Lost a Pet?

How to Find a Lost Pet

Click here to see a listing of found animals at our shelter

Find a good photo and complete our Lost Animal Form:   Lost Animal Form

For more great tips on how to find a lost pet go to mission reunite’s website. Please note that as of 1/1/2021, California law requires all dogs and cats in the custody of animal shelters to be microchipped before being released back to their owner, fortunately we offer that service for FREE for our residents.

File a lost report – Give the shelters near where your pet was lost a detailed description of your animal. Include a physical description of color, size, age, and any distinguishing markings. Include a clear picture (good head shot) to the shelter to help staff identify your lost animal. Click here for links to other shelters.  

Visit the shelter in person – Don’t count on finding your pet by just calling the shelters and leaving a lost report. What you describe, and what they picture, could be completely different. Only you can identify your pet, so personally check each shelter regularly until your pet is found.

Act Fast – State Law only requires a shelter to hold stray animals for 4 days. Our policy is to try to hold strays for 7 days depending on their health, temperament and our available space – so don’t count on it. Check back frequently. Use social media to make everyone aware that your pet is missing and that there is a reward for her safe return.  Nextdoor.com and Josie’s Lost (and found) Dog Facebook page are very effective.

Put Up Posters – details might work for a flyer but posters are best kept simple and easy to read in under 10 seconds (as someone drives by).  Just a headline that says “Lost White Little Dog” and a phone number on the bottom with a big, clear photo in the center is enough.  Post everywhere the dog was last seen.

Distribute flyers in the area the animal was lost – with a dollar award highlighted. That kind of incentive is helpful in getting other people involved in looking for your missing animal. Include a photo of the animal and daytime and evening phone numbers.  Distribute to everyone within a circumference of where the animal was lost (literally draw a circle around that spot and blanket the area with flyers!)  To create a fast, easy and free lost pet flyer go to PetBond.com Flyer Maker.  Remember to include:

  • The location and date where your pet was last seen (include the cross streets and city).
  • Your contact information.
  • Details about your pet in the comments section. Include collar color, special markings, type of ears (pointy? droopy? cropped?), and any other identifying features.
  • A picture that shows what your pet looks like – a direct head shot is best
  • Increase the font size to at least 14.
  • Save the flyer as a pdf file

Newspapers/Websites – Check the Press Democrat and other local newspapers every day. Many shelters place ads listing found animals. You can also place an ad of your own looking for your missing pet. Craigslist is sometimes the first place a person turns to when they’ve found a pet, so be sure your lost report is there.  There are several other websites for lost pets and they change frequently so do a google search for places to post lost pet reports.

If your pet is microchipped be sure to call the company and have them flag your file as a lost pet so that if someone calls in with that chip number it is immediately noticed and no one can claim they were given the dog and change the owner information!