Lost and Found Pets

Lost Pet

If you have lost your pet, please read below to see the steps you should take.

+ Lost Pet Guide

If your pet has gone missing in Palo Alto, Los Altos, or Los Altos Hills, they may end up at our Palo Alto shelter. You can view stray pets at the Palo Alto shelter here.

Our Redwood City shelter does not accept strays from Redwood City. For pets lost in Redwood City, please contact Peninsula Humane Society.

If you have lost your pet, we recommend filing a lost animal report. We also recommend that you:

  • Check with other shelters in the area regularly. A list of local shelters can be found here.
  • Check online at [24PetConnect] and Finding Rover.
  • If your pet is microchipped, report them missing with their microchip company.
  • Distribute lost pet flyers within a three-block radius of your home.
  • Post on neighborhood social media sites such as NextDoor and Craigslist.

+ Lost or Found Reports

We recommend filing a lost report with us if you lost a pet in Palo Alto, Los Alto, or Los Altos Hills.

Residents of Redwood City, East Palo Alto, Menlo Park, or Mountain View should fill out a lost report with us in addition to a report with your local shelter.

Reports are kept in our lost and found binders at our Palo Alto shelter and checked when stray animals are brought in. Submitted reports are also displayed below on this page. If you think an animal listed below matches an animal you have lost or found, please email us at infopa@petsinneed.org.

Found Pet

If you have found a domesticated pet, read below to see what to do. Please note that we can only accept pets found in Palo Alto, Los Altos, and Los Altos Hills.

+ Found Pet Guide

If you’ve found a pet and are caring for it in your home, please notify us by completing a found animal report. The owner may contact the shelter to ask if we’ve located their pet.

If you find a pet in Palo Alto, Los Altos, or Los Altos Hills and you are unable to care for it, please bring the animal to our Palo Alto shelter during our business hours.

Our Redwood City shelter does not accept found pets from Redwood City. For pets in Redwood City, please contact Peninsula Humane Society. View a list of your local public shelters here.

If you find a stray kitten, please refer to this page to see what immediate actions to take.

Found wildlife

If you find domesticated, non-native, sick, injured, or deceased wildlife, please read below to see what to do.

+ Found Wildlife Guide

Sick, Injured, or Deceased

The City of Palo Alto’s Animal Control Officers respond to calls for service regarding stray, sick, injured, or aggressive animals (including wildlife) in the cities of Palo Alto, Los Altos, and Los Altos Hills. For more information on the services Animal Control Officers provide, please visit the City of Palo Alto’s website. To report sick, injured, or deceased animals, contact Animal Control at (650) 329-2413.

If you need to report an issue in unincorporated Santa Clara County, Stanford University, Moffett Field, and San Antonio Hills, call Santa Clara County Animal Control at (408) 201-0660.

For pest control services, contact Vector Control of Santa Clara County at 1-800-675-1155.