STEPS FOR OWNERS AND FINDERS LOCATED IN BALTIMORE CITY
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STEP 1:
Search for your pet at BARCS and other local Baltimore Metro Area shelters. The legal hold period for a lost animal in the State of Maryland is 72 hours, so it is important that you continually visit nearby shelters to search every day. After that time, lost/found animals are eligible for any outcome the shelter deems best for the animal. If you see your pet's photo on our website, please contact BARCS immediately at resource@barcs.org.
BARCS Address: 2490 Giles Road, Baltimore, MD 21225
STEP 2:
Upload Lost or Found Pets on Petco Love Lost: BARCS partners with Petco Love Lost and highly recommends that both owners and finders use this free facial recognition resource. Each time someone posts a photo of a pet they’ve lost or found, Love Lost scans its database–along with its shelter partners' databases–and provides possible matches and necessary contact information within seconds. Reports filed in Love Lost are sent directly to a database used by BARCS and other area shelters. Start Your Search on Petco Love Lost.
STEP 3:
Create Paper and Digital Flyers: The more people in the community who see your lost pet's photo, the greater the likelihood of your pet being reunited with you. We suggest hanging posters in the neighborhood where the pet was lost or found and also in community locations like post offices and grocery stores. Posting on social media pages like neighborhood Facebook and NextDoor groups can also get the word out quickly. Need help making a flyer? Petco Love Lost (Step 2) automatically generates a printable flyer of your pet.
ADDITIONAL STEPS:
Post on Social Media: The more people in the community who see your lost pet's photo, the greater likelihood of your pet being reunited with you. We suggest posting your pet on your own social media pages, in neighborhood Facebook and NextDoor groups and on the local volunteer-lead Facebook groups in the Greater Baltimore Area: List of Local Lost & Found Facebook Groups
Check out these other online tools: Center for Lost Pets, Craigslist, Fido Finder, Lost Dogs of America, Lost Pet USA, Missing Pet Partnership, PawBoost (please note, BARCS does not have an internal database for these companies).
Check for IDs, Tags and Microchip: If you've found a pet with a Baltimore City Pet License tag, you can click here and enter the tag number. Some microchipped pets will have a matching tag with their microchip number. Many microchips can be found at www.petmicrochiplookup.org. However, the best way to see if an animal has a microchip is to bring them to your closest veterinary hospital to be scanned.
DON’T SKIP THE MICROCHIP!
Microchips reunite families and save lives. A microchip is an identification device that is inserted under the skin on the back of a pet's neck. It is the size of a grain of rice and does not hurt the pet. When a lost pet is brought into a shelter or veterinary office, it’s scanned for a microchip, and the owner's contact information is provided automatically.
You can purchase a microchip at BARCS low-cost, public clinics or from your veterinarian. Be sure to register your microchip on the chips registry and keep it up to date.
MORE WAYS TO PREVENT LOSING AN ANIMAL COMPANION:
- Make sure your pet's name tags have your current address and current phone number.
- Have rabies and license tags on your pet at all times.
- Write your name and phone number directly on the animal's collar with a permanent marker, as tags may fall off.
- Keep your pet properly restrained on a leash when outside of your home.
- Do not leave your pet outside unsupervised.
Found a Kitten?
Click here for guidelines on the best actions when you find a lost kitten or litter of kittens.
