I Found A Pet

Here's how you can help a found dog:

• Check for ID tags. To have the dog scanned for a microchip, you can request a visit from one of our animal control officers or bring the animal to a vet. You can also scan for a microchip at any Waco Firehouse for free. If needed, visit www.petmicrochiplookup.org to enter the microchip number and find the owner.
• Post a photo and description of the animal on social media. Some options include NextDoor, Craigslist, Petco Love Lost, PawBoost, and surrounding neighborhood Facebook groups and local “Lost & Found Pets of Waco” Facebook pages like Central Texas Lost and Found Pets.
• Walk the dog around the neighborhood where it was found and ask neighbors for help. You can also create a Found Pet flyer and post it in the area or distribute it to doorsteps of homes nearest where the dog was found.
• Participate in the S.N.I.F.F. (Safety Net in Foster Friends) program for dogs. If you can keep the dog out of the center for 72 hours, the center will vaccinate the dog, send you home with supplies and schedule an appointment for you to bring in the dog in with a waived surrender fee while you search for the owner.

A cat who looks healthy with good body condition and coat is very rarely lost. Millions of pet cats are indoor/outdoor; we might not know where that cat lives, but good body condition tells us the cat knows where home is and will make its way back on its own. Even cats who are actually lost are 10–50 times more likely to be reunited with their owners if they stay in the neighborhood where they are found: In the average center, only 5% of cats are reclaimed by an owner, but when a lost pet is kept in a safe place in the neighborhood where they were found, the overall reclaim rate jumps significantly.

Following the recommendations of leading national organizations such as the UC Davis Koret Shelter Medicine Program (KSMP), National Animal Care & Control Association (NACA), ASPCA, American Association of Feline Practitioners, and Million Cat Challenge, we do not admit healthy free-roaming cats to the center.

If the cat looks healthy, please put it back where you found it/leave it where it is. If you believe the cat is truly lost, here’s how you can help:

• Wait a day or two to offer food, as extra feeding can discourage cats from going back home on their own.
• Play detective—ask around your neighborhood to see if anyone recognizes them. If the cat is friendly, use this paper collar template to help determine if the cat is owned.
• Create a Found Pet flyer and post it in the neighborhood or distribute it to doorsteps of homes nearest where the cat was found. Don’t think in terms of street travel—cats don’t!—think distance, or “as the crow flies,” and post flyers on all the major streets that transverse your neighborhood.
• Complete a Found Cat report on our website with a photo and check Lost Cat listings. Animals don’t know city limits, so file a found report with other shelters in the area.

Thanks for looking out for the most vulnerable animals in our community! In most cases, kittens don’t actually need to be rescued—a kitten’s best chance of survival is with his/her mother.

• If the kitten is a neonate, put the kitten back where you found it and put a ring of flower around the “nest.” Most likely the mom is out hunting and will return soon.
• Visit Waco Animal Coalition guide for kitten help
• Contact Commcat for TNR (Trap-neuter-return) resources

If you have found a sick or injured animal in our service area, call Animal Control at (254) 750-1765.

S.N.I.F.F. Program (Safety Net in Found Friends)

We can help you house a stray for at least 72 hours, saving valuable space in our shelter, while we:

• assess the pet's health by our shelter veterinarians
• provide and insert a microchip
• administer vaccines against life-threatening diseases

How to participate

• Bring a found stray to the Adoption Center (2032 Circle Road, Waco) for a microchip scan.
• If confirmed that there is no owner on file, shelter staff will work with you to provide:
• A microchip, and any vaccines needed.

S.N.I.F.F Contract Agreement

Thank you for being a vital safety net for a stray in our community!
(Most strays are found in the vicinity of their home, and your support helps us keep animals out of the center!)

By agreeing to the S.N.I.F.F. Program, you will safely house your found stray for a minimum of 3 days, maximum of 5 days. In this time, Pet Circle staff will be able to provide a base level of protection that can help save their life.

If the stray's owner has not been found in 3 days, you may surrender your found stray to Animal Intake free of charge.

Please note: Any emergency medical visits prior to surrender are the financial responsibility of the S.N.I.F.F. foster. After five days, we can no longer waive the intake fee without prior authorization from management.