Lost & Found

HELP: Lost and Found Animals

Quick Links on This Page

What to do if You've Lost Your Pet

As a pet parent, one of the most frightening moments you may experience is when you realize your pet is lost. The panic that follows this realization can make it hard to think clearly about what you should do next. So we’ve gathered a list of helpful, next-step actions you can take to ensure you have the best possible chance of being reunited with your beloved pet.

1) Search for Your Pet at BARCS

BARCS is responsible for handling lost/found animals found in Baltimore City. However, there are additional area shelters that also take in lost/found animals. Please note that the legal lost animal hold in the State of Maryland is 72 hours. 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.

2) Upload Lost or Found Pets on Petco Love Lost's Facial Recognition Program

BARCS partners with Petco Love Lost and highly recommends that pet owners searching for lost pets use this free resource. Love Lost is a facial recognition app that reunites lost pets with their owners. Photos of animals that are found or admitted to participating shelters are stored in the app’s database. Every time a pet parent posts a photo of a pet they’ve lost, Love Lost scans its database and provides possible matches and necessary contact information within seconds. A major benefit of Love Lost is that it searches a database that includes BARCS, other local area shelters, and uploads from private citizens who have found lost animals. Start Searching Petco Love Lost

3) File a Lost Pet Report Through BARCS

Report your lost pet to BARCS by filling out our online lost pet form. This form must be returned to BARCS via email at resource@barcs.org or in person at 2490 Giles Rd, Baltimore, MD 21225. Many animals have similar descriptions, so please include a photo of your missing pet when sending the form. The best way to identify your pet is to come to the shelter every three days to look. BARCS Lost Pet Form (This form also auto creates a poster for you to share online and in the area where your pet went missing.)

**Please note that the legal lost animal hold in the State of Maryland is 72 hours. After that time, lost animals are eligible for any outcome the shelter deems best for the animal.

4) Check Other Shelters

File a lost pet report with every shelter within a 60-mile radius of your home and visit the nearest shelters daily. In Maryland, the minimum legal lost-hold is 72 hours. Linked below is a list of Greater Baltimore Area shelters. To find your local shelter, search online or check your phone book. If there is no shelter in your community, contact the local police department. Provide these agencies with an accurate description and a recent photograph of your pet. Listing of Local Baltimore Area Shelters

5) Create a Flyer and Post Publicly

Post a good, old fashioned signs/pictures about your pet in the area last seen and the surrounding areas. Post notices at grocery stores, community centers, veterinary offices, traffic intersections, pet supply stores and other locations. Include your pet’s sex, age, weight, breed, color and any special markings. Click here for our easy online Lost Pet Poster Maker.

6) 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

7) Check out these other online tools:

Center for Lost Pets, Craigslist, Fido Finder, Lost Dogs of America, Lost Pet USA, Missing Pet Partnership, PawBoost

What to do if You've Found a Lost Animal

Lost and found is a community effort! Finders in Baltimore City have the option to shelter the lost pet in their own home and diligently look for their owner or seek the help of a local shelter. With either option, we ask that finders of lost animals first follow the steps below to help get animals directly back home before a stop at the shelter.

If the animal you found is in injured or in danger, please call 311 for assistance from Baltimore City Animal Control.

1) 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.

2) Upload Lost or Found Pets on Petco Love Lost's Facial Recognition Program

BARCS partners with Petco Love Lost and highly recommends that all found pets in the Greater Baltimore Area are submitted to this website/app. Love Lost is a facial recognition app that reunites lost pets with their owners. Photos of animals that are found or admitted to participating shelters are stored in the app’s database. Every time a pet parent posts a photo of a pet they’ve lost, Love Lost scans its database and provides possible matches and necessary contact information within seconds. A major benefit of Love Lost is that it searches a database that includes BARCS, other local area shelters, and uploads from private citizens who have found lost animals. Post a Found Animal to Petco Love Lost

3) File a Found Pet Report Through BARCS

Report the pet you found to BARCS by filling out our online lost pet form. This form must be returned to BARCS via email at info@barcs.org or in person at 2490 Giles Rd, Baltimore, MD 21225. Many animals have similar descriptions, so please include a photo of your missing pet when sending the form. The best way to identify your pet is to come to the shelter every three days to look. BARCS Found Pet Report Form This link also auto-creates a poster for you to share on social media and in the area where the pet was found!

4) Search Other Shelters

File a found pet report with every shelter within a 60-mile radius of your home and visit the nearest shelters daily. Like BARCS, many area shelters have lost pet listing on their website. In Maryland, the minimum legal lost-hold is 72 hours. Linked below is a list of Greater Baltimore Area shelters. To find your local shelter, search online or check your phone book. If there is no shelter in your community, contact the local police department. Provide these agencies with an accurate description and a recent photograph of your pet. Listing of Local Baltimore Area Shelters

5) Create a Flyer and Post Publicly

Post a good, old-fashioned signs/pictures about the animal in the area last seen and the surrounding areas. Post notices at grocery stores, community centers, veterinary offices, traffic intersections, pet supply stores and other locations. Include the pet’s sex, age, weight, breed, color and any special markings.

6) Post and Search on Social Media

Many owners of lost pets turn to social media to get the word out. Often, this is the first place they put out an alert, even before contacting shelters or filing lost forms. It's important to search local pages to see if the pet you found was posted as missing by their owner. The more people in the community who see a stray pet's photo, the greater likelihood of that pet being reunited with their family. We suggest posting the 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

7) Check out these other online tools:

Center for Lost Pets, Craigslist, Fido Finder, Lost Dogs of America, Lost Pet USA, Missing Pet Partnership

Ways to prevent losing an animal companion:

Have rabies and license tags on your pet at all times
Make sure your pet's tags have your current address. Having just a phone number is not recommended by lost and found experts
Write your name and phone number directly on the animal's collar with a permanent marker, as tags often fall off!
Have your pet microchipped. This is an identification device that is inserted under the skin on the back of the animal’s neck. It is the size of a piece of rice and does not hurt the animal. When an animal is brought into a facility, the animal is scanned for a microchip, and the owner's contact information is automatically provided. 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 with FoundAnimals.org (free lifetime registration and updates). Also, remember to keep your contact information updated!
Keep your pet properly restrained
Do not leave your pet outside unsupervised

Found a Kitten?

Click here for guidelines on best actions when you find a lost kitten or litters of kittens.