Lost & found
Lost your pet in Los Angeles? Start here — the first 24 hours.
Take a breath. Most lost pets are found close to home, and moving quickly in the first day makes the biggest difference. Here is exactly what to do, in order.
Check shelter hold listsThe first 24 hours, step by step
Work through these in order. The first two are the most urgent — a shelter may already have your pet safe.
1. Check the shelter hold lists first
Your lost pet may already be safe at a shelter. When an animal is brought in as a stray, the shelter holds it for a period so its owner can reclaim it — so this is the fastest place to look. Search the found animals participating shelters have posted, and filter to your area.
2. Call your local animal control and nearby shelters
Phone the shelters closest to where your pet went missing and ask whether an animal matching your description has come in — then call again every day. In the City of Los Angeles that is LA Animal Services; if you are in a nearby city or an unincorporated county area, call that jurisdiction's shelter as well. Give them your pet's description, your phone number, and its microchip number if you have it.
3. Check your microchip registry
If your pet is microchipped, log in to the registry and make sure your phone number and address are current — an out-of-date chip cannot reunite you. Not sure which registry holds your chip? Look it up by chip number, then update your details there.
4. Post to the lost-pet networks
Cast a wider net on the networks neighbors actually use. Petco Love Lost matches lost and found pets by photo and is free. Nextdoor and neighborhood apps reach the people nearest you, and local Facebook lost-pet groups are active across LA. Post a clear, recent photo and where your pet was last seen.
5. Put up flyers where your pet went missing
Post flyers with a clear photo, your pet's name, and a phone number in the blocks around where your pet disappeared — many pets are found by a neighbor who spotted a flyer. And keep checking the shelters often: shelters hold stray animals only for a limited period, so look early and look again — do not wait.
Watch out for reward and “I have your pet” scams
Please read this before you post anything public. Lost-pet posts are a known target for scammers. If someone contacts you demanding a wired payment, a “transport fee,” a “vet deposit,” or a reward before they will return your pet, it is very likely a scam — they scrape public lost-pet posts and prey on people in distress.
Never send money to someone you have not met who claims to have your pet. A real shelter or finder reunites you with your animal in person, at no cost beyond any standard reclaim fee paid to the shelter directly. If a caller pressures you to pay or wire money fast, stop and hang up.
OnlyPet never asks for or forwards any payment or reward, and we never handle money between you and anyone else.
An honest word about coverage
We will be straight with you: OnlyPet's found-animal board covers participating shelters, starting in the Los Angeles area, so it does not show every shelter yet. The larger lost-pet networks above have broader coverage today.
That is exactly why we point you to all of them. Getting your pet home is the only goal — use every list, make every call, and check them often.
Did you find a stray?
If you have found an animal that is not yours, the fastest way to reunite it with its family is your local shelter — that is where the microchip scanner and the reclaim record live, and where its owner will be looking. Bring the animal in, or call animal control so someone who may be searching right now can find it.
You've got this
Move quickly, check the shelter lists first, and don't give up — pets are reunited with their families every single day.
Check shelter hold lists