- How does Lost and Found work?
- How to look for your lost pet
- If you found a pet
- If you need to bring your pet to us
- Shelter locations and hours
- Area shelters
Lost and found pets
Watch this short video to find out how we can help if you if you’ve lost your pet, if you’ve found a pet or if you need to relinquish your pet to us.
If you have lost your pet, you have come to the right place. First, look at the animals we have in our Lost and Found centers. Be sure to check both the Quebec Street shelter and the Buddy Center™.
If you believe one of the animals listed here is yours, visit the shelter right away. Click here for locations and hours. Read the section below about how Lost and Found works.
Due to the large number of animals received each day, we cannot guarantee that this page lists all the animals currently in our Lost and Found centers. That’s why it is important to visit our shelters and other area shelters to personally look for your pet.
Please note that these animals are NOT available for adoption. Please do not call or e-mail to inquire about adopting these animals.
How does lost and found work?
- Pets without identification are sheltered for three to five days.
- Pets with microchip ID implants or ID tags are cared for up to ten days while we make every effort to contact their owners.
- Pets not claimed by owners may become candidates for our adoption program.
- To recover some of our operating expenses, owners are required to pay a fee for the first day we shelter their lost animals and for each additional day.
- Owners should bring proof of ownership including photographs or veterinarian records when coming to reclaim their pets.
How to look for your lost pet
Visit Every Shelter
It’s important that you visit all the metro animal shelters to look for your pet, because animals can wander far from home. It’s also necessary for you to visit the Dumb Friends League shelters in person, as we do not take lost reports over the phone. If you don’t find your pet at a particular shelter, leave a lost pet report and current photo with the staff.
Act Fast
- Check each shelter daily. Don’t assume that a shelter will house your animal any longer than a few days.
- Notify friends and neighbors that your pet is lost.
- Contact veterinary practices in your area. They may have a Lost and Found bulletin board in their offices.
- Read the “found” ads, and take out a “lost” ad in the newspapers.
- If your neighborhood permits, post fliers in the area where you lost your pet.
- Don’t give up!
Why Pets Stray
A common reason a pet will stray from home is that it isn’t spayed or neutered and is looking for a mate. Spaying or neutering eliminates an animal’s reproductive instincts and decreases the chances of its straying from home.
Your pet’s ticket home
Make sure:
- Your dog or cat wears a current rabies tag, license tag and an ID tag with your present address and phone numbers
- Your address and phone numbers are on file with the veterinarian who provided your pet’s most recent vaccinations
- Your contact information is current with the registry for your pet’s microchip identification implant
A microchip identification implant is the size of a grain of rice and is inserted under an animal’s skin. It contains a number that is filed with a national registry. The registry keeps owner contact information. When a shelter or veterinary practice finds an implant on a lost pet, they contact the registry. To get a microchip ID for your pet, consult your veterinarian.
Every dog and cat adopted since 1998 from the Dumb Friends League has a microchip ID implant. If you have a League pet and haven’t kept your contact information current with the national registry, please call us at (303) 751-5772.