I Lost My Pet

Step 1: Check our website.

These pages include pets currently housed at Santa Fe Animal Shelter. If you see your pet, please call the shelter at 505.983.4309 ext. 1606. If you don’t see your pet, please continue to check regularly. The view pets feeds are updated several times a day.

View Dogs |  View Cats | View Rabbits & Critters

Step 2: Search for your missing pet on social media.

Check your neighborhood’s missing pet groups including Nextdoor, Craigslist, and accounts like Santa Fe NM Lost & Found Pets on Facebook.

Step 3: Post your pet on social media.

Post information and photos of your lost pet on platforms and websites like Nextdoor, Facebook, Craigslist, Pawboost, Petco Love Lost.

Step 4: Create lost pet flyers.

Use this link to create a flyer and post flyers in the area where your pet went missing.

I Found an Animal

Santa Fe Animal Shelter houses and provides care for stray pets brought in from the field by County of Santa Fe Animal Control and City of Santa Fe Animal Services. Santa Fe Animal Shelter is not an enforcement agency.

If You Have Found a Healthy Dog

Get ready to be a hero! Studies show that most stray dogs are found within just 1 mile of their home, so if you’ve found a stray dog, a guardian is probably already looking for it!

Before you come to the shelter or call animal control, try to reunite the dog with its owner. You can check for ID tags and have the dog scanned for a microchip at a local veterinary clinic to see if it has an owner that it can be reunited with right away.

If the dog has no ID tags or microchip, here are some things to try before you bring the dog to the shelter or call animal control:

  • Take the dog on a walk – or for a drive in your car – around the neighborhood.
  • Listen for an owner calling for their dog.
  • Ask any neighbors, postal carriers, or utility workers in the area if they know where the dog lives.
  • Create a simple flyer and post it around the neighborhood where you found the dog.
  • Create a social media post that includes a photo and description of the dog as well as the location of where you found it. Try posting on your own social media accounts along with Nextdoor and the Santa Fe NM Lost & Found Pets Facebook page.
  • Post a photo of the dog as found on Petco Love Lost and PawBoost.
  • Consider keeping the lost dog in your home until the owner is found. The Shelter will provide all necessary supplies and care to keep the found animal happy and healthy. You can get started by calling our Animal Resource Center (ARC) team and letting them know you want to be part of our StrayCation Program: 505.983.4309 ext. 1606. The process only takes about 20 minutes and saves lives!

If You Have Found a Healthy Adult Cat

Most cats found outdoors aren’t actually lost – they simply live indoors and outdoors – and will make their way home on their own. It’s best to leave a healthy adult cat where it is and avoid accidentally catnapping your neighbor’s cat!

If you think an owner is looking for their cat, please check for ID tags and have the cat scanned for a microchip at a local veterinary clinic to see if it has an owner that it can be reunited with right away. 

If the cat has no ID tags or microchip, here are some things to try before you bring the cat to the shelter or call animal control: 

  • Most cats don’t roam more than 6-7 houses from where they live. Walk or drive around the neighborhood to see if anyone is looking for their cat.
  • Ask any neighbors, postal carriers, or utility workers in the area if they know where the cat lives.
  • Create a simple flyer and post it around the neighborhood where you found the cat. 
  • Create a social media post that includes a photo and description of the cat as well as the location of where you found it. Try posting on your own social media accounts along with Nextdoor and the Santa Fe NM Lost & Found Pets Facebook page.
  • Post a photo of the cat as found on Petco Love Lost and PawBoost.
  • Consider keeping the lost cat in your home until the owner is found. The Shelter will provide all necessary supplies and care to keep the found animal happy and healthy. You can do so by calling our Animal Resource Center (ARC) team and letting them know you want to be part of our StrayCation Program: 505.983.4309 ext. 1606. The process only takes about 20 minutes and saves lives!

If You Have Found a Kitten

Found kittens outside and don’t know what to do? Here are resources to help you with next steps:

Look for mom.

Mom cat is probably nearby, but to make sure, sprinkle white flour in a circle around the kitten nest to look for her paw prints. If mom doesn’t return within 12-24 hours, they may need assistance.

Leave the kittens where they are.

If they’re not in immediate danger, unweaned kittens should be left outside so the mother cat can care for them. If they must be moved, place them in a crate or opened box, but don’t change their location.

Consider fostering the kittens.

Do you still need help with a stray animal? Please get in touch with County of Santa Fe Animal Control and City of Santa Fe Animal Services.