Start with the photo people will actually recognise
Choose one clear, recent, full-body photo in natural light, showing your dog's real size, coat colour, and any marking that sets him apart — a white chest blaze, one floppy ear, a grey muzzle. Avoid costumes, heavy filters, and group shots where neighbours have to guess which dog is missing. If you have a second photo showing a distinctive feature, such as a curled tail or a scar, add it after the main image rather than replacing it. A post built around a blurry puppy photo of a now-adult dog slows recognition at exactly the moment a passer-by is deciding whether the dog in front of them matches.
The facts that belong in the first lines
Put the essentials where a fast-scrolling reader sees them: your dog's name, breed or closest description, approximate weight, colour and markings, collar colour and whether a tag is attached, the street, park, or landmark where he was last seen, and the time he disappeared. Finish with a phone number, written in full, and say plainly that texts with a photo of a sighting are welcome at any hour. Mention that he is microchipped, because it reassures a finder that a veterinary clinic or shelter can identify him, but never publish the chip number itself.
Tell people how to behave around your dog
This line is often missing and it matters. A confident, food-motivated dog may come happily to a stranger who crouches and calls him. A nervous rescue may bolt across traffic if chased, grabbed at, or followed by a car. Say which yours is: 'friendly, please hold him and call me' or 'shy — please do not chase, phone me with the location and keep eyes on him from a distance.' That single instruction protects your dog and turns dozens of followers into calm spotters instead of pursuers.
Make the post easy to share and keep it alive
Set the post to public, post it in local lost-pet and neighbourhood groups rather than only on your own page, and ask friends to share the original so updates stay attached. Then maintain that one post: edit in confirmed sightings with times, remove streets once a search moves on, and pin a comment with your number. When your dog is home, update the top of the post in capital, happy words — shares keep circulating for days otherwise, and volunteers keep searching for a dog who is asleep on your sofa.
Pair the post with the map alert
Social reach depends on who happens to be scrolling, so give people near the search another way to spot him and reach you. Through KinsLe, the Lost Pet Alert System displays the alert in map view from his profile at no cost, and whoever finds him can send you a message straight away.