Lost & Found Pets
Lost Your Pet?
If you see your pet listed in the links, call the Animal Shelter at (254) 750-7091, or Animal Care at (254) 750-1765, with the animal ID number of your pet (ie, A076543), the location and description of your pet and/or visit the shelter as soon as possible to start the reclaim process.
Animal Care Officers will make attempts to return microchipped animals to you. Please make sure your microchip information is correct and stays updated.
Stray Animals in the Shelter Lost Pets Waco Map
Free Rides Home
If your animal is current on rabies vaccinations (and it's a first offense with Waco Animal Care), microchipped and spayed/neutered, your animal will be returned to you at no charge within the 24-hour hold period, even if taken to the shelter. (Please bring proof of rabies vaccination to the shelter when you reclaim your animal.)
Note: The Animal Shelter's Animal Intake Division officially opens at 11 a.m. (2032 Circle Road in Waco)
Don't See Your Lost Pet?
Look for your pet on local social media pages and post their photo. Some options include NextDoor, Craigslist, Petco Love Lost, PawBoost, and surrounding neighborhood Facebook groups and local “Lost & Found Pets of Waco” Facebook pages like Central Texas Lost and Found Pets. You can also post your lost pet to these pages; make sure to include a recent photo, description, location lost and contact information where you can be reached.
Share flyers and alert neighbors. Create a Lost Pet flyer and post it in the area or distribute it to doorsteps of homes. Post flyers on all the major streets that transverse your neighborhood and near a busy road. Use bright colors or poster to bring attention to your signs.
Contact area shelters. Animals don't know city limits, so file a lost report with other local shelters and visit their websites to check found pet listings. If found in Waco, Animal Care Officers will make attempts to return microchipped animals to you. Please make sure your microchip information is correct and stays updated.
- Animals are brought in by Animal Care Officers 24 hours a day from all over the Central Texas area.
- You should check the Animal Shelter (2032 Circle Road) at minimum every day.
- Go to the Intake Building (follow signs or visit with a staff member. A staff member will escort you through the building to see if your pet has arrived.)
- If you do not see your animal in Intake, walk the adoption kennel wings: Young, Duncan & Rapoport.
- Notify a staff member immediately if you see your animal so the kennel can be properly tagged with your information.
- Staff members will give you instructions to follow to reclaim your pet.
Found A Pet?
I found a dog
Here's how you can help a found dog:
- Check for ID tags. To have the dog scanned for a microchip, you can request a visit from one of our animal control officers or bring the animal to a vet. You can also scan for a microchip at any Waco Firehouse for free. If needed, visit www.petmicrochiplookup.org to enter the microchip number and find the owner.
- Post a photo and description of the animal on social media. Some options include NextDoor, Craigslist, Petco Love Lost, PawBoost, and surrounding neighborhood Facebook groups and local “Lost & Found Pets of Waco” Facebook pages like Central Texas Lost and Found Pets.
- Walk the dog around the neighborhood where it was found and ask neighbors for help. You can also create a Found Pet flyer and post it in the area or distribute it to doorsteps of homes nearest where the dog was found.
- Participate in the S.N.I.F.F. (Safety Net in Foster Friends) program for dogs. If you can keep the dog out of the shelter for 72 hours, the shelter will vaccinate the dog, send you home with supplies and schedule an appointment for you to bring in the dog in with a waived surrender fee while you search for the owner.
I found a cat
A cat who looks healthy with good body condition and coat is very rarely lost. Millions of pet cats are indoor/outdoor; we might not know where that cat lives, but good body condition tells us the cat knows where home is and will make its way back on its own. Even cats who are actually lost are 10–50 times more likely to be reunited with their owners if they stay in the neighborhood where they are found: In the average shelter, only 5% of cats are reclaimed by an owner, but when a lost pet is kept in a safe place in the neighborhood where they were found, the overall reclaim rate jumps significantly.
Following the recommendations of leading national organizations such as the UC Davis Koret Shelter Medicine Program (KSMP), National Animal Care & Control Association (NACA), ASPCA, American Association of Feline Practitioners, and Million Cat Challenge, we do not admit healthy free-roaming cats to the shelter.
If the cat looks healthy, please put it back where you found it/leave it where it is. If you believe the cat is truly lost, here’s how you can help:
- Wait a day or two to offer food, as extra feeding can discourage cats from going back home on their own.
- Play detective—ask around your neighborhood to see if anyone recognizes them. If the cat is friendly, use this paper collar template to help determine if the cat is owned.
- Create a Found Pet flyer and post it in the neighborhood or distribute it to doorsteps of homes nearest where the cat was found. Don’t think in terms of street travel—cats don’t!—think distance, or “as the crow flies,” and post flyers on all the major streets that transverse your neighborhood.
- Complete a Found Cat report on our website with a photo and check Lost Cat listings. Animals don’t know city limits, so file a found report with other shelters in the area.
I found a kitten
Thanks for looking out for the most vulnerable animals in our community! In most cases, kittens don’t actually need to be rescued—a kitten’s best chance of survival is with his/her mother.
- If the kitten is a neonate, put the kitten back where you found it and put a ring of flower around the “nest.” Most likely the mom is out hunting and will return soon.
- Visit Waco Animal Coalition guide for kitten help
- Contact Commcat for TNR (Trap-neuter-return) resources
I found a sick or injured animal
If you have found a sick or injured animal in our service area, call Animal Control at (254) 750-1765.
See the entire Municipal Code of Ordinances relating to animals in the City of Waco here.