will give you $2000 and no question asked!", and his dog was returned in a week


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## GhostTown (Jan 12, 2012)

I would offer $2,200, just to be higher than yingying.

While writing the check, I would question the bahjeezus out of the person. I'd want to know if the money is what brought my cat back. I'd want to know where they found him, where they kept him, what they fed him, where the person lives.... I'd be on the edge of irate, quite honestly.


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## yingying (Jul 19, 2011)

LOL, are we running some sort of competition here? :lol: 
I guess I possibly would be crying out of joy at the moment I get my cat back, and the irate part most likely will kick in later 

PS: Personal check will NEVER work in such situation. As a matter of fact, I never accept any peronal check from non-friend. Cash, my friend, cash, is king


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