Animal Services & Resources : Lost/Found Pets
Lost or Found Pets
If your pet is lost, call your veterinarian and/or the microchip company right away to make sure the microchip's contact information is up-to-date.
If you've lost or found a dog, cat, or other companion animal, contact the animal welfare agency that is responsible for handling strays in your area.
- Seattle Animal Shelter: (206) 386-7387
Serving Seattle - King County Regional Animal Services, Kent: (206) 296-7387
Serving all of King County except: Seattle, Des Moines, Federal Way, Medina, Normandy Park, Renton, Shoreline, and Lake Forest Park - Renton Animal Control: (425) 430-7550
Serving Renton - Medina Police Department: (425) 233-6420
Serving Medina & Hunts Point - PAWS: (425) 787-2500
Serving Bothell, Brier, Kenmore, Lake Forest Park, Lynnwood, Mill Creek, Mukilteo, Shoreline, Woodinville, and unincorporated Snohomish County - Everett Animal Control: (425) 257-6000
Serving Darrington, Gold Bar, Index, Lake Stevens, Marysville, Monroe, Snohomish, Stanwood, Tulalip, and unincorporated Snohomish County - Edmonds Animal Control: (425) 775-4545
Serving Edmonds - Des Moines Animal Control: (206) 870-6549
Serving Des Moines - Normandy Park Animal Control Services: (206) 248-7600
- Humane Society for Tacoma & Pierce County: (253) 383-2733
Serving Federal Way, Tacoma, and unincorporated Pierce County - Seattle Humane Society: (425) 641-0080
We have partnerships with both Renton and Medina to house their strays
Additional Steps to Consider if Your Pet is Lost
- Begin your search immediately. The longer you wait the harder success will come.
- Cover at least a 20 block area around your home. A dog or cat can wander miles in just a day.
- Call your pet's name loudly and often. In-between, listen carefully for a faint bark or meow that may indicate your curious friend is trapped somewhere.
- Contact all the animal shelters in your county and surrounding counties. A "finder" may take your pet to the local shelter or he may go to one that is farther away. Because your description may vary from that of the center's staff and because most shelters are required to keep an animal for at least 3 days after intake, be prepared to visit each agency at least once every day to view all the animals there, including those in holding or isolation (sick or injured pets).
- Advertise in your local papers. Offer a reward* to stimulate interest. Run your ad for at least two weeks. Read the "Lost & Found" columns daily to see if someone has found your pet.
- Talk to people, especially kids or those adults with an established neighborhood "route" (i.e. mail carriers, meter readers, UPS drivers, etc.) and show them a photograph of your pet.
- Make a "Wanted" poster. Write in large block print and attach a recent photo or rough sketch of your pet. Include the following information: Breed, age, color(s), when/where lost, your phone number, and a reward if possible.
- Leave a poster at each agency you contacted.
- Hang your sign everywhere in the 20 block radius around your home, i.e. community bulletin boards, grocery stores, schools, meeting halls, etc.
- Visit all veterinary hospitals and schools in your area. Leave a poster.
- Be imaginative in your search. In addition to yards, streets, parks and woods, try searching in shopping centers, school grounds, construction sites, abandoned buildings and crawl spaces. Leave an item of your personal clothing in your front and back yards.
- Use your car in your search. Many dogs and some cats recognize the sound of the family car. Visit your dog's favorite spots.
- Try taking your dog's best canine buddy along on your search. He might very well see, hear, and smell what you cannot.
* Warning: Don't let your emotions override your common sense when it comes to offering a reward. Some so-called "finders" collect a fortune in rewards for lost pets they haven't found. Protect yourself. Never pay reward money or any shipping costs without viewing at least a clear photograph of the "found" pet.