Lost a Pet?

Santa Cruz County Animal Shelter handles all lost pets within Santa Cruz County. We understand how stressful losing a pet can be and go to great efforts to return any animal brought to the Shelter back to their owner as quickly as possible.

Santa Cruz County Animal Shelter receives over five thousand animals each year. One person’s description of a German Shepherd mix will vary greatly from another’s. We do not want to risk misidentifying your pet! It is an owner’s responsibility to come into the Shelter to look for a lost pet. The front desk staff and dispatchers cannot advise you whether your pet is or is not at our Shelter. All animals are held for four days (not counting the day the animal entered the shelter) before being evaluated for adoption.

For tips on how to prevent losing your pet and ways to ensure a speedy return, visit our Pet Security page.

If your animal is at our Shelter, please make sure to bring possible proof of ownership (can be vet records, adoption records, photos of you and the pet). Fees may apply.

If your pet is missing, please closely follow the steps listed below.

You first step is to go to the shelter as soon as possible.  Operating hours are listed below. This is imperative because an animal’s description is subjective, and one person’s description of an animal may not necessarily match yours. Make sure to check the shelter every day.

Use the Lost Pets Web Listings. These listings are of all the lost or stray animals that have been brought into the shelter.  If our software goes down for any reason, your pet might be at the shelter, but the picture might not get uploaded right away.  Please remember that nothing is a substitute for personally checking for your lost pet at the shelter.

  • Post signs and flyers. Signs should be eye-catching and include a picture. If someone responds to your flyer, having possibly found your animal, check it out even if it seems too far away to possibly be your animal. Animals have been found miles from where they were originally lost.
  • Post an online Lost and Found listing. We recommend listing your pet in the Lost and Found sections of as many websites as possible, but especially NextDoor, Lost and Found Pets of Santa Cruz Facebook page, Lost Dogs of Santa Cruz Facebook page,  and Craigslist.
  • Search online Lost and Found listings every day. Especially check the listings on our website and on NextDoor, Lost and Found Pets of Santa Cruz Facebook page, Lost Dogs of Santa Cruz Facebook page and Craigslist.
  • Search your neighborhood. Talk with neighbors, local veterinarians, delivery drivers, and postal carriers. Don’t forget about newspaper deliverers that work early in the morning.
  • Place door hangers with your pet’s picture on all neighbors’ doors.
  • File a lost report with other shelters. Your pet could have been taken to a shelter outside Santa Cruz County.
  • Call veterinarians close to your location. Sometimes people will drop off stray animals if they are unable to get them to the Santa Cruz County Animal Shelter.
  • Try a Humane Trap Occasionally, your pet may become so scared that it cannot be lured back into your home. In this situation, please call our staff at 831-454-7203 to request information about humane trapping.