Lost Pet Guide
What do I do if I lost a pet?
1) Check your neighborhood and knock on doors
Most missing pets are found by their owners or Good Samaritans in their neighborhoods. Walk the neighborhood, knock on doors, and ask people you encounter if they may have seen your pet. Cell phone photos of your pet will help.
2) Check our website
Search found pet listing here.
3) File a lost pet report
Call 585-428-6722 to file a report over the phone or submit an online report now.
4) Visit the shelter
Come down to the Animal Services Center at 184 Verona Street during regular business hours to see if your pet may be there, review Found Pet Reports, and submit or update a Lost Pet Report.
Bring photos and vaccination records. If you find your pet at the shelter, there may be fees to reclaim the animal.
The fees are necessary to cover the costs associated with intake and care for animals during their time at our facility. The sooner you get here, the lower the fees. You will also need to pay for a license (dogs only), and rabies vaccination, if not current. Sterilization (i.e., spay or neuter) is optional but encouraged.
If you do not find your pet at the Animal Services Center, ensure that you have submitted a Lost Pet Report including a photograph, and continue checking back at the facility every couple of days.
5) Gather photos
Gather several photos of your pet that best illustrate what it looked like when it went missing. Use the photos on Lost Pet Flyers, Lost Pet Reports, and social media posts. If submitting a Lost Pet Report, please be sure to upload your photos to it.
6) Post on social media
Post a description of your missing pet, photos, and location on social media sites like Craiglist (post in both Lost & Found and in Pets and renew every three days), Facebook, and Nextdoor. Refer to the Lost Pet Resource Packet for guidance on creating such posts.
7) Make and post flyers
Hang flyers in heavy traffic areas and public spaces near where your pet was last seen. Good old-fashioned leg work is still the best way to locate a missing pet. Refer to the Lost Pet Resource Packet for a sample flyer that you can use.
8) Use online tools
Use Petco Love Lost and PetFBI to expand your search through those online databases. Petco Love Lost uses facial recognition to match shelter animals with missing pets.
Petco Love Lost
Petco Love Lost is a searchable national database that uses facial recognition technology to make finding lost pets quicker and easier. Uploaded photos of a missing dog or cat are immediately scanned to determine whether the lost pet is at a participating shelter or with a neighbor in the community.
Petco Love Lost allows pet owners to register their pets proactively before pets go missing.
Lost pet prevention
Losing a pet can be a heartbreaking experience. To help you avoid this distressing situation, Rochester Animal Services offers the following tips and strategies to keep your beloved pets safe and secure. To find out more, click the button below.
Learn more: Lost pet prevention
Sterilization
Sterilization is encouraged for all dogs and cats reclaimed from the Animal Services Center.
Search found animals
The animals listed below came to us as unidentified, lost pets or were found and cared for by community members who are assisting with reuniting the lost pets with their owners.
Most lost companion animals are found very close to their homes and often can be reunited with their people without requiring intake at the animal shelter.
Owners of missing pets receive guidance and support from our office, and they submit Lost Pet Reports, post Lost Pet Flyers, use Petco Love Lost facial recognition tool, and knock on doors to attempt to locate neighbors who may have found the pets and be caring for them.
Search found dogs
Search found cats
Search other found pets
How You Can Help
Support Our Friends
Verona Street Animal Society
The Verona Street Animal Society is a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organization established to help support the mission and programs of Rochester Animal Services.
Annual Fundraiser
Learn more about the event and stay tuned for notifications about The Fast & The Furriest®.
Back to Rochester Animal Services