Lost and Found Pet Guide

All stray dogs found by Animal Control Officers in the Franklin County metro area are taken to the Franklin County Dog Shelter, located at 1731 Alum Creek Drive, Columbus, Ohio 43207.   This includes all suburbs located in Franklin County.

If you have lost your dog, visit the Dog Shelter in person to fill out a lost dog report and to look for your dog. Due to the large number of dogs received daily at the shelter, we are unable to identify or answer questions about lost dogs over the phone. 

When you come to look for your lost dog, it would be helpful for you to bring proof of a current dog license and rabies immunization for your pet, as well as verification that your dog has been spayed or neutered. To claim a lost dog from the shelter you must be eighteen years of age or older and have a valid picture I.D.

What to do if you lose your dog:

  1. Start looking immediately!

  2. Canvas your neighborhood and talk to everyone you meet. Most pets are found within a 30 block area of the owner’s home.

  3. Make a poster or flyer with your dog’s picture, a description of the animal and your phone number and distribute to neighbors, shelters and businesses in your area. Check with Dog Wardens, Kennels, Veterinarians, Dog Groomers, and Mail Carriers in your area.  Place a "Lost Pet" ad in your local newspaper. Check the internet for sites that might contain Lost Dog information.

  4. Visit the shelter in person as soon as possible. Telephone inquiries can only be accepted on dogs that have a current license tag displayed on their collar at the time of impoundment.  Dogs without a current license tag are normally held only three days.  Dogs with current license tags are held for fourteen days. 

    Bring a photograph of your pet and look in all the shelter’s areas including the locked wards. Ask the office clerk in the Lobby to see the locked areas if your dog is not in the other wards. 

  5. If you do not find your dog at the Shelter, fill out a "Lost Report" that will be kept on file at the Shelter for 30 days.  Visit the shelter again every day or two. Check the "Found Reports" posted on the Lobby Bulletin Board. 

What to do if you find a dog:

  1. If you find a dog that is wearing a license tag, call the Franklin County Animal Care & Control Enforcement Division at 462-3400 with the tag number. Every attempt will be made to provide you with the name, address and phone number of the owner. It is very possible that the dog’s owner lives nearby and the animal can be returned without Animal Control being involved.

  2. You can also look up the dog's license tag number on the internet to track down the dog's owner.

                              

  3. If you find a dog that is not wearing a license tag and you wish to provide a temporary home, call the Animal Shelter at 462-4360. Give the shelter all of the available information on the dog and a Found Report will be posted at the Shelter.

The Franklin County Department of Animal Care & Control enforces only dog laws, and has no authority to deal with problems associated with cats running loose.
 
NO CATS ARE ACCEPTED AT THE SHELTER!  

For information concerning lost and found cats, please contact the Capital Area Humane Society at (614) 777-7387. For more information concerning wildlife problems, please contact the Ohio Division of Wildlife at (614) 481-6300.

 

Lost & Found Reports and Information
Mary Jane Stockdale
 471-7397		 OSU Vet Hospital
 292-3551
The Pet FBI (Voice)
 675-1305		 The Pet Club
800-666-5678