What to Do if Your Pet is Lost

If you don’t see your pet on our Lost & Found page, follow these steps:

Submit a report online or call Lollypop Farm at (585) 223-1330 to file a Lost Pet Report. The report, which we will keep for several weeks, includes identifying information about your pet, such as breed, sex, spay/neuter status, appearance, microchip information, and more. If you call rather than submit a report online, please also email us a photo of your pet. Please note that filing a report does not guarantee that we will recognize your pet or be able to notify you if he is brought to the shelter. Please call us weekly to update us on your search—and let us know if/when your pet is found.

Contact Lollypop Farm

Contact Us: (585) 223-1330
lostandfound@lollypop.org

Come to the shelter to view the stray animals, even if you have filed a lost pet report. You are the only person who can positively identify your animal. You may want to visit the shelter every day or every other day to search for your pet. We are required by state law to hold strays for a minimum of five days before potentially making them available for adoption.

Contact and visit other shelters, according to your location, and file lost pet reports with them, too:
In case your pet was found injured and brought to a veterinarian, you should also call local vet offices.

Search your neighborhood thoroughly, and ask neighbors, mail carriers, bus drivers, and delivery people to keep an eye out. Don’t immediately assume that your pet has traveled far. Try these tips:
- Search underneath nearby porches, in basement window wells, and other places an animal might hide or become trapped.
- Leave food and water in your yard, as well as something with a familiar scent.
- Lost-cat tip #1: At dusk, go outside with a flashlight and shine it in bushes, tall plants, and wooded areas, while looking for the reflection of your cat’s eyes.
- Lost-cat tip #2: When searching for a lost cat (especially an indoor one), place a used litter box outside.
- Lost-cat tip #3: Cats often come home in the early-morning hours when you may be asleep. Putting a baby monitor outside can help you hear him when he comes back.
Put up “lost” posters in your neighborhood and get permission to post flyers and posters at vet offices, groomers, pet-supply stores, supermarkets, and libraries. Make them clear and readable, and include “LOST DOG” or “LOST CAT” in large letters, along with “REWARD” if you’re offering one. Use a clear photo of your pet. For signs on the street, make sure that drivers can read them easily; a large posterboard works best. Laminate your signs to weatherproof them. The Missing Pet Partnership offers detailed tips about making effective posters. Be on the lookout for “found” posters and flyers, too.

Put “lost” ads on Craigslist (it’s free to do so), in the newspaper(s), and on pet-related sites. Include your pet’s appearance, breed, sex, and age, as well as your contact information and a good photo. Don’t forget to read the “found” ads, too.
- Craigslist
- Democrat and Chronicle
- Messenger Post Newspapers, 585-394-0770 ext. 235
- Genesee Valley Pennysaver
- Bugsy’s Animal Network, Pets 911, Petfinder, and Petango

If your pet is microchipped, call the microchip company to notify them that he is missing. (Every time you move, make sure to update the company with your new contact information.)

Be careful. Unfortunately, some people take advantage of pet owners searching for their animals. If someone claims to have found your pet, ask the person to describe him first. Look out for red flags, like requests to wire money. And if your instincts sound the alarm, ask to meet in a public place to reclaim your pet.

Don’t give up if you don’t find your pet right away. Pets have been reunited with their families after being lost for days, weeks, or months.

More tips and resources