Missing your family pet? Found someone else’s?

Let’s work together to ensure a quick reunion

Tullie adopted March 2015

Reuniting lost pets with their owners.

We are thrilled when we can help lost pets find their way home to their families. If your pet is lost, do not delay. Here are tips to help speed up your reunion:

Wishing you a quick and happy reunion.

If your pet is micro chipped . . .

Call the microchip company to ensure that the contact information on the chip is correct. Do not assume that the veterinarian, breeder or shelter that implanted the chip registered it with your information. We will call/email pet parents using the contact information on the microchip.

Create and print a Lost Pet flyer.
Post flyers around your neighborhood and at local vet offices, pet supply stores, coffee shops, etc.

Flyers should include:

  • A recent and clear photo of your pet
  • The date and location your pet was last seen
  • A detailed description of your pet including:
    • Name
    • Breed, color and markings, gender, & age
    • Other details like a collar or clothing
  • Your phone number and email address

If offering a reward, consider leaving out one detail like gender to avoid a scam.

Don’t give up! Some pets go missing for weeks before they are found. It’s best to regularly check all the shelters if you can, but at least the one for your city.

Scooby adopted March 2021

FOUND SOMEONE’S PET
What to Do When You Find a Lost Dog

Step #1 Submit a Lost & Found Report at HSNB

Click here to submit a report

Step #2 Check for a microchip

If the pet is microchipped, the likelihood of him/her being returned home is much higher. Take the pet to your vet or a local pet store, or lostandfound@hsnb.org
to make an appointment to bring the pet to us for a microchip scan. You may also come directly to the shelter if necessary.

Step #3 Post on social media

Post the animal on “Vallejos Lost Dogs” Facebook page and other social media sites such as Nextdoor and Craigslist. To avoid returning the dog to someone who is not the owner, ask for proof of ownership such as personal photos or other ID, and details such as when the pet was lost.
Snap some photos of the dog in good lighting but do NOT alter its appearance by removing the collar, giving a haircut, adding clothing, or removing clothing it had on when you found it.

Step #4 Bring the pet to HSNB as this is where the owners will look first.

If the pet was found in Vallejo, please call us at (707) 645-7905, or email lostandfound@hsnb.org to make an appointment to bring the animal in.

If the dog is dangerous or injured, call Solano County Animal Control at (707) 784-1356 and request an officer pick it up. If you are able to take a sick or injured dog to the vet yourself, that’s even better. Please note, HSNB does NOT have a veterinary clinic onsite to treat a sick animal.

Step #5 Post flyers in the neighborhood where you found the pet

The flyer should include:

  • A clear photo of the found pet
  • The date and location you found the pet
  • A detailed description of your pet including:
    • Breed, size, color and markings, gender, & age
    • Other details like a collar or clothing
  • Your phone number and email address 

Thank you for your kindness

RECLAIMING YOUR PET

Reuniting pets and owners is one of the most satisfying things we do. If you believe your pet is at HSNB, here are the next steps:

Step #1 Fill out the HSNB
Step #2 Send an email to lostandfound@hsnb.org.

Please note that HSNB will NOT accept claims over the phone or through posts on social media. Include proof of ownership (see #3) in your email.

Step #3 Have proof of ownership ready.

If you contact the shelter during the stray hold period, we will return the pet to you as long as you can provide proof of ownership, such as personal photos, a license, or veterinary records. Photos copied from postings on our Facebook page, photos that are too blurred or generic photos of a particular breed are not considered adequate proof of ownership.

Step #4 Have records of current rabies vaccination.

No dog will be returned to the owner without proof of a current rabies vaccine; there is no exception to this rule whatsoever. You will not be allowed to take your pet home to have it vaccinated somewhere else.

If you cannot provide proof, HSNB will have your pet vaccinated at the shelter. This can only be done by or under the supervision of a licensed veterinarian. We have a consulting veterinarian who visits weekly and so the time your pet is held at the shelter depends on the veterinarian’s schedule. You will be charged boarding fees for the days your pet is at the shelter awaiting vaccination. In exceptional cases, and at the shelter’s discretion, we may be able to bring your dog to a local veterinarian to have the vaccination given sooner. You will be required to pay the veterinary office for all associated fees including cost of examination. If we are able to arrange this, HSNB will charge an additional convenience fee of $30 an hour.

Cats are also given vaccinations and other treatments on intake, but proof of a current rabies vaccination is not required to return the cat to the owner.

IMPORTANT FEE INFO

The reclaim process includes mandatory fees. These cover vaccines and treatments required by the City of Vallejo to be administered upon intake; a rabies vaccine, if administered at the shelter; mandatory implantation of a microchip if one is not present; purchase of a license (dogs only) and daily boarding charges, if applicable. These fees, with the exception of boarding charges, will be required even if the pet is reclaimed at any time the same day of intake. Prices are subject to change without notice.

Animals that come into the shelter without valid contact information from a microchip or ID tag are only required to be held in California shelters for THREE DAYS. After that, the animal becomes the property of HSNB and we reserve the right to adopt out the pet from our shelter, or transfer it to another adoption-guarantee shelter or rescue group. Once the stray hold period is up, a return to or re-adoption to the original owner is only done at our discretion and is not guaranteed.

Microchips are the most effective way to get your pet returned to you, but only if the contact information is up-to-date. If your pet is lost, make sure everything is current with the microchip company. Collars with ID tags can come off so they do not guarantee we will be able to reach you.

If we scan your pet and find a microchip we’ll contact you. We require you to come to the shelter that same day. If there is a valid reason you cannot come to the shelter, HSNB will allow extra time, but it is at our discretion.

If we can’t reach you because the ID information has never been registered or isn’t current, your pet will be considered a stray.