How to Find Your Lost Pet

Here’s a few steps to help your pet find their way home, if they become lost.

• Keep identification up to date. Make sure that your pet wears a collar with an id tag displaying your current contact information. Dogs should also be currently licensed and should wear their dog license and rabies tag.
• Keep a photo of your pet on hand. Choose a photo that shows your pet’s face, body and any distinctive markings.  If your pet goes missing, you can share the photo with local shelters, post on social media and use it to create lost pet fliers.
• Consider microchipping your pet. Microchipping provides permanent identification that can’t fall off or be misplaced like a collar or tag. If your pet is already microchipped, be sure to your contact information current with the microchip company.

The best way to find your lost pet is to begin searching immediately.

• Ask your friends and family to help, ask your neighbors, or your postal carrier if they’ve seen your pet.
• Use social media- share your pet’s photo and information on neighborhood social media pages and on community message boards. (Using social media can be a great tool to spread information quickly, but be cautious of potential scammers). 
• Contact local shelters. Call or visit your local animal control facility and area animal shelters as soon as possible.

If your pet is missing in Boston, you should report your lost pet to:

• The City of  Boston Animal Shelter at: 617-635-1800 or by emailing animalshelter@boston.gov.
• The Animal Rescue League: 617-426-9170
• The MSPCA shelter: 617-522-5055

You can also report your missing pets and search for sightings through online lost/found pet sites and platforms similar to the ones posted below:

• Home | Missing-Dogs-MA - a resources for reporting and locating missing dogs in MA.
• Report and Search Lost and Found Pets | Petco Love Lost - an online platform that helps reunite pets with their owners.

When reporting your pet lost to local shelters, please be ready to provide: 

• The pet’s name, breed, sex, approximate age, color, and any distinguishing markings.
• A recent photo of the pet.
• The date the pet went missing.
• The location where the pet was last seen. 
• Owner’s contact information.

A flyer is a simple tool that can help your community recognize that your pet is missing.

Create a flyer featuring a recent photo of your lost pet and include the following:

• your pet's name, breed, and sex
• their age and a physical description
• the date they got lost and the last place you saw them, and
  
  your contact information.

Post the flier around in your neighborhood, share on social media/lost-found pet sites, local shelters, animal control and veterinary hospitals. 

Be cautious of anyone asking you for money up front for information on your pet. 

Don't lose faith — act quickly, spread the word and keep checking for updates! We hope you find your pet soon!

If you find a lost pet, you should report it right away. If you don't file a report and give an accurate description, the owner may never be reunited with their pet. Taking the right steps helps ensure that the pet stays safe and has the best chance of being reunited with their family.

Please note: If the animal has tags with the owner's information on it, you can contact the owner directly to reunite them with their pet.

If the pet is wearing a dog license, contact your local animal control officer.

If you find a pet that has no collar or tags, contact your local animal shelter, the pet could be microchipped.

Found a dog?

If you find a lost dog, the law requires you to contact animal control. For dogs found in Boston, contact us at (617)635-5348 or (617)635-1800. 

We will scan the dog for a microchip and contact the owner. If the dog is not chipped, we will bring the dog to our animal care facility where we’ll give the owner seven days to claim their dog.

Found a Lost Cat?

Consider whether the cat is actually lost. Friendly, healthy cats may simply be indoor/outdoor cats who belong to someone in the neighborhood.

If you are concerned that a cat may be lost, you can bring it to a veterinary hospital or shelter to be scanned for a microchip or you can contact:

• City of Boston Animal Shelter: (617)635-1800
• Animal Rescue League shelter at 617-426-9170
•  MSPCA at 617-522-5055.