Lost

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To see if your found pet is available for adoption, please visit our Adoptable Animals page.
Please note: Lost reports on this page expire after 90 days. Please contact the Intake Department at 204-982-2021, option 5, if you are still looking for your pet.

FIVE THINGS TO DO IMMEDIATELY WHEN YOU’VE LOST YOUR PET

1. Submit a Lost Animal Report:
   To submit a lost report, please go to: https://winnipeghumanesociety.ca/lost-animal-report/
2. Visit our Lost and Found pages daily.  New animals are brought to the shelter every day and we update the lost and found information and photos multiple times throughout the day. Please contact the WHS to close the lost report once you’ve found your pet by emailing [email protected]. If your dog is lost in the City of Winnipeg, contact Animal Services, 1057 Logan Ave (phone 311).  Unless sick or injured, stray dogs go to Animal Services. At the time of claiming your pet, we require photo identification & proof of ownership to confirm the pet is going home with the owner. You must bring proper equipment to transport your pet from the shelter. A leash or crate/carrier for dogs and a crate/carrier/box with air holes for cats and critters.The WHS holds canines and felines found in the city of Winnipeg for three days.  Any strays that come from outside the city are held for one day.Critters (rabbits, guinea pigs, birds and reptiles) are held for 24 hours.

2. Contact other animal groups: We are not the only place people bring lost animals. Call your local vets to check if your animal has been brought in injured. Pembina Veterinary Hospital offers 24-hour emergency service and often receives injured pets. If you live in a rural area, call your local Municipal Animal Control office. If you lost a dog in the city of Winnipeg, check with Animal Services located at 1057 Logan Avenue (311). and check the following websites:
   Winnipeg Lost Dog Alert
   Winnipeg Lost Cat Alert
   Winnipeg Missing and Found Cat Watch

3. Spread the word locally :Let others know you lost your pet and what he/she looks like. Put up flyers in your area with a recent photo of your pet. You may want to distribute copies in your neighbourhood mailboxes as well. Found pets are often listed on sites like Kijiji and Craigslist, so be sure to check those often. “Advertise” by placing an ad in the local newspapers and magazines. If people see an ad, they will keep their eye out for a wandering animal. Update your report with us within 3 months. If we do not hear from you after 3 months, your lost report will be closed.

4. Pound the pavement: Walk around the neighbourhood. Just because your pet may not remember its way home, doesn’t mean it has necessarily wandered far. Ask people if they’ve seen your pet and carry a picture with you.

NUMBERS TO CALL IF YOUR PET IS LOST

FIVE THINGS THAT WILL HELP YOU PROTECT YOUR PETS

1. Identify your pets: This is probably the most important thing you can do to prevent your pet from being permanently lost. Your pet should be micro chipped, tattooed and be wearing a collar. It is not enough just to have one or two of the above lists, all three are vital. With a collar and license or i.d. tag, someone could pick up your pet on the street and bring it right back to your house. With a tattoo, a small vet clinic without microchip readers can check the registry based on the tattoo. With a microchip, places like The WHS can immediately identify your pet and call you, even if the collar has been lost and the tattoo illegible.

2. Have pictures available: Sometimes we forget to keep taking pictures when our pet is no longer a puppy or a kitten, but a recent photo can make all the difference when an animal is lost. Keep some updated colour photos available just in case.

3. Watch the front door: When expecting people, lock up animals who are likely to bolt. They may be cranky, but they will thank you for it when they are safe at home.

4. Don’t let cats wander: If you let your cats outside, chances are they will get lost. Even if they have been coming and going for ten years, it doesn’t mean that they will always find their way home, or that someone might assume they are lost and pick them up. Do not let cats outside the house unless you have an enclosed back yard, or you are walking them on a leash.

5. Know your pets: OK, so you’ve lost a black Lab cross. What else? Does he know any tricks that make him stand out? Does he have any scars or birth marks? What makes him different from all the other black labs we might receive? These details might make it easier for us to identify your pet.