Found Pet Guide

If you have found a stray pet, the following options may be helpful as you attempt to locate the owner of the pet or find it a new home:

File a Found Report

If you haven’t yet, please call the Animal Service Center and file a found report. The Animal Shelter is the central location for lost and found pets in our area and is usually the first place people go to search for their lost pets. The Animal Shelter can be reached at 850-891-2950.

File A Found Report at the Helping Lost Pets website

Go to HelpingLostPets.com Once you have filed your report there, it will be posted and shared on the Lost & Found Pets Tallahassee Facebook page, which is an excellent tool for reuniting lost pets. Their Facebook page also has an excellent guide for how to use their free service and more tips pinned to the top of their page.

Check for a Microchip

To check if the pet has a microchip, take the animal to any shelter, humane society or vet in your area. They can scan the pet and tell you if it has a chip. In most cases, they will also be able to help you get the owner’s information from the microchip company if the pet has been chipped.

Below is the contact information for the primary microchip companies in the US. You can use the Microchip lookup tool to determine which company the microchip is from.

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.

Talk to Vets

The next step is to call your vet and any other vets in your area to let them know you have found a pet. Fax, email or personally take them a flyer with the pets’ photo and your contact info. We will also put up any posters we receive here in our office at the Leon County Humane Society. Our fax number is 850-224-5209. You may also contact us via email.

Facebook

Facebook is a wonderful tool for spreading the word for both lost and found pets. If you have a Facebook account, you’ll want to make a post containing a photo and approximate location found, then share it with as many people as possible.

Craigslist

Craigslist is another venue for spreading the word about lost and found pets. Under the Community section, there is a Lost and Found page where you can post a photo and location found. Many people post to this page when they have lost a pet.

Put Up Posters

Placing “found” posters all over your neighborhood and at nearby busy street intersections is often very effective. If you do this, be sure to use brightly colored, large poster board. Include the pet’s name, breed and coat color, when and where your pet was found, and your phone number and email. Do NOT include your name, address or a specific reward amount. Be sure and tell your mail carrier and children in your neighborhood about the pet you’ve found.

Local Newspaper

The Tallahassee Democrat offers a FREE service for those who have found a pet called a Good Neighbor ad. You may place an ad for FREE in the Good Neighbor section of the democrat describing the pet you have found. The Democrat can be reached at 850- 599-2100.

IMPORTANT: Whenever you post to a public forum, such as Facebook, Craigslist or the Democrat, it is a good idea to hold back a few details about the animal, such as collar description, special marking, microchip number or some other identifying detail. Then, when you receive a call from someone who thinks you may have found their pet, you can ask them to provide this information to verify their ownership.