Report a Stray Animal

If you have found an animal in your neighborhood, it most likely lives nearby. Before reporting a stray, take the steps below to see if you can help the pet get back home safely.

Emergencies such as severely injured pets will be handled as quickly as possible. All other shelter intake of stray pets is done on a first come, first served basis. Please understand that wait times will vary and can be up upwards of 2 hours during busy days. Owner surrenders are handled by appointment only with PRC's Pet Support Team. Before surrendering you must contact one of our Pet Support team members at petsupportteam@HCFL.gov or (813) 273-3738.

Before reporting

Take the following steps before reporting a stray animal to see if someone has reported their pet missing:

• 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, you can 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 to

To report a stray animal, do one of the following:

• Fill out our online form
• Email Animal Control
• Call Animal Control at (813) 744-5660
• For injured, orphaned, and nuisance wildlife, please contact Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission for assistance

Get help

Department: Code Enforcement
Email: AnimalControl@HCFLGov.net
Phone: (813) 744-5660