Reporting your

Lost Pet

Is your pet missing? If so, please physically come to the shelter to see if your pet is here as soon as possible. Although we are providing this reporting form as a courtesy to help reunite you with your pets, sometimes descriptions (and even photos) are unclear. As a result, the best way for you to find your animal is to come to the shelter and look for your animal. You are welcome to do so at any time during our regular hours.

Time is of the essence! Both Madison and Oglethorpe Counties utilize a three-day stray hold, which means that animals that come into our shelter become the shelter’s legal property if they are not reclaimed by the end of the fourth day that the shelter is open following the intake of the animal. For example, if your animal is brought in anytime on Wednesday, you have until close of business on Saturday to reclaim your animal. If your animal comes in on a Sunday and we are closed on Monday and Tuesday, then you have until Friday to reclaim your animal. After that, your animal can be adopted out, transferred to a rescue, or euthanized, and any animals leaving our shelter after the three-day stray hold has passed must be spayed or neutered (without exception) pursuant to state law (O.C.G.A. § 4-14-3). As you can imagine, we would much prefer that you reclaim your animal quickly, both so that you and your animal can be reunited and also so that your animal isn’t taking up precious space here at the shelter needed for other pets, especially in our busy summer months.

The best thing you can do before your pet goes missing is to microchip your pet. We immediately scan for microchips on all found animals, and if your pet is chipped, we can quickly notify you so that you can reclaim your animal. If your pet is not microchipped, you can get one for just $20 at our next vaccine clinic. Microchips are permanent and automatically registered through our shelter, so it’s well worth the minimal investment to know that your pet can quickly be returned to you if it ever goes missing. Collars and tags are also important, but since collars can fall off, break, or be removed by someone with ill intentions, a microchip is the safest and most affordable option.

Lost Pet Report Form

You may file a missing pet report below so that our staff can be on the lookout if your pet is brought into the shelter or if someone reports having found a similar pet. We are offering this reporting form as a courtesy to attempt to make the reclaim process faster for everyone involved. Please note that simply filling out a report does not guarantee that staff will realize that the animal you have described in the report matches an animal in our shelter.

Reclaiming your pet before the legal three-day stray hold passes remains your responsibility. Although shelter staff and volunteers will do everything they can to help connect people with their missing pets, the shelter is not responsible if you do not reclaim your pet within the three-day stray hold. Even if you submit a lost report here, you should still come to the shelter in person to look for your animal.

If you would like to submit a lost pet report, please fill out the entire form below to the best of your ability. The more information you can provide, the more likely we will be able to recognize your pet if it comes to our shelter.