Lost & Found Animals
After four to seven days, a stray animal becomes the property of the Livingston County Animal Shelter and may be available for public adoption.
In accordance with Michigan state law, strays are held for four to seven days in order to help the owner find and claim the animal. We post descriptions and pictures of stray animals on our website. Our website also has a database of lost and found animals.
Lost & Found Pets
Stray Animals
If You Found a Dog or Cat:
Please post any found pets on the Lost and Found page of our website. It’s also a good idea to put up fliers in the area around where you found the pet. Please include a picture! Descriptions can vary greatly, but a picture is the best way to help unite a lost pet with their family. If you found a dog with a license, you can search for the owner.
If you found the animal in Livingston County and you can’t hold it until the owner is found, you can bring it to the Shelter. We will hold it as a stray for four to seven days. At the end of that time, if the animal has a good temperament and is healthy, we will spay or neuter it, give it any necessary veterinary care, and put it up for adoption. If the animal is aggressive or in poor health (an illness that is not easily treatable) we will humanely euthanize it.
Do not bring in pets that were found outside of Livingston County.
If You Lost a Dog or Cat:
Please post any found pets on the Lost and Found page of our website. When someone brings a stray animal to the Shelter, our software automatically brings up recently lost pets and looks for a match. Please make sure that we have a good contact number for you when you post your report!
You should also look at the postings on our Lost and Found page and see if any match the description of your lost pet. Someone may be holding it at their home, waiting for you to call. It is important to check our website daily, or visit the Shelter in person every day while your pet is lost. Strays are held for four to seven days before being put up for adoption, so it is important that you find your pet before the stray hold ends.
When a lost pet comes into the Shelter, it will automatically appear on the Strays page of our website. Once the animal is booked into our system a picture usually appears within one to two days.
