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Lost / Found Pet
What To Do If You Have Lost or Found A Pet
- Report a Lost Pet
- Go to our Stray Animal map tool. The map allows our residents to actively post a location where a dog/cat was seen loose or where the animal was picked up from. Note: Once added, animals will stay on this map for a maximum of five days.
- Register your lost pet with Petco Love Lost and view potential matches.
- Check out the 24PetConnect.com website. All animals we find are listed here. Keep in mind that any animals we bring in that do not have any identification (e.g. licenses or microchips), we can only keep for 72 hours as a "Stray - Hold". After that 72 hours, the animal may become available to the public.
- Keep looking. Many pets are found by residents that may not bring the animal to a shelter for several days.
- Post flyers in the neighborhood where the pet was lost. Ask schools in your area if you can post a flyer. Download our free Sample Flyer (PDF).
- Use social media, Nextdoor, Craigslist, and other free networking sources to get the word out about your pet. Consider Straydar, Lost Dogs Arizona and other Facebook groups.
- Call our Lost and Found Department at 602-372-4598. Please note: This phone number is not staffed 7 days a week. Please use the lost pet form above first.
Beginning August 3, 2022, MCACC will reinstate a managed intake process for stray dogs by requiring an appointment. Please use the information and resources. Managed intake is supported by the National Animal Care & Control Association for its benefits to people and pets.
Please Note: A separate appointment is required for each individual animal.
If you have found and can safely contain the dog, call the appropriate agency to report it. You can also use our online form to report a stray. Keep in mind that we cannot pick up cats.
The Arizona Humane Society accepts all stray animals who are sick, injured, or abused. Please contact them directly at 602-997-7585 ext. 3800 or click here Version OptionsLost / Found PetHeadline for more information. If you have found a healthy stray dog, please see below for tips on how you can help get the lost pet back home faster.
Found a Lost Pet?
- Only 17% of pets that end up in shelters get reclaimed by their families.
- 70% of lost dogs are found less than a mile from their home.
First Things First:
- If the dog or cat is wearing a Maricopa County tag, call 602-506-PETS and follow the prompts to retrieve the owner’s contact information.
- Bring the pet to a veterinary office, shelter, or pet supply store and ask them to scan for a microchip.
- Visit our Stray Animal map tool to look for lost reports that may be a match.
- Walk them around the area where they were found.
- Look for lost pet flyers in the area.
Think Lost, Not Abandoned:
- Report a Found Pet
- Create a found pet report using our online form to report a stray
- Hang up found pet flyers in the area.
- Post the pet on social media, including the Nextdoor app.
- Use the facial recognition technology at Petco Love Lost to view potential matches.
Schedule an Intake Appointment:
- For sick or injured pets, please call 602-997-7585 or visit the Arizona Humane Society page.
- MCACC shelter intakes are available by appointment only. A separate appointment is required for each individual animal.
- NOTE: If the dog has bitten and broken skin on any person in the past 10 days, please do not submit an appointment request. Instead, please call 602-506-7387 for instructions.
- Click here to book a stray dog intake appointment for the West Shelter @ 2500 S. 27th Ave, Phoenix, AZ.
- If you need to make an appointment to surrender your own dog, click here .
Petco Love Lost
Keep your dog safe with Petco Love Lost, which makes reuniting lost pets easier and free using facial recognition technology to search a national database. Search for your lost dog or cat on Petco Love Lost: MCACC has partnered with Petco Love Lost to easily help search the national lost and found database and create a searchable/shareable alert for your missing pet. Upload a picture of your pet or searching by location. Powered by facial recognition technology, Petco Love Lost helps match found animals to reported lost pets nationwide. Visit Petco Love Lost and search now!