Lost and found pet help in Austin

If your pet is missing

1. Start with the last confirmed location. Ask nearby people to check their yards and enclosed spaces. Use our missing-dog guide, indoor-cat search guide, or outdoor-cat search guide for the next steps.
2. Check both local reports and the shelter. Browse found pets near Austin and the city’s current shelter listings and lost-pet resources (opens in a new tab). The city page links to its official reporting tool, Petco Love Lost.
3. Share a consistent photo and last-seen area. The city resource page also links to local lost-and-found Facebook groups. Ask people to send the location, time, and photo of any sighting. Keep your microchip registry’s contact information current.

Use our shelter-search checklist to track calls and possible leads, and the flyer and neighborhood-post guide to share a clear alert.

Check a possible shelter lead

If an Austin Animal Services listing could be your pet, contact the shelter to confirm the details and next steps.

• Have the animal ID ready. Save the listing number and the details that look familiar.
• Call or email. 512-978-0556 or animal.reclaim@austintexas.gov.
• Prepare for a visit. The city asks for proof of ownership and photo ID. Confirm visiting arrangements and what to bring using its reclaim instructions (opens in a new tab).

Near a city or county boundary, check the surrounding agencies below too. The nearest shelter may not be the one that received your pet.

If you found a pet

Record where and when you found the pet. If you can safely keep them with you, check for a tag and arrange a microchip scan. The city’s lost and found page (opens in a new tab) lists places that can scan for a microchip, including any animal shelter, veterinary offices, Austin and Travis County fire stations, and Tomlinson’s Feed Store locations. Contact the location before traveling.

Follow the city’s found-pet reporting and intake instructions (opens in a new tab). If you cannot safely keep the pet, contact its Pet Resource Center through that page to arrange intake. For a sick or injured found animal, the city directs people to Austin 3-1-1: 512-974-2000.

A cat outdoors may have a home nearby. See our found-cat guide, found-dog guide, or sighting guide if the animal is still loose.

Austin Pets Alive! is a separate organization

Austin Animal Services handles the city’s municipal found-pet process. Austin Pets Alive!’s found-pet guidance (opens in a new tab) directs people to the city first. APA! may offer limited support in coordination with the city, but does not replace municipal intake or guarantee a place for a found animal.