Lost and Found Resources

If your pet has been found and has been brought to HSSW or reported to us as a found pet, you will find them listed on our website. 

More strategies to help locate a lost pet include:

• Register your pet with Petco Love Lost to search more than 200,000 registered found pets and increase the chances of reconnecting with your pet.
• Utilize local resources like lost and found Facebook groups, Craigslist, and other social media platforms to help spread the word. Active Facebook groups in our community include: SW Washington Lost & Found Pets and Lost & Found Pets of Vancouver, WA among others.
• Verify your contact information on your pet’s microchip.
• Visit I Paw'd it Forward for more lost pet resources and to connect with their active community of animal lovers.
• Notify veterinary offices in your area. Ask them if they receive lost/stray pets in their clinic.

Don’t give up! It can sometimes take a few months to locate a missing pet. Lost pet reports submitted to HSSW are kept for 30 days beyond your last visit to. It is important to let us know that your pet is still missing and that you are actively looking for him/her.

It's important to report found pets immediately. Not only is their family worried about them, they could be dependent on medication, special food, or other treatments. Please review the information below to learn more about what to do when you found a pet.

Bring the pet to HSSW

If you would like our assistance reuniting the pet with its owner, bring it to the shelter during regular business hours. If you need assistance, please email [email protected]. The pet will be listed on our Found Pets Page and our team will provide the best care possible while the pet waits to reconnect with its family.

Care for the pet yourself

Thanks to our community of caring animal lovers, most pets are reunited with their families without ever coming to the shelter. That’s why we proudly partner with Petco Love Lost, the largest, national pet database, to help lost and found pets reunite with their families. Registering the pet you found will help match them to one of more than 200,000 registered pets on Petco Love Lost.

Petco Love Lost

Additionally, consider the following options to increase the chances of connecting the pet you found with their family.

• Utilize local resources like lost and found Facebook groups, Craigslist, and other social media platforms to help spread the word.
• Have the pet scanned for a microchip. You can do this at HSSW or your local vet. If a microchip is found, the owner can be contacted immediately.
• Notify your neighbors. They may have information that can help. 

Our pets can be escape artists. And even the most prepared family may find themselves searching for a lost pet. A few important measures can help to find a lost pet and give you peace of mind if they wander. 

• Microchip your pet. A microchip acts as an added insurance policy and will help reunite lost animals with their owners, even if the animal somehow slips their collar. At HSSW, all animals are microchipped before adoption. Microchip services can be obtained at your family vet or in our community at clinics with Good Neighbor Vet. 
• Have your pet wear a collar, ID, and license. This ensures that your pet can be traced back and returned to you.
• As a licensing agent, we are required to issue a license to any unlicensed animal being redeemed at our shelter. 
• Spay/neuter your pet. Neutering helps to reduce a pet's instinct to roam and helps solve the overpopulation problem.
• Keep cats indoors. Make sure your cat stays inside unless on a harness/leash or in a supervised area.
• Fence your yard if practical. Make sure when your dog is outside it is in a fenced yard or on a leash.