Skip to main content

Lost a pet?

Update your contact information

  • If your pet is microchipped, call the microchip company to ensure it is registered and that the contact information is correct and up-to-date. You can also register any brand of microchip on free databases such as 24Petwatch. Do not assume that the veterinarian, breeder, rescue or shelter that implanted the chip has registered it.
  • Contact your pet licensing agency and veterinarian to ensure that your contact information is on file and accurate.
  • Check your e-mail and answer your phone. In this age of frequent solicitation phone calls, many of us opt to screen unfamiliar callers. When you pet is missing, the finder may try only one call. If the caller cannot leave a message your opportunity to be reunited with your pet may have been lost.

Post signs

  • Post highly visible signs around your neighborhood or in the area that your pet was lost. Often well-meaning people assume that stray pets have been abandoned and will take them home. Colorful, large posters with your pet's picture can reach passive or low-tech good samaritans. 
  • Think beyond traditional places you might post lost pet notices. Your car can serve as an excellent mobile billboard.

Utilize social media and other online resources

  • Nextdoor is a fantastic resource for reuniting lost pets with their families. Facebook is also a great tool. Check and post on missing pet pages focused in your community or neighborhood.
  • Check Petfinder and 24PetConnect.
  • Visit Missing Animal Response Network for more detailed pet recovery tips and links to pet detectives.
  • Petco Love Lost uses facial recognition technology and searches found pet postings from participating shelters throughout the country to locate missing pets.

Don't give up! Some pets go missing for weeks before they are found. Pets can wander very far or be transported by well-meaning people who found them, so search as far and wide as you can. 

View a list of all the animal control agencies in the County of Santa Clara including the cities they serve. If you think you see your pet on their lost pet pages, contact them immediately!