MISSING A PET? WE’RE HERE TO HELP!
If you have lost a pet, please visit the shelter located at 1300 W. Conway Road at your earliest available opportunity and check our Found Pets list.
Our shelter receives animals every day and one of them could be your pet. We are required to hold stray animals (animals that do not have an identified owner) for seven days. As the owner you are the best person to identify your own pet, therefore we cannot tell you with certainty whether your pet is here or not.
tips for finding your lost pet
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Let Your Neighbors Know Right Away
One of the quickest ways to bring a lost pet home is by spreading the word locally. Reach out to your neighbors using whatever your community uses most—Nextdoor, neighborhood Facebook groups, email lists, or group chats.
When posting, include:A clear description (color, size, gender, and any unique markings)
The last place your pet was seen or the closest major intersection
A recent photo
The more eyes looking for your pet, the better.
Contact Your Pet’s Microchip Company
If your pet is microchipped, notify the microchip company immediately so they can mark your pet as lost and ensure your contact information is current.
Not sure which company your pet’s chip is registered with? The AAHA Microchip Lookup Tool can help you identify it using your pet’s microchip number. If you don’t have that number on hand, reach out to the shelter, veterinary clinic, or organization that originally microchipped your pet—they can provide it for you.
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Submit a Lost Pet Report
Let us help you bring your pet home. If your pet is missing, please fill out a Lost Pet Report with LTBHS so our team can keep an eye out. This ensures we know who we’re looking for if a pet matching your description comes into our care or if someone contacts us about a found animal.
We also encourage you to submit a report through Petco Love Lost and create a Pawboost alert—both platforms share your pet’s information widely and increase the chances of a reunion.
Create Flyers & Search the Neighborhood
Flyers are still one of the most effective tools for bringing lost pets home. PetFBI offers a simple online template you can use to create and print a flyer right from home. If you need help designing or printing one, our LTBHS team would be happy to assist.
Once you have your flyer, walk the area where your pet was last seen. Talk to neighbors, delivery drivers, mail carriers, landscapers—anyone regularly in the neighborhood. Share your pet’s photo and details so more people can keep an eye out.
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Visit Your Local Shelter to Search for Your Pet
No one knows your pet better than you. If your pet is missing, it’s important to visit the shelter in person and walk through the kennels to look for them. Even if we have your flyer, pets can look different when they’re stressed or scared, so we may not immediately recognize them.
Please stop by as often as you can—every 2–3 days at minimum—to check for new arrivals.Post Lost Pet Flyers in Key Areas
Flyers are an incredibly effective tool. Hang posters at major intersections and high-traffic spots near where your pet went missing.
As a guide:Dogs: place flyers within about a 3-mile radius
Cats: focus on a 1-mile radius
Clear, visible posters help alert neighbors, drivers, and passersby who may spot your pet.
Check Our Website Frequently
We update our website with animals who arrive as strays. Be sure to regularly review our Lost & Found page to look for your pet’s photo.
If you see an animal who might be yours, call us immediately so we can assist and verify.
Don’t Lose Hope!
Reuniting with a lost pet can take time—sometimes even months. Many animals remain close to home or are temporarily taken in by someone trying to help. Start searching right away and keep checking back. Persistence truly makes a difference.
FOUND A PET? FOLLOW THESE TIPS.
You can make a big difference in helping a lost pet find their way back home by taking a few simple steps. Most lost animals have families who are actively looking for them—and many are found less than a mile from where they live. Before bringing a found pet to the shelter, it’s best to try reconnecting them with their family in the community.
Nationally, only a small percentage of stray pets brought to shelters are reunited with their owners—around 3–4% of cats and 15–20% of dogs. Your efforts in the neighborhood can greatly improve the chances of a happy reunion.
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IMPORTANT: If the animal appears injured, sick, or severely malnourished, please bring them to the nearest veterinary clinic for immediate care or contact Emmet County Animal Control through 911 so an officer can respond. Animals in distress should receive prompt medical attention.
1. Check for Identification
Look for a collar, tags, or any visible ID. Some pets have phone numbers embroidered directly on their collar. If you find a tag with a number, call it—many families are desperately searching.
2. Alert Your Neighbors
Take a clear photo and share it using the communication tools your community uses most (local Facebook groups, neighborhood pages, Nextdoor, etc.).
Be sure to include:Where the pet was found (cross streets or exact address if possible)
A detailed description
How someone can contact you
3. Walk the Neighborhood
If the pet is comfortable and safe to walk, take a short stroll around the area where they were found. Often, neighbors will recognize the pet and can help point you toward their home.
4. Check for a Microchip
Most veterinary clinics and shelters—including LTBHS—can scan for a microchip at no cost. A chip scan is one of the quickest ways to find an owner.
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Bringing the Animal Indoors Safely
If you choose to bring a found pet into your home, please do so carefully. Keep the animal separate from your own pets until you know more about their health and behavior, and wash your hands frequently after handling them. Illnesses can spread quickly, even when an animal appears healthy.
Start Checking Local Lost & Found Resources
The pet’s family may already be looking for them. Check platforms such as Petco Love Lost, Pawboost, and local social media lost-and-found groups to see if a matching “lost pet” report has been posted.
Post the Animal as Found
If you don’t see any posts that match the pet you found, create a Found Pet post of your own. This helps our team and the community know that the animal is safe and allows us to cross-reference reports of missing pets.
We recommend posting in:
Petco Love Lost
Pawboost
Local Facebook and neighborhood groups
To avoid confusion, make one original post on your own page and share that post into multiple groups. That way, you can update the original post as needed instead of tracking multiple versions.
Make Flyers & Walk the Neighborhood
Flyers can still be incredibly effective—many pets are reunited simply by alerting nearby neighbors. PetFBI offers an easy online found-pet flyer generator you can print at home.
After creating your flyer, walk the immediate area where the pet was found and speak with:Neighbors
Postal carriers
Delivery drivers
Landscapers or maintenance staff
These community members often recognize local pets and can help you connect the animal with their family.
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Hang Found Pet Flyers
Posting flyers in the area can greatly increase the chances of finding a pet’s family.
Use waterproof tape (like duct tape) and hang flyers at key intersections within:3 miles of where a dog was found
1 mile of where a cat was found
These locations tend to have the most visibility and reach nearby neighbors who may know the animal.
Keep Checking Lost & Found Resources
Continue to monitor local and regional lost-pet platforms for updates. New posts appear throughout the day, and an owner may list their missing pet after you’ve already found them. Check frequently for any lost-pet alerts that match the animal in your care.
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If you found the animal within Emmet County and can no longer safely keep or care for them while searching for an owner, please bring the pet to Little Traverse Bay Humane Society.
We accept stray animals from Emmet County only, and we ask that you bring a valid photo ID at the time of drop-off.All stray animals brought to LTBHS by the public or impounded by Animal Control are held for a seven (7) day stray hold, as required by county ordinance.
After that period, animals may:Be made available for adoption
Be transferred to another shelter or rescue
Move into a foster home
Be humanely euthanized only in rare cases where severe medical or behavioral concerns exist
Our goal is always reunification or safe placement.
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If you found a pet outside of Emmet County, please contact the animal shelter or animal control agency for the city or county where the animal was found.
Returning the pet to its jurisdiction of origin gives it the best possible chance of being reunited with its family.
If You Cannot Locate an Owner or Are Unable to Continue Caring for the Found Pet:
SUBMIT A LOST OR FOUND REPORT
lost pet recovery assistance
Little Traverse Bay Humane Society offers a Lost Pet Recovery Program to help reunite missing pets with their families. Thanks to a generous grant from Petoskey Harbor Springs Area Community Foundation, we’ve invested in specialized recovery tools — including thermal drone technology — and trained staff and volunteers to support families during the search process.
This program is available for owned pets in the community, foster pets, and recently adopted animals. Support may include search strategy guidance, lost pet behavior education, and recovery assistance when available. Services are offered on a donation basis and are provided based on staff and volunteer capacity.
Our primary service area is Emmet County, with limited assistance available beyond the county as capacity allows.
If your pet has gone missing, please submit a recovery request using the form to the right so our team can determine how best to support you. You’re not alone — we’re here to help bring pets home.
Websites where you can post lost pets:
Petco Love Lost: This is a facial recognition technology to match photos of the pet you are submitting. This database includes pets reported by individuals as well as shelter partners in our area. By uploading a photo of your lost pet and reporting it to this system, you make that pet visible to good Samaritans and other shelters who may have found your pet – making happy reunions just a few clicks away.
Pawboost: 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.
ONCE YOUR PET IS HOME SAFE…
Update Your Posts & Reports
After your pet is found, please go back and update any places you shared their missing information—flyers, social media posts, lost-pet websites, and online alerts. Many volunteers, community members, and our staff check these listings daily. Updating them helps ensure our time and attention go toward pets who are still missing.
Collars & ID Tags Matter
To help prevent future scares, make sure your pet always wears a well-fitted collar with an ID tag. Only a small percentage of pets without identification make it back home, so having a visible phone number can make all the difference. Affordable tags are widely available, and remember to keep your contact information updated if you move or change phone numbers.
Microchip Your Pet
A microchip is one of the most reliable ways to ensure your pet can be reunited with you if they ever get lost again. It’s quick, safe, and permanent. If your pet isn’t microchipped yet—or if you need to update your information—we encourage you to reach out to your veterinarian or make an appointment at our Veterinary Clinic. Keeping your microchip details current is just as important as having one.