Pet Resource Center

 

If you have found an animal, lost an animal, or need to surrender a pet – please visit our Pet Resource Center on the east side of the building at 1805 E. 19th Street OR call us at 785-371-0473.

We know losing a beloved pet is one of the worst feelings. Lawrence Humane is committed to returning stray animals to their owners. Please see the list of resource below. To see all lost pet resources and lost pets on our website, click here. 

If you’ve lost your pet within Douglas County, you are welcome to Report Your Lost Pet here, or give us a call in the Pet Resource Center: 785-371-0473. Doing so will keep your pet on our radar and allow us to call you if we receive anything matching your description. 

Additionally be sure to stay tuned to our Stray Intake Facebook Page, where we post, in real-time, the animals that come into our shelter as a stray. If you identify your pet on our Facebook page, please see below how to reclaim your pet.

Remember: Don’t give up hope! Pets have been found months after getting lost. Finding a lost pet can take time. Start searching immediately and often. Animals that are lost may still be close to home, or residing with a well-meaning finder.

If your missing pet is microchipped, you’ll want to contact the chip company immediately to report them as Missing/Lost. This is also a good time to update your information and add contacts if necessary. If you adopted from Lawrence Humane, your microchip will be registered with 24-Pet Watch.

Microchipping is one of the safer, more reliable ways to identify your pet and greatly increases the likelihood of your pet being returned to you if lost. A microchip only does its job if registered with the most current information. This information you provide is only available to licensed animal welfare facilities. 

Research shows that chances of successfully returning a lost pet to its owner are 30% higher if the pet is microchipped. 

Unsure of which microchip company? Visit the American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA) website, enter your pet’s unique chip number to find out which company it is registered with.

Don’t know your pet’s unique microchip number? Contact the facility/veterinarian who initially chipped your pet. They should keep that information on file. 

If you’d like to get your pet microchipped, we can help with that! Check out our page on Low-Cost Vaccines & Microchip. 

Along with contacting the Lawrence Humane Society and your microchip company regarding your lost pet, it’s also a great idea to talk to folks in your neighborhood. Here is a LOST PET FLYER TEMPLATE to hang up in your surrounding area. 

Petco Love Lost is a lost-and-found pet online pet service that uses facial recognition technology to report and/or search for lost cats and dogs nationwide. Upload your lost pet’s photo to Petco Love Lost. This database includes pets reported by individuals as well as shelter partners in our area to match photos of the pet you are submitting. 

PawBoost is like an AMBER Alert for lost pets. Millions of pet lovers have joined their Rescue Squad by signing up for localized lost & found pet alerts. More importantly, PawBoost has helped reunite over 1 million pets with their families. Posting is free, with optional premium services available.

It’s also a good idea to check out the area lost and found facebook pages (post here and here) as well as utilizing the Next Door app that helps you connect with your neighbors. 

→ DID YOU KNOW: According to ASPCA, nearly HALF of the dogs that go missing are ultimately found within their own neighborhood.

Other lost pet resources available include:

Update your reports

Wherever you posted your pet as missing (posters, websites, social media) be sure to update that your pet has been found. Many volunteers and shelter staff members review lost pet reports daily, and having updated information ensures time is dedicated to animals that are still missing.

Collar & ID Tag

Make sure your pet is always wearing a collar and ID tags. Only 5% of lost pets not wearing identification ever get reunited with their owners. Inexpensive ID tags can be purchased at Lawrence Humane Society. Include your phone number and address. Don’t forget to update the microchip and tag information as your information changes!

Microchip

Having your pet microchipped is a quick, painless and easy way to ensure that if your pet gets loose, you will be contacted if they come into a shelter. You can have your pet microchipped at Lawrence Humane Society or at any veterinarian’s office.

You can help dramatically increase a pet’s chances of reconnecting with their owner by following some simple steps:

If you have found a stray dog within Lawrence or Douglas County, how you respond within the first few hours can be critical for reunification:

  1. Check pet for ID: Some pets are wearing a tag, rabies tag, or have a name and contact stitched into their collar
  2. Alert your neighbors and check local lost and found pet Facebook groups and Next Door app in order to determine if anyone has posted about missing this pet. 
  3. Take a walk, if possible, around the neighborhood to see if anyone recognizes the pet.
  4. Call our Pet Resource Center at 785-371-0473 to see if a lost pet has been reported. 
  5. Animals found in Lawrence/Douglas County can be brought to the shelter between the hours of 9am and 6pm 7 days a week to be scanned for a microchip. 

 

If the pet was found in Lawrence city limits, and you are unable to transport or safely contain the found pet, please call City of Lawrence Animal Control between the hours of 8am and 3pm, 7 days a week. Animal Control officers can scan for a microchip and transport stray pets to the Lawrence Humane Society. Animal control officers can be reached via non-emergency dispatch at 785-832-7509.

 

If the pet was found in rural Douglas County, and you are unable to transport or safely contain the found pet, please call the Lawrence Humane Society Animal Services Department between the hours of 9am and 6pm, 7 days a week. Animal Services officers can scan for a microchip and transport stray pets to  the Lawrence Humane Society. Our animal service team can be reached at 785-856-0337. 

If the animal was found outside of Douglas County,  please contact your area shelter to discuss services. It is important that the animal is taken to the shelter in the area it was found in to give them the best opportunity to reunite with their owner.

If you are unsure what county the pet you found was located in, please call the Pet Resource Center at 785-371-0473 and they can assist you with locating the correct shelter to call if you have found a stray pet.  The Lawrence Humane Society will not accept strays found outside of Douglas County under any circumstances.

For a complete listing of licensed Animal Shelter facilities in Kansas, view this interactive county map. 

When any animals are brought to our shelter as stray, either by an Animal Control Officer or a member of the public, we always make the effort to contact an owner in the following ways:

  • Scanning every animal that comes to us for a microchip. With the microchip we can pull up your contact info and give you a call immediately. This is the #1 way to reconnect a pet with its owner. (See Is your Pet Microchipped?)
  • Posting every stray animal we receive to our stray animal Facebook page
View Current Stray Animals

If you see your pet listed on our stray intakes page and wish to reclaim, please scroll down for more info on how to reclaim. Please note that when reclaiming your pet, boarding/impound fees may be charged.

At intake, all animals entering shelter care are vaccinated and dewormed, and scanned for any major medical issues. This not only protects your pet if it is brought into us, but also protects all the other pets we house from any disease being brought in house. 

We observe a mandatory 3-5 day wait/holding period for all stray animals brought into our building. During that time, our staff works hard to locate owners and reunite pets via social media, phone calls and emails. If no successful claim of ownership is made after the stray wait period has ended, then we will seek to get that pet ready for adoption. 

HOW TO RECLAIM

If your pet is being held by Lawrence Humane Society on a Stray Wait, our goal is to get them reunited with you!

Although we take great care with every animal who enters our doors, the less time a pet has to spend in the shelter, the better. Here is what you can expect when you come to the shelter to reclaim:

  • Proof of Current Rabies Vaccine – it is state law that all pets leaving our facility must be current on their rabies vaccination. If you are unable to provide a current rabies certificate or your pet is past due for another, we can administer that vaccine for $10.00
  • Proof of Ownership – this can be pictures, vet records, adoption papers, microchip information, or anything else that identifies and connects them to you. 
  • Fees – There are fees associated with picking up your pet. Whether they were here for 3 hours or 3 days, we will have administered medical services, food, shelter for your pet. If you are struggling financially, assistance may be available through our Crisis Pet Retention Fund.