Lost a Pet?

Beginning Your Search:

• Start looking for your pet immediately. When a pet first goes missing, some families will wait for their escape artist dog or indoor/outdoor cat to return on their own like they may have done previously, but we would suggest starting your search immediately to increase the chances of bringing your pet home safely.
• If your pet is microchipped, contact the microchip company to ensure that your contact information is correct and to report the pet as lost.
• Create lost pet flyers immediately to get the word out that your pet is missing in your area, and pass out to neighbors, nearby businesses, vet offices, and shelters. This is especially important with lost cats, as the majority of altered cats stay within a 3 block radius to the location where they were lost.
• File lost/missing pet reports on popular websites/apps. We recommend PawBoost, NextDoor, Craigslist, Pet Harbor, as well as any local Lost & Found Pet Facebook groups. A popular lost and found pet group in the Toledo area is Toledo Area Lost and Found Pets.
• Create a Finding Rover Account. Finding Rover is a free service that uses facial recognition software to compare your pet’s photo with animals in shelters nationwide – they will even search shelters out of the area in the event that your pet was transported out of the area by someone that found your pet! Animals may be listed as a different breed/color than what you may describe, and using software to compare images will eliminate mis-labeling errors. Find more information here: https://findingrover.com/.
• Check your local animal shelters. An animal may be found or brought to a shelter days or even weeks after they were found. It’s important to check shelters frequently, in-person if possible, until your pet is found. See below for suggestions on where to look!

Where to Look For Lost Dogs:

Toledo Humane Society does not accept stray or free roaming dogs – these dogs will be directed to the county dog warden or animal control facility for the county where the dog was found for the required stray hold. If you have lost a dog, please visit the county shelter where your dog would have been likely been found. If you live near the county line, we would suggest visiting both shelters. If your dog has been missing for some time, we would suggest expanding your search to include other nearby shelters and rescues in the event that your dog may have been transferred to another organization after the required stray hold.

Lucas County Canine Care and Control - (419) 213-2800

410 Erie Street

Toledo, OH 43604

Wood County Dog Shelter - (419) 354-9242

1912 E Gypsy Lane Road

Bowling Green, OH 43402

Where to Look For Lost Cats:

There is no mandatory stray hold for cats required by the county. Toledo Humane Society will place found cats that have not been held by the finder or those that are altered with a collar/microchip for 3 days as a courtesy to a potential owner looking for their cat. However, it is important to start looking for a lost cat immediately and persistently as the date a cat was found and availability of shelter space may vary greatly. Please see the current list of cats currently in our care that were found as stray/free roaming below (scroll toward the bottom of the page).

You may also want to check with the following shelters: Wood County Humane Society, Paws and Whiskers, and Maumee Valley Save-a-Pet. There are also independent rescue groups in the area that may have individual websites, or have their pets listed on adoption websites such as Petfinder.com or AdoptAPet.com.

Microchipping Your Pet

Identification is the key to being reunited with your pet in the event that your pet becomes lost. Ensuring that your pet is wearing a collar with legible and current owner identification will be the fastest and most efficient way to get your pet back home. Microchipping, a tag-less and permanent form of identification, is also a great safety net in the event that your pet goes missing while they are not wearing a collar or tag.

The Toledo Humane Society offers engraved owner ID tags for purchase, as well as microchip implantation by appointment.

Found a Pet?

If you have found a lost pet, it is important to always try to locate the owner, regardless of the condition that you found the pet in.

There are plenty of innocent reasons that an animal may be in poor condition or fearful upon being found including being lost for a long period of time, the pet could be a new rescue that has not been in the new owner’s care very long, the pet may be elderly or have a medical condition that they are under veterinary supervision for, or the animal may have scars, a fearful disposition, or injuries that are unrelated to neglect or abuse by a current owner. It is always best to attempt to locate an owner, and contact the appropriate authorities if you have a concern about returning an animal to its owner after the owner has been located. We recommend asking for proof of ownership before returning a pet to someone claiming to be the owner – please seek help from your local shelter if you have questions/concerns.

Tips for locating an animal’s owner:

• Look for identification on a collar such as an identification tag, rabies tag, or dog license tag in hopes of locating an owner’s information directly without needing to take the animal to a shelter. We would also recommend taking any animal without identification to a shelter or vet’s office to be scanned for a microchip. Keep in mind that contact information may be out of date, but it is still important to exhaust all avenues to return a missing pet to their family. Families may also realize that their contact information is inaccurate once their pet has gone missing, and may update their information once the pet is lost. If you have found a dog wearing a Lucas County Canine Care and Control dog license, please view their online dog license look up here: http://lcapps.co.lucas.oh.us/LCDogOwnerLookup/
• If you will be holding the pet for any length of time while searching for an owner or before the animal is taken to a shelter, create found pet flyers, and pass out to neighbors, nearby businesses, vet offices, and shelters. This is especially important with lost cats, as the majority of altered cats stay within a 3 block radius to the location where they were lost.
• File found pet reports on popular websites/apps. We recommend PawBoost, NextDoor, Craigslist, Pet Harbor, as well as any local Lost & Found Pet Facebook groups. A popular lost and found pet group in the Toledo area is Toledo Area Lost and Found Pets. Be sure to include if you have taken the pet to an animal shelter in your report so that the owner may find their pet as quickly as possible.
• Create a Finding Rover Account. Finding Rover is a free service that uses facial recognition software to compare a lost pet’s photo with any missing reports that may have been created by the owner. Find more information here: https://findingrover.com/.
• Free Ad With Toledo Blade. If you’ve found an animal, the Toledo Blade will place a free ad in the lost and found section of the newspaper. You can contact The Blade at (419) 724-6500. Your ad should contain only a vague description of the pet found, usually breed type, sex, and your phone number. If someone responds to the ad, ask for a complete description. This will prevent the animal from being claimed by someone other than its owner.
• Contact local animal shelters in your area. Focus your efforts on shelters closest to where the pet was found, rather than where you live. Most families missing a pet will contact the local shelter to look for their pet, and it will be important to make a found pet report immediately. The date that a pet was lost and the date that they were found may be days or weeks apart, and it may take time for an owner to be located.

Where to Report or Surrender Found Dogs:

Toledo Humane Society does not accept stray or free roaming dogs, and they will generally need to be held for a required stray hold by the county shelter. Please contact the animal control facility or dog warden for the county where the dog was found to arrange a drop off or for more information about stray hold requirements:

Lucas County Canine Care and Control -(419) 213-2800

410 Erie Street

Toledo, OH 43604

Wood County Dog Shelter - (419) 354-9242

1912 E Gypsy Lane Road

Bowling Green, OH 43402

Where to Report or Surrender Found Cats:

There is a large community cat population in the Toledo area, where there are numerous owned and un-owned stray/free roaming cats. Toledo Humane Society does accept friendly owned or stray cats by appointment. However, due to the large volume of surrender requests, there may be a waiting list to surrender a healthy found cat. You can use this time to exhaust all avenues to locate a cat’s prior owner prior to surrendering to a shelter. For more information about surrendering a cat to THS, click here: https://toledohumane.org/surrender-a-pet. For an urgent surrender request for an ill or injured cat, please email info@toledohumane.org or call (419)891-0705 ext. 325.

You may also check with the following shelters for surrender availability: Wood County Humane Society, Paws and Whiskers, and Maumee Valley Save-a-Pet. There are also independent rescue groups in the area that may have individual websites, or have their pets listed on adoption websites such as Petfinder.com or AdoptAPet.com that may accept surrendered cats as well.