Lost your pet?

The most important thing you can do is take action.
Here are some steps we recommend:

photos of dogs

  • Check the internet:  Place a "Lost" ad on Nextdoor, Craigslist, 24PetConnect or PawBoost

  • Call Berkeley Animal Care Services at 510-981-6600 to see if your pet has been found. Continue calling every 2 or 3 days to look for your pet. If your animal is not at the shelter, we will fill out a "lost report" to be kept on file. If you file a lost pet report and later locate the animal,  be sure to notify the shelter.

  • Check other local animal shelters and complete their lost report forms: 

  • Make up flyers, preferably featuring a photo of the pet, with as accurate a description of the pet as possible (color, size, breed, etc.)

  • Make a flyer at 24PetWatch and Lost My Kitty

  • If your pet is microchipped, report it missing to the company it is registered with.

  • Notify neighbors of your lost pet.

  • If the pet is a cat, look in the crawl spaces of buildings, garages, and storage sheds.  Cats often get locked into places where they've gone to explore or hide, so call for the cat during a time of day when a response from the cat will be heard.

  • Finally, un-neutered cats and dogs can roam for miles, so the search will have to cover a broader area than for altered animals - another reason to have pets spayed/neutered.

  • If you have found a pet, please report it to Animal Services with as accurate a description as possible.

 

Found a stray?

  • Should you find a stray or lost pet in the Berkeley, Piedmont, Emeryville, or Albany area, immediately contact Berkeley Animal Care Services in order to give the pet the best chance of being reunited with its owner. If the shelter is open, you can either drop the animal off or ask them to deploy Animal Control to help safely secure it. If the shelter is closed, leave a message and try calling back as soon as it opens!

  • Optional but strongly recommended: Post on NextDoor that you found an animal with a description of it (and picture if you have one). Make sure anyone who reaches out provides an identifying mark or collar to confirm ownership. Be sure to update the post if someone claims the pet.

  • You may also take the pet to any local veterinarian or shelter to have it scanned for a microchip.

  • If you have any concerns about abuse or neglect based on the pet’s condition when you found them, please tell the shelter. If the pet is in questionable condition and is claimed by an owner, Animal Control is the appropriate party to discuss any concerns regarding the pet’s welfare.