Lost & Found Pet FAQS

Whether you are looking for your missing dog, or you found someone’s cat, lost pets need immediate attention. Here are some tips from the Pet Resource Center (PRC) to help reunite lost pets with owners.

What can I do if I lost my pet?

• Look through the PRC stray pets online kennel that were brought into Pet Resource Center or Humane Society of Tampa Bay over the past few days
• Search for dogs and cats on the PRC online kennel to see if you locate a match
• Visit the Pet Resource Center shelter to search for lost pet
• Visit the Lost and Found Pets of Hillsborough County Facebook page and Nextdoor check for postings from people who have found a pet
  • If you don't see a listing, post a lost pet notice with:
    • A clear photo of the pet
    • The date the pet was lost
    • Nearest major crossroads
    • Contact number
    • If you want to remain private, message the page administrators with the information and picture
• Create flyers with the most recent photo of your pet, as well as your contact information and the date your pet went missing, to print out and post in the same area your pet was last seen

If you still have questions or believe one of the pets at PRC is your lost pet, please contact Pet Resources at (813) 301-PETS (7387).

What can I do if I found a pet?

• Do not approach an unfamiliar dog unless it appears receptive
• Check for a registration tag or other ID. Pets will often have collars with a tag or label that has the owner's name and contact information. If the pet has a tag, use our Pet Tag Lookup tool to help identify the owner
• Consider walking the dog on a leash in the same neighborhood it was found to see if it is recognized by the owner or a neighbor
• Get the animal to a safe place (like a fenced-in backyard) to ensure it is contained and will not get hurt
• Visit the Lost and Found Pets of Hillsborough County Facebook page and Nextdoor to check for postings from people who are missing a pet
  • If you don't see a listing, post a found pet notice with:
    • A clear photo of the pet
    • The date you found it
    • Nearest major crossroads
    • Contact number
    • If you want to remain private, message the page administrators with the information and picture
• If you are unable to locate or identify the owner, take it to a local shelter or rescue, like Hillsborough County's PRC at 440 N. Falkenburg Road, to have the pet scanned for a microchip
  • Visit The Pet Resource Center between 10 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Please be advised that wait times can vary from 30 minutes to 2 hours depending on the volume of animals present at intake.
  • If that is not possible, try calling your veterinarian to see if they offer microchip scanning. If there is a microchip, use our Pet Tag Lookup tool to help identify the owner

How can I report a stray animal that's not a pet?

Visit our Report a Stray Animal for steps to take and a link to our online reporting form, plus contact information for Animal Control.