Lost Pet Network

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In an effort to return lost and straying pets to their owners, Animal Services maintains a lost and found network. Current rabies tags can be traced through the office and animals returned to the owner without being impounded. We can also trace ownership of a stray through the use of microchip identification.

I lost my pet

If you lost your pet first thing you should do is check the immediate area around your home. It could be possible that they may still be around the general area. Owners are asked to visit the shelter in person within 24 hours of losing their pet, bring a picture of the animal if possible. Stop at the front office and let us know that you are looking for a lost pet. Once you have determined that they are indeed lost, you should follow these steps to maximize the chances of finding it.

Your first step is to come to the facility and view the stray wards. It is always best to visually identify your pet rather than reading a description.

View the Found Animal binder in the facility, one contains found animal reports and the second contains information of Animals found deceased.

• Fill out a lost report and submit it to the front desk staff.
• Come back every day to view the stray ward.
• Contact your local veterinarians.
• Visit other area animal shelters or contact other rescue groups.
• Place a lost Ad in the local paper, petharbor.com, petfinder.com, etc.
• Post your lost animal on your Facebook page, or post a report on Facebook pages such as Lost Dogs Illinois, Lost Dog of Wisconsin, or Lost Cats of Illinois.

If you find your pet at the shelter, you may be required to pay a fee to reclaim your pet. As part of the reclaim fee, your pet will have a microchip implanted for identification purposes. Other services that may be included in the reclaim fee are boarding, handling, rabies vaccination and county tag. If your pet has a current rabies vaccination and pet license, please bring proof with you when reclaiming to avoid additional fees.

We keep stray dogs for seven days, and even though there is no required holding time for cats, we try to hold stray cats for four days. After which, all strays may be considered for adoption based on health and temperament.

 I have found a pet!

If you find a lost animal, the  first thing you should do is call Animal Services. The lost dog or cat may have a county registration tag or other identification tag. If there is a county registration tag, make sure to inform the call taker so we can search for the owner based on the tag information.

You may also take it to a local vet to scan for a microchip. We will ask you for information for a found animal report. You may also bring the lost animal you found here to the facility or call for an Animal Service Officer to pick the animal up.

To release a stray lost animal you will need to provide your State issued ID. We will scan for a microchip and registration tag.