Found a Pet?

The Santa Cruz County Animal Shelter is Santa Cruz County’s resource for lost and found pets. Each year, we reunite thousands of worried pet owners with their lost companions.

If the animal appears sick, injured, or unpredictable, please call 831-454-7200 ahead of time if you can. When you arrive with the found animal at one of our shelters, please leave the animal safely confined in your vehicle and enter the shelter to speak with staff. They’ll ask you some questions about the animal so we can best assist you and the animal while keeping people and animals at the shelter safe. If you do not have a leash or a carrier, staff can provide one to help ensure the animal stays safe and does not get loose.

A few options if you find a stray or lost pet:

You may bring animals found in Santa Cruz County to either of our two locations during operating hours.
  • 1001 Rodriguez Street, Santa Cruz, CA 95062
    11:00 am – 6:00 pm daily
  • 580 Airport Blvd, Watsonville, CA 95076
    Tuesday – Saturday (closed Sundays and Mondays)
    9:30 am – noon or 1:00 pm – 5:00 pm

If the found animal appears very sick, injured, aggressive, or is in a dangerous situation (danger to the animal, people, or other pets or livestock), please call 911 immediately.

 If you are unable to transport a stray or lost animal you find, please do your best to safely confine the animal and call 831-454-7303 ext 1.

If you need to drop off an animal when both shelters are closed, you can take the animal to Pacific and Santa Cruz Veterinary Hospital at 2585 Soquel Drive, Santa Cruz CA, 831-475-5400. Owners will be charged an additional fee for this after hours intake service by the Veterinary Hospital if/when they reclaim their pet from the shelter.”