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:  

• City R-Centers>>; 
• Neighborhood Services Centers>> 
• local Pet Supplies Plus store locations>> 
• Park Avenue Pets
• Tuxedo's K9 Training Camp

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?

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