I Found A Small Animal

If you wish to surrender a stray small animal (other than a dog or a cat) to the shelter, we highly recommend making an appointment in order to reduce the wait time. Call 311 to speak to the City of Sacramento 311 Call Center (24 hours a day / 7 days a week). If you are unable to call that number, please call 916-808-7387.

If you choose to come to the shelter without an appointment, please be aware that there will be a wait time. Priority is given to those with an appointment.

We only accept a stray pet that is found within the city limits of Sacramento. If you find it in the county limits of Sacramento, call the Bradshaw Animal Shelter at 916-368-7387.

Step 1

Click on the link below to see if an owner has reported his/her small animal (other than a dog or a cat) as being lost.

If you see a small animal that may be a match, write down the Animal ID and call 311 to speak to the City of Sacramento 311 Call Center (24 hours day/7 days a week). If you are unable to dial that number, please call 916-808-7387.

Step 2

Text STRAY to 833-511-0426 to receive our proven tips to help you find the owner as well as a website link to fill out a found pet report.

Step 3

  • Make it easy for someone who lost a pet to find you by filling out a found pet report on Petco Love Lost's website.
  • Make a found pet ad on Craigslist (with a photo) and post to the Nextdoor neighborhood where the pet was found.
  • There are many Facebook groups for lost and found pets for different areas in and around Sacramento. Post a picture and description of the pet in the Facebook groups near where the pet was found.
  • Search Craigslist, NextDoor, and Facebook Pages to see if the owner has posted an ad looking for his/her pet.
  • Take the pet to a shelter or veterinarian to scan for a microchip. Ask for the microchip number and search it on the microchip look-up website.
  • Make found pet posters that look like in this video. Hang them at the 6 busiest intersections near where you found the pet.
  • Report your found pet to other local animal shelters
  • If the found pet is wearing a tag with a phone number, call and send a text. People tend to be more responsive to texts than phone calls from unknown callers.
  • Continue to update and re-post your online found pet posts every couple of days.

Petco Love Lost

Petco Love Lost allows pet parents to upload a photo and search for their pet after the pet has gone missing. Pet facial recognition makes it faster and easier than ever to find possible matches for lost and found pets from people and shelters all across the country. You can create and distribute lost and found pet alerts to share to NextDoor, Facebook, email, and more.

PawBoost

PawBoost enlists the help of local communities in neighborhoods and jurisdictions across the United States and beyond, including partnerships with local shelters, to help spread the word and match the thousands of lost and stray animals reported to PawBoost every day. Whether you've lost your pet or found somebody else's, PawBoost is here to help.

 

What you need to know

Pets are considered to be the legal property of their owners. Finding a pet does not entitle the finder to keep, sell, or give away the pet, nor does it convey ownership to the finder. If you find a pet, you must actively look for the owner for at least 90 days. Even after that period of time has elapsed, the owner may still have the right to reclaim his/her pet under certain circumstances.

According to California Penal Code 485, a person who finds lost property without first making reasonable and just efforts to find the owner and to restore property to the owner may be guilty of theft. It is important to report the found pet to the animal control agency servicing the area where the pet was found and to follow your jurisdiction's policies and procedures regarding stray animals.

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