The majority of lost or stray animals have families who love them and are typically found less than one mile from their homes. To keep pet families together, it is best to try to locate a lost pet’s family prior to bringing the animal to a shelter. On average, only 3-4% of the stray cats and only 15-20% of the stray dogs brought to local shelters are returned to their owners.
YOU CAN SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASE THE CHANCES OF REUNITING THE PET WITH THEIR FAMILY BY FOLLOWING THE SIMPLE STEPS BELOW.
Within the First Hour
DISCLAIMER: If the animal is injured, sick or malnourished, please take them to the nearest veterinarian clinic or your city’s shelter, or contact your local animal control agency.
- Check for ID
Some pets have a collar with the phone number stitched in, or a tag with a number that you can call to locate the pet parent. - Alert your neighbors
Take a photo and share it with your neighbors by using the methods your community utilizes most to communicate. This could include Nextdoor, a Facebook group, or a neighborhood email list. Be sure to include where the animal was found and how to get in contact with you. Be descriptive, include as much detail as possible, and be sure to include where the animal was found and how to get in contact with you. It is important that you know the cross streets and/or the address where the pet was found. - Take a walk
If possible, take a walk around the neighborhood to see if anyone might recognize the animal and know who they belong to. - Check for a microchip
Bring the pet to the nearest veterinarian clinic or shelter to get a free microchip scan.
Within the Next Few Hours
- Bringing the animal indoors to safety
Bringing a new animal into your home can pose risks to you and/or your household. As a precaution, please keep all pets separate and wash your hands frequently when handling the found animal. Disease and illness can spread quickly. - Start searching local lost & found pet alert sites
The owner may have posted their pet as missing, so be sure to check websites such as Petco Love Lost, Pawboost and social media groups. - Post the animal as found
If you don’t see any lost posts matching the pet you found, create a found post on Petco Love Lost, Pawboost and social media groups. We recommend creating only one post on Facebook, and then sharing that post to various groups available instead of creating multiple posts - Make flyers and walk the neighborhood
PetFBI has an easy online found pet flyer template that you can print from home! Then, walk the neighborhood, speak with neighbors, postal carriers, UPS/Amazon drivers, landscapers, and tell them about your found pet.
Within the First 24 Hours
- Hang found pet posters
Hang posters with duct tape at major intersections within a 3-mile radius of where the dog was found or a 1-mile radius of where the cat was found. - Continue searching local lost and found pet alert sites
Frequently search local lost and found pet alert sites for any leads on the animal’s owner and for any lost pet posts that match your found animal.
IF YOU ARE UNABLE TO LOCATE AN OWNER OR UNABLE TO CONTINUE CARING FOR THE FOUND ANIMAL
If you are unable to continue caring for the pet
If you are unable to continue caring for a pet you found and cannot find the owner, contact the correct jurisdictional shelter. Each shelter has different intake policies & procedures. We recommend reaching out within 3 days of finding the pet, as some shelters will consider the pet yours after you hold them 3 days. As a reminder, not all of our local shelters are no-kill.
If you are open to continue to care for the pet until a new home is found
If you are open to continuing to care for the pet until a new home can be found & you live in Galveston County or the surrounding area, you can apply for Lifeline of Galveston County's Good Samaritan program. This program aims to keep pets out of our crowded local municipal shelters.
