Lost and Found Animals

We know that despite how careful we are, sometimes one of our furry friends wanders off and gets lost. The Lincoln County Animal Shelter is Lincoln County's only stray animal holding facility, and we are always ready to assist owners with finding their pets, as well as members of the public who have been "found" by a stray. (A "stray" is simply another term for a lost animal found running loose without an owner.)

These pages are designed to assist our community members with these situations.

Always remember that identification, such as collars with tags and microchips, are your pets fastest ticket home! Cats, too, can safely wear collars with tags and are an easy way for us and your neighbors to know that your cat has a loving home.

If you have lost a pet:

  • You should never feel embarrassed about calling to report a animal missing. Starting the search for your missing animal as soon as possible after he or she goes missing can make all the difference in bringing them back home.
  • Please fill out our lost and found report. This will be sent to our shelter's intake department where it will be added in our system. Though the shelter staff is always checking for matches in our system, it is still very important that you are checking as well. No one will recognize your pet faster or better than you! Once you send your report in, you will receive email confirmation with further instructions. You can respond to that email with a photograph of your pet.
  • If you lost an animal outside of Lincoln County Animal Services area, please contact your local county holding facility to determine their procedures for lost animals. Here is a list of other local animal holding facilities.
  • Please take a moment to look at the STRAY CATS/STRAY DOGS page on our website because this will show you animals currently at our shelter being held as strays. Please do not assume that if your animal is not listed there that it is not at our shelter! If the animal has been in the shelter for over 4 days, it may no longer apprear on the website.
  • If you have any questions about Lost/Found Reports in general, if you think you've spotted a match on the website, or if you want to follow up on your own situation, please contact us at 704-736-4125.

All lost and found reports must be approved before being published for the public to see. Please allow up to 24 hours for your report to be visible on our website. Your report will expire after 90 days, but if you need or want to extend that time, please contact Lincoln County Animal Services at 704-736-4125. Also, if you have reunited with a lost or found pet please email us at lostandfound@lincolncounty.org or call 704-736-4125  so we can remove your report from the site.

If you have found a pet:

  • If you have found a pet within Lincoln County Animal Services' service area, and wish to bring it to the Lincoln County Animal shelter please contact us at 704-736-4125.
  • Please fill out our lost and found report. This will be sent to our shelter's intake department where it will be added in our system. Though the shelter's Intake Department is always checking for matches in our system, it is still important that you are checking as well. Once you send your report in, you will receive email confirmation with further instructions. You can respond to that email with a photograph of the animal that you found.
  • Accuracy in a found animal report is crucial. A wrong breed or wrong color can lead to a missed match. Please visit one of the following pages to ensure accurate information is being shared!
  • Dog Breed List (Petfinder)
  • Cat Breed/Color List (MSPCA)
  • Please take a moment to look at the LOST CATS/LOST DOGS pages. These are the reports that owners file when their animal goes missing.
  • If you found the animal outside of Lincoln County Animal Services' service area, please contact your local county holding facility to determine their procedures for found animals. Here is a list of other animal holding facilities.
  • If you have any questions about Lost/Found Reports in general, if you think you've spotted a match on the website, or if you want to follow up on your situation, please contact us at 704-736-4125.
  • All lost and found reports must be approved before being published for the public to see. Please allow up to 24 hours for your report to be visible on our website. Your report will expire after 90 days, but if you need or want to extend that time, please contact Lincoln County Animal Services at 704-736-4125. Also, if you have reunited with a lost or found pet please email us at lostandfound@lincolncounty.org or call 704-736-4125 so we can remove your report from the site