The most responsible pet owner can experience circumstances which allow a pet to stray, become lost or injured. If your pet becomes lost, time is of the essence to locate your pet.

• Ask your neighbors, adults and children, if they have seen your pet.

•  Contact your veterinarian’s office, and any other veterinarian offices in your area, to let them know your pet is lost.

• Distribute posters throughout your neighborhood and include a picture of your pet.

• Offer an unspecified reward for information or the return of your pet.

• Advertise your lost pet in the local newspapers.

And most importantly, visit the local animal agencies in your community as soon as possible.

• Your pet may have been picked up by your local agency.

• Your pet may have been taken to any of the agencies in the greater Central Florida community. It is our experience that persons finding a lost pet will take the pet to a shelter they are familiar with. This includes taking the pet out of the county where the pet was found.

• You should visit animal agencies in person. You are the only person who can identify your pet. You should continue to visit every few days to ensure your pet has not been turned in. It is our experience that persons finding a lost pet may attempt to locate the owner on their own. It is not uncommon for lost pets to be turned in to a shelter days or weeks after they were found.

• Animal agencies hold lost pets for a limited period of time.

• Be prepared to pay fees to reclaim your pet.

Your lost pet may have been wearing identification (county license tag, rabies vaccination, ID tag or microchip implant). This is not a guarantee you will be reunited with your pet.

• Tags can become lost or unreadable

• A trace may be unsuccessful if your contact information is not current.

• We do not know whether or not other agencies trace identification.

Following are the policies regarding lost (also known as stray) pets impounded at Seminole County Animal Services.

• We hold stray pets five (5) business days.

• We initiate a diligent search to trace the owner of a stray pet wearing identification (county license tag, rabies vaccination, ID tag or microchip implant.)

• We are unable to verify over the phone whether or not your missing pet is impounded at our shelter. This applies whether or not your pet was wearing identification. You are the only person who can identify your pet.

• We recommend that you visit our shelter frequently to look for your pet. Your pet may not be at the shelter the first or second time you visit, but may show up at a later date.

• We recommend that you complete a “Lost Pet” form. This form is generally used to match pet descriptions when people call us to report they found a lost pet. We do not use this form to match stray pets impounded at the shelter.

• When you visit, bring proof of a current rabies vaccination and any other records you have on your pet.

• When you visit, be prepared to pay redemption fees, boarding fees and, if applicable, a rabies vaccination fee and pet license fee. We accept cash and personal checks.
   

Following is a list of animal agencies in the greater Central Florida community. We recommend that you call before you visit in order to learn their policies regarding stray pets.

Seminole County

Seminole County Animal Services
232 Bush Boulevard
Sanford, FL 32773
407-665-5201

SPCA (Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) of Central Florida, Inc.
Seminole County Facility
2800 County Home Road
Sanford, FL 32773
407-323-8685

Orange County

Orange County Animal Services
2769 Conroy Road
Orlando, FL 32829
407-352-4390

SPCA (Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) of Central Florida, Inc.
Orange County Facility
2727 Conroy Road
Orlando, FL 32829
407-351-7722

Volusia County

Volusia County Animal Services
Call for Shelter Locations
386-740-5241

Deltona Animal Control
Call for Shelter Locations
386-860-7177

Edgewater Animal Services
Call for Shelter Location
386-424-2456

Halifax Humane Society
2364 West LPGA Boulevard
Daytona Beach, FL 32124
386-274-4703

Southeast (Volusia) Humane Society
1200 South Glencoe Road
New Smyrna Beach, FL 32168
386-428-9860

Lake County

Lake County Animal Services
Call for Shelter Locations
352-343-9688