What to Do When You Find a Pet

We are asking the community to help the animals by following a few simple guidelines when finding a lost pet:

• Look for any identification (collar with rabies or ID tags).
• Have the animal scanned for a microchip (a vet office or the shelter can do that for you).
• Fill out a Found Pet Report and email it, along with a photo of the pet, to lostandfoundpets@talgov.com.
• Search through the photos and descriptions of lost animals.
• Post a photo of the animal & description on:
• Facebook lost/found groups & pet groups for Tallahassee
• Nextdoor.com
• Craigslist.com
• Pawboost.com
• Lostdogsflorida.org
• Lost.petcolove.org
• 24petconnect.com
• Any social media groups for your neighborhood/complex
• Make a found animal flyer with a color photo and post it around the area the animal was found including any veterinarians or pet supply stores in the area.
• Cats normally don't wander far from their home, so their home is nearby. It is best that stray, friendly cats are left alone to wander back home (unless they are sick or injured & in need of immediate care). You can also attach a paper collar to the cat asking the owner to call you when he arrives back home.
• We recommend that all finders of animals (citizens, rescue groups, veterinarians) perform all the above recommendations prior to rehoming. If an owner is located every reasonable effort should be made to return the animal to their home.
• If you have completed the above steps and are unable to care for the animal any longer, please call us to set up an appointment for surrender.

For an after-hours emergency involving a sick or injured stray animal that needs immediate veterinary care, contact the Consolidated Dispatch Agency at 850-606-5800 and they will put you in touch with the on-call animal control officer.