Found Lost or Stray Animals?
These tips can help you reunite the animal with their family!
- Check for an ID tag.
See if the dog is wearing a collar with identifying information. - Ask your neighbors.
Eighty percent of lost pets are found within one mile of their home. Ask your neighbors or people in the area if they recognize the dog or know the owner. - Search our database.
Search for animals who have been reported as lost or missing to San Diego Humane Society. - Hold the dog for a few hours.
If you can, keep the dog in your care while you see if you’re able to locate the owner in your neighborhood rather than bringing her into the shelter. These tips can help you safely introduce a stray dog to your dogs. If you have cats or small pets at home, it’s best to keep them separated from the stray dog. - Check the chip!
If the pet is not wearing an ID tag, you can take him to your local veterinary office or shelter to have him scanned for a microchip. - Create a Found Pet flyer.
Use this template to create a flyer and post it at local coffee shops, dog parks, pet stores, veterinary offices and other businesses. - Use online resources.
Post about found pets on Facebook groups, Nextdoor and Craigslist. Here are tips for posting lost pets in these communities.- Post photos and a description of the pet to community Facebook groups in your area.
- Nextdoor is a critical resource for reuniting pets with their families. Tips for posting lost pets on Nextdoor can be found here. Be sure to include a photo and description of the pet.
- Post a found report and photo on the Lost & Found section of craigslist.com.
- File a Found Pet Report with SDHS.
If you’re not able to find the pet’s owner on your own, contact San Diego Humane Society and other local shelters in surrounding cities by phone or e-mail to provide a Found Pet report.San Diego Humane Society
Includes information like the pet’s age, weight, breed, color, overall description and location found. Please include a photo of the found pet. The information and photo will help us cross-reference our Lost Pets database. Call 619-299-7012 | Email us at [email protected]
View more San Diego Shelters and Animal Service Organizations and Wildlife Services. - Consider fostering.
You can help keep pets out of shelters by fostering* the pet until we locate the owner.
*If the owner is not located and you are interested in adopting the pet, San Diego Humane Society will be happy to help you complete the adoption once the legally required stray holding period ends. If an owner does not come forward and the pet is a candidate for adoption, he or she will become available or transferred to a rescue partner organization.
