Find Your Lost Pet

Begin the search for your lost pet immediately by following these steps. To ensure prompt attention, please do not email us regarding lost pets.

1Visit NOCO Humane in-person as soon as possible.

If you believe that you see your pet on our lost and found pages, please confirm at which of our two campuses your pet is being held. Checking for your lost pet in-person is the only way to positively confirm if we have your pet. Proof of ownership is required to reclaim your lost pet. Visit the contact page for hours and location.

2If we do not have your pet, we’ll help you to complete a lost report.

We will do our best to help reunite you with your lost pet. Please bring a current photo of your pet.

3Monitor the Lost and Found pages of our website for your pet.

If you think you see your pet on our website, visit us in-person to verify he or she is yours.

VIEW STRAY DOGS VIEW STRAY CATS VIEW STRAY CRITTERS

4Let your friends, family and neighborhood know that your pet is missing.

Place a lost pet on social media sites like Facebook, Nextdoor, Colorado Lost & Found Pets, or neighborhood watch pages.
Post fliers at local veterinary hospitals, feed stores, and other privately owned business as allowed. Note: Posting signage on public property is illegal.
Post a flier on the designated signage board at your local dog park.
Notify your neighbors and ask for their assistance. If you’ve lost a cat, ask your neighbors to check their garages, tool sheds, and barns in case your pet is confined.
Place your cat’s litter box or an article of your clothing outdoors to help your cat locate your home. Indoor-only cats may need assistance finding their way home.
Call for your cat in the evening or early morning hours when the neighborhood is quiet. Shy cats may need coaxing to come out of hiding.
Contact or visit surrounding shelters such as the Cheyenne Animal Shelter, Longmont Humane Society, or Humane Society of Boulder Valley.

Lost Pet FAQs and Pet Loss Prevention

Stray Hold

Per state law, stray animals will be held for five days. After the five-day waiting period, your pet will become the property of NOCO Humane. Please retrieve your lost pet as soon as possible to minimize impound fees and reduce stress on your pet.

Fees

If your animal is at the shelter, you will be required to pay impound and boarding fees. If the animal does not have a current Larimer County license, you will be required to purchase one.

Impound fees range from $40-$60 and are based on your residential jurisdiction and licensing requirements. In addition to the impound fee, an additional $15 boarding fee will apply per calendar day. Please contact our Client Services team at 970-226-3647 ext. 0 for additional information.

View local ordinances and fees for stray animals in:

Licenses

A license is your pet’s ticket home, and pet licensing is the law. Licensed pets that wander away from home can be returned to their owners without ever coming to the shelter. Lost pets not in compliance with the local pet license ordinance will be brought to NOCO Humane.

Pet loss prevention

Even the most responsible pet owners can be accidentally separated from their pets. Follow these steps today to prevent your pet from getting lost and increase the chances of them making it back home should they go missing.

Keep a collar, license and identification tag on your pet at all times. Lost animals wearing identification are usually returned directly home.
Microchip your pet. Microchips are a painless, permanent form of identification. The inert microchip inserted under your pet’s skin is encoded with a number that is registered in a national database and can traced back to you, 24-hours a day.
Keep your cat indoors. Cats allowed to roam outside don’t live as long – it’s that simple. Consider building a safe enclosure for your cat or only allowing her outdoors when supervised. It’s especially important to confine your cat during early morning and evening hours when coyotes, foxes, and hawks are looking for prey.
Have your pet spayed or neutered. Altered animals are less likely to roam from home and if they do, they don’t contribute to pet-overpopulation.
Upgrade your cat’s lifestyle! Indoor cats live longer, healthier lives. Welcome your feline friend into your home to show how much you care.
Confine your dog. If your yard isn’t fenced, consider investing in a free-standing dog kennel. Tethering your dog is not a safe alternative and will not protect him from other aggressive dogs, wildlife, theft, or dangerous entanglement. If your dog is left alone each day, consider doggy day care or a neighborhood cooperative play group.