LOST & FOUND

Within the First Hour

Is your pet microchipped? Contact the microchip company to report your pet lost and verify that all your contact information is current. You will want to have your pet’s microchip number handy.

• If you have the microchip number, but don’t know which company your pet’s microchip is registered with, use the AAHA Universal Tool to find out. Enter the microchip number, and it will let you know which company the chip is registered with and provide their contact information.
• If you don’t know your pet’s microchip number, call the shelter/clinic/place where your pet was microchipped and request the chip number.
• If you need to register your pet’s microchip, you can register it with Found Animals. You can register any brand of microchip in the Found Animals database for free.

Is your pet wearing a 2021 or later year PetHub rabies tag? Log in to your account to report your pet missing and verify that all your contact information is current.

• If you haven’t created an account, it’s not too late. Go to pethub.com to activate the tag. You will need your pet’s tag number.
• If you don’t know your pet’s tag number, call the shelter/clinic/place where your pet was vaccinated against rabies and request the tag number.

File a Lost Pet Report

• When you file a lost pet report, your report will be displayed on our website. People who have found pets are encouraged to browse the lost pets page to see if the pet they found has been reported lost.

Post on Lost and Found Pets of the MidSouth

• Post a photo of your pet, details about your pet, when/where your pet was last seen, and your name and phone number on the Lost and Found Pets of the MidSouth Facebook page. If you don’t have a Facebook account, we suggest that you create one solely for this purpose (you can always delete it once you’ve found your pet).
• A dedicated group of volunteers runs and monitors this page, working diligently to make connections with lost and found pets in the community. This page has nearly 40,000 followers, so we strongly suggest posting your pet here to get as much exposure as possible so people can be on the lookout for your lost pet.
• Browse posts on this page as often as possible to see if anyone has reported your pet found.

Post on Nextdoor

• Nextdoor is an app that is based on your geographical location and is a great place to post about lost pets so that your neighbors can be on the lookout. Post a photo of your pet, details about your pet, when/where your pet was last seen, and your name and phone number.
• Browse Nextdoor posts regularly to see if anyone reports your pet found.

Do a physical search of the area your pet went missing.

• If you lost your dog and you have other dogs at home, take your dogs for a walk around the neighborhood and look for you dog. Speak to people you see (neighbors, postal workers, sanitation workers, etc.) and let them know you’re looking for your lost pet and how to contact you if they see your pet.
• If you lost your cat, make sure to check bushes and under or inside structures. Cats are often hiding very close by where they went missing, so be thorough.

Within the First Few Hours

Search Pets at the Shelter

• If your pet is lost, it’s possible we’re housing them here at Memphis Animal Services. Make sure you’re using all the resources available to see if your pet is here! The stray hold in the city of Memphis is only three days, so it’s critical to move quickly so your pet isn’t adopted, transferred to another shelter/rescue, or euthanized. There are two main ways to search for your pet at MAS. We recommend that you try both ways.
  • Look through every single pet listed online as being housed at MAS. There may be pages and pages. Look through them all, as many times per day as possible. Our system is constantly updating these pages with new pets that have come in. If you see your pet listed on our website, write down their animal ID (ex. MAS-A-12345) and contact us immediately at 901-636-1416 or [email protected].
  • Come to Memphis Animal Services at 2350 Appling City Cove during our operating hours Monday-Friday, 1:00-6:00 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday, 12:00-4:00 p.m. (closed most holidays) and a staff member will assist you with looking for your pet. You should come in person to look for your pet as soon as possible as our stray hold is only three days, after which your pet could be adopted, transferred to another shelter/rescue, or euthanized.

Search Found Pet Reports

• Searching here will show you pets who have been found by the public and housed in their homes while they attempt to locate an owner. Citizens who find and foster pets can file a found pet report, and you can browse those reports here. Browse as often as possible to see if anyone has reported your pet as found.

Post on PawBoost

• PawBoost is like an AMBER Alert for lost pets. Millions of pet lovers have joined their Rescue Squad by signing up for localized lost & found pet alerts. More importantly, PawBoost has helped reunite over 1 million pets with their families.
• Posting is free, with optional premium services available. Report a Lost or Found Pet to PawBoost.
• Browse posts regularly to see if anyone reports your pet found.

Post on Petco Love Lost

• Petco Love Lost is a free national lost/found database that uses facial recognition technology to reunite lost pets with their families.
• Browse posts regularly to see if anyone reports your pet found.

Within the First 24 Hours

Print Lost Pet Flyers

• Put up flyers (with a photo of your pet, his/her name, details about him/her, and your name and contact information) in the area near where your pet went missing. Lost pets can cover miles more quickly than you’d think, so be thorough. Take the flyers to local businesses, shelters, and vet clinics and ask them to display the flyers and be on the lookout.
• PawBoost and Petco Love Lost create free flyers when you post your lost pet in their database. You can download and print these flyers to use.
• You can create large yard signs and ask neighbors in the area if you can put one in their yard (especially at busy intersections to increase exposure). We recommend using bright eye-catching colors to grab people’s attention.
• You can create small (1/4-page size) flyers and post them on the doors of your neighbors’ houses to let them know your pet is lost and to be on the lookout.
• You can put a large photo of your lost pet and your contact information in the rear window of your car to further increase exposure, especially if you drive around in the area the pet went missing.

Post on Neighbors by Ring

• Neighbors by Ring is a neighborhood app based on your geographical location and is a great place to post about lost pets so that your neighbors can be on the lookout. Post a photo of your pet, details about your pet, when/where your pet was last seen, and your name and phone number. You can also ask that people with Ring doorbells/cameras check their footage for any sightings of your missing pet.
• Browse posts regularly to see if anyone reports your pet found.

Post on Craigslist

• Post a photo of your pet, details about your pet, when/where your pet was last seen, and your name and phone number. We recommend posting in the lost+found section and the pets section for maximum exposure.
• Browse posts regularly to see if anyone reports your pet found.

Call vet clinics in your area to file a lost pet report and see if they may have your pet.

• Click here to download a list of vet clinics in Shelby County by zip code