What to do if you lose your pet:

If you have lost your pet, start looking for it immediately. Do not wait for the animal to come home by itself. The following suggestions may help you locate your pet.

Act quickly. Post flyers in the area where the animal was last seen. Make sure your flyer is easy to read, use minimal words and make them as large as possible. Hit the streets and give the flyer to everyone you see. People are typically very helpful in looking for a lost pet. It might be a good idea to have a "rough draft" of your flyer ready to go and updated in case of an emergency.

Click here for a sample flyer.

Visit Franklin County Animal Shelter (dogs) or Capital Area Humane Society (cats). Go to the shelter as soon as you think your pet is missing.  Continue to visit the shelter every few days ... there are too many animals for them to try figure out if your animal is there over the phone. File a lost pet report with every shelter within a 60-mile radius of your home.

Call your local dog warden if you live in a municipality.

Post notices at local grocery stores, community centers, veterinary offices, traffic intersections, online at www.pets911.com or www.petfbi.org and other locations.

Call Mary Jane Stockdale at (614) 471-7397. She is a lost/found service.

Leave recently worn clothing at your front/back doors so the animal can smell its way back.

Don't give up. Animals who have been lost for months have been reunited with their owners.

A pet—even an indoor pet—has a better chance of being returned if she always wears a collar and an ID tag with your name, address, and telephone number. Ask your veterinarian about permanent methods of identification (such as microchips).

Where to Report Lost & Found Animals

Capital Area Humane Society
We receive reports of lost and found animals by phone and in person during our open hours: 2:00 – 7:00 pm Monday through Friday and 12:00 – 5:00 pm Saturday and Sunday. Callers can reach our admissions staff by calling (614) 777-7387, ext. 208 during the above-listed hours. Shelter staff and volunteers check reported information against the animals received.

The Franklin County Animal Shelter
The Dog Shelter provides general information on their website, http://www.franklincountydogs.com/, regarding lost dogs, but states “Due to the large number of dogs received daily at the Shelter, we are unable to positively identify for answer questions about lost dogs over the phone.”

Pet FBI (Pets Found by Internet)
This service is available online, http://www.petfbi.org/, without charge to anyone who has lost or found a pet.

Franklin County Auditor
The Franklin County Auditor is responsible for the licensing of dogs in Franklin County. The auditor’s website, http://www.co.franklin.oh.us/auditor/, includes a lost and found page limited to dogs. The website also features a searchable database for dog license numbers.

Additional Resources
www.petfinder.com
www.pets911.org

Sheltering of Strays

Capital Area Humane Society
Ohio statute provides no requirement for the sheltering and holding of stray cats, therefore, most county and municipal governments do not provide for the pick-up and sheltering of cats. As a result, the local animal control facility only provides animal control services and sheltering for dogs. The Humane Society will accept stray cats at our facility during our walk-in admission hours: 2:00 – 6:00 pm Monday – Friday and 12:00 – 4:00 pm Saturday and Sunday.

The Franklin County Dog Shelter
This county-run facility for strays only shelters dogs. The Dog Shelter staff occasionally will work with cats abandoned at their facility through volunteer foster care.

Click here for more information

Visit Pet FBI