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Found a pet

Rochester Animal Services: Found Pet Guide

 

Found pets  

If you've found a pet, scroll down to the bottom of this page to view pets reported as lost.

Many pets are found by neighbors within close proximity to the pet's home. Bringing the found pet to the shelter should be the last resort. We need community members to assist us in limiting shelter intakes to animals that are truly homeless or suffering and those that represent public safety concerns. If you find a pet that appears healthy and friendly, please submit a Found Pet Report, review the tips, and follow the recommendations provided in our Found Pet Resource Packet to expedite the reunion of the pet with its owners. Please try to avoid judgments or assumptions that the pet was intentionally abandoned or not cared for by its family. Pets can become dirty and bedraggled quickly.

File a found pet report

Download found pet resource packet 

How you can help a lost pet get back to its home without bringing it to the shelter

Microchip scanning now available throughout the city

Animal Services (RAS) has provided microchip scanners to Neighborhood Service Centers, R-Centers, and pet stores to help reunite missing pets with their people. Email us if your organization or business is interested in becoming a microchip checkpoint location. Scanner distribution is contingent upon funding and with consideration for equitable access to the service.

Staff at the checkpoint sites can use the scanners to search for microchips on lost animals they encounter to help the finder locate the owner. If a microchip is identified, the finder or the staff member can check the American Animal Hospital Association’s online Universal Pet Microchip Lookup Tool to facilitate reunification. Scanners are located at:  

What to do if you find a lost dog

  1. Be Safe
    If you can, get the dog to a safe and secure area. Be aware of your surroundings. Your safety and the safety of others should come first. DO NOT RUN OR CHASE DOG INTO TRAFFIC.
  2. Check for identification
    Check if the dog is wearing a collar and has an ID tag or a license tag. Sometimes people write phone numbers directly on the collar instead of attaching a tag. Also, check for possible injuries. If there is an identification tag, call or text and set up a reunion. For City licenses, call the Animal Services Center at 585-428-7274. For rabies tags, contact the veterinary clinic listed.
  3. Knock on doors
    Check with your neighbors or other people in the area. They may know the dog and can help you locate its home.
  4. Snap photos 
    Take shots of the dog, street signs, and the area where the dog was found.
  5. File a Found Pet Report
    Call 585-428-6722 or submit an online Found Pet Report, or visit the shelter during regular business hours.
  6. Check for microchip
    Take the dog to a local vet’s office, the Animal Services Center, or any of the microchip checkpoint locations listed above to scan for a microchip. If the dog has a chip, check the registry. This may be the fastest and best way to find an owner. RAS can help with research if the chip is not registered. If not registered, check AAHA Microchip Lookup for the company where the microchip originated. Call the company and ask them to contact the pet owner.
  7. Post on social media 
    Post photos and location on social media sites like Craigslist, Facebook, and Nextdoor. Create a Found Pet profile on Petco Love Lost, which uses facial recognition to match lost and founding postings.
  8. Make and Post Flyers
    Hang flyers in heavy traffic areas and public spaces near where the dog was found. Good old-fashioned leg work is still the best way to locate an owner.
  9. Can you hold onto the dog for 48 hours?
    Typically, pets do not wander very far from home, so chances are that someone is looking for them close to where they were found. Keeping a found pet at home helps keep the shelter population low and prevents the missing pet from being housed in a high-stress environment and exposed to disease. RAS can provide vaccines for found pets if you are willing to take them home with you. If you do take in a lost dog, it is always best to house the dog separately from other pets and from small children to avoid any possible injuries or contagious illnesses.
  10. If you cannot locate the owner and cannot keep…
    If you are not able to house the dog safely, you can bring it to the shelter during regular business hours. To make an appointment, call 585-428-7274. Our team may also have other options for the pet that don’t require coming to the shelter. 

Even if a dog is found dirty, injured, or afraid, it does not necessarily mean the dog was abused or dumped. Try to avoid making assumptions or judgments. It is possible that the dog has been missing for several days or even weeks and has been injured or experienced adverse conditions during that time. Ask yourself if you had lost a pet, what would you want a finder to do?

What to do if you find a lost cat

Most cats you see outdoors do not need intervention and should be left where they are. So, first, determine whether this is a cat in need of immediate attention (sick or injured) or a healthy neighborhood cat out for a stroll. Review Lost Cat vs Community Cat. If you are unsure or would like more information about community cats and Trap-Neuter-Vaccinate-Return (TNVR), please visit cityofrochester.gov/communitycats.  

Signs that a cat is sick or injured include the following

  • How is this cat injured? Is it able to walk on all 4 legs, bleeding, etc.?
  • Is the cat wearing a collar?
  • Are the cat’s eyes clear?
  • Does the cat appear underfed?
  • Is breathing slow and labored?
  • Is the cat hunched up in possible pain?
  • Does the coat appear dirty or missing patches of fur?
  • Is the cat declawed?

If you believe this is a lost or abandoned cat

  • Take a photo of the cat. Try for a full-body side view with a face, preferably standing, so you have a clear image of the cat and its markings. Use the photo for posting on Nextdoor, social media, and at nearby intersections. More cats are reunited as a result of good posters and flyers than as a result of social media, so get those posters up while the cat is still around and visible.
  • Get the cat scanned for a microchip at any vet, animal shelter, or participating pet stores. This is a free service and no appointment is necessary. If you are not able to transport the cat, ask animal services or your local rescue community for assistance.
  • If the cat is in danger and urgent action is necessary, bring or lure the cat into your home or garage to keep it safe if you can do so safely. (Otherwise, request assistance from Animal Services.) The space should be dark and quiet, a separate room well away from children and other pets. Equip the area with food, water, and litter. Contact Animal Services if you need help with cat food or cat litter. Once the danger is gone, return the cat to the location where found. 
  • If the cat is not in danger or sick/injured, do not bring the cat indoors; leave him in place, or return the cat to the exact location you picked him up prior to microchip scanning so he may return home on his own. You may provide food/water support.
  • Next, post the found cat alert on Nextdoor.com, PetHarbor.com, HelpingLostPets.com, Pawboost.com, lost.petcolove.org, and Craigslist in the Pets category and Lost and Found Community section.

If unable to contain the cat, use this template to make a paper cat collar. You can also write a note asking about the cat with your contact info, fold it up, and tape the ends to form a collar.

Do not give a cat away or offer it up for adoption until you have covered the above steps for at least a week, branching out beyond your immediate area, to make sure no one is searching for this cat. You would want the same done if it were your cat.

Deceased cat

If you see a deceased cat, take a photo and call 428-5990. The City will pick the deceased cat up and scan for a microchip to notify owners, if possible.

Kittens

If you find kittens, please visit What To Do If You Find Kittens and Kitten Lady for information on how to keep them with mom and out of the shelter.

Sick or Injured Animals
If you have found a sick or injured pet that needs medical assistance, please bring it to RAS during regular business hours. For after-hours service, call 911.

After Hours

Refer to this page for emergency veterinary services outside of RAS hours. Please call ahead to let the clinic you choose know if you are bringing in a sick or injured animal that you found.

Search pets reported as lost

The following search tools pull data from our records management system and provide live lost pet data to this web page. These are beloved companion animals whose owners are searching for them. By sharing these records we are giving the world information about pets that have been reported by community members to Animal Services as lost; giving them a better chance at being found. Lost records are posted to the search tool as they are entered into the records management system. People who find roaming pets can use these tools to help get them back to their families quicker and often without requiring intake at a shelter. Finders receive guidance and support from our office and they submit Found Animal Reports, post Found Pet Flyers, use Petco Love Lost facial recognition tool, and knock on doors to attempt to locate the animals' people or individuals who may know where the animals' homes are.

Lost dogs

 

Lost cats

 

Other lost animals