Don't wait - help a lost companion animal right away
Thank you for taking the time to help a lost animal. People like you are responsible for keeping loved companions from becoming homeless, and ensuring many happy reunions.

Notify Animal Shelters
The services offered by animal shelters and animal control facilities vary, but all can offer advice. Start by calling animal control and the shelter for the area where the animal was found. You may have to call the local sheriff or police department to find out which agency handles the area’s stray animals. Ask to file a report. Inquire about the agencies that cover your neighborhood, and ask for suggestions on how to proceed with your search for finding the animal's home.

It is usually best to take a stray animal to the local shelter where you found him. That's where his guardian is most likely to look. You can still post signs, file reports with PAWS Lost and Found, and with other agencies, and continue to search for his family. But don't keep an animal in your home unless you are prepared to be very proactive in your search for his family.

PAWS takes in strays from unincorporated Snohomish County and the city limits of Lynnwood, Brier and Mukilteo in Washington State. Hours and directions to PAWS.

Here is a list of other animal shelters and agencies in Western Washington.

Post Signs
Signs are very effective tools for finding the family of lost animals. Make them bold, with key words in large type. A photo or drawing of the animal is a big help. Distribute them door-to-door in the neighborhood where the animal was found and post them at major intersections and along main streets in the area. PAWS and many other shelters have "Lost and Found" stations within their facilities where you can post a sign. Also, be sure to pay attention and scan the neighborhood for signs advertising for a lost animal, in case the one you found is the same one.

Ready-made lost and found signs

Use the Internet
Several websites provide information for lost and found companion animals. A few of them are:

Petfinder
Craigslist
Pets 911
Lost and Pound

Check for a Microchip
A microchip is about the size of a grain of uncooked rice. This is implanted under the animal’s skin. Information is encoded on the chip to identify the animal. Take all found animals to your local veterinarian or animal shelter to have them scanned. Often a collar can fall off or break. If an animal has a microchip, it will provide you with identifying information to find that animal’s guardian.

Be Thorough
By using all available approaches, you can increase the odds of a happy reunion. Many animals are found weeks after they were lost. Don't give up.