What to do when you find a Lab:

Check for ID - look for a collar tag. If the dog has a license, call the county or organization that issued the license, they will put you in contact with the owner. If there is no tag, have the dog scanned for a microchip. This can be done at any shelter or vet's office, including emergency vet clinics.

Walk around your neighborhood - most pets are found close to home and your neighbors may be out looking for their pet. Knock on doors near where the dog was found to see if anyone recognizes the dog.

Put up flyers near where the pet was found with a description of the pet. Be sure to leave out some identifying characteristic (such as the collar color, breed, etc.) so that you can positively identify whether the dog truly belongs to the callers or not. Do not include a photo. Also place a poster at the Humane Society and both county shelters. Look for LOST posters. Place a FOUND ad in the Arizona Republic (number below). FOUND ads are free. Also browse the LOST ads. Contact Petfinders, Missing Mutts, and the Humane Society to list the found dog with them. Their contact information is posted below. If the owner comes forward, please ask them to license their dog and get them an ID collar. 90% of pets found with ID make their way home, as opposed to only 10% of pets without ID.

If possible, keep the pet at your home. Most likely his home is nearby and finding it will be much easier for everyone involved. If you can keep the dog temporarily but would like us to help you find a home for the lab in the event the owners are not found, please contact us so we will have advanced warning that the dog may need placement. Be advised that we can only consider taking in dogs that are purebred labs.

If it is not possible for you to keep the pet at your home, please take the dog to one of the Maricopa County shelters or the Humane Society (listed below) or call them to come pick up the pet. Note the impound number. If the dog is a lab, contact us and let us know the impound information. We will monitor the dog's stay in the shelter and do our best to ensure it does not get put to sleep.

If an owner is not found in six days, the dog legally belongs to you. You may keep the dog, turn him over to a rescue, find a home for it on your own, or turn him into a shelter. If it is a purebred lab and you don't wish to keep it, contact our Intake Coordinator to evaluate the dog.

If you have lost your Lab:

Walk or drive around your neighborhood calling your pet. Someone may have seen it or know if someone found it. If your pet has a county license, call them to make sure that your contact information is current. If your pet has a microchip, call the company to ensure that your registration information is current so if someone finds your lab, they will be able to contact you.

Put up posters including a description of your lost pet around your neighborhood. Include a photo if possible. Put up posters in vets offices and supermarkets, and at both county shelters and the Humane Society.

Visit each of the two Maricopa County shelters and the Humane Society every two days. Keep checking, as it may take several days or weeks for your pet to be found. If it is totally impossible for you to check the shelter, you can call them, but often they mis-identify the breed of pets and may not be able to tell over the phone if your pet is there. Although they will call you if they can identify your pet, don't count on tags or a microchip. Your lab may have lost his collar and microchip scans are not 100 percent accurate. To ensure your pet is not euthanized, you must physically check both shelters every two days.

Place a LOST ad in the newspaper and call on any found ads that seem similar. Keep in mind a pet may wander far from home when lost, and finders may not know the correct breed of your pet, so call on any ads that seem even close. Also call Missing Mutts and Petfinders to list your dog. Contact the emergency veterinary clinic near your home. If the dog was hit by a car or injured, it could have been taken there.

Don't contact us to see if we have your lab. We rarely take in strays and when we do they are advertised in the paper and with Petfinders and Missing Mutts.

When you find your lab, have him microchipped and keep a collar with ID on him at all times to ensure this problem does not happen again.

Contact Information:

Maricopa County Rabies Animal Control
602-506-PETS

Southeast
2630 W. 8th Street
Mesa, Arizona 85201

Durango
2323 S. 35th Avenue
Phoenix, Arizona 85009

Arizona Humane Society
9226 North 13th Avenue in Phoenix, Arizona
(just south of Hatcher Road)
(602) 997-7585

Missing Mutts (480) 898-8914

Arizona Pet Line (602) 252-2727

Arizona Republic Classified Ads (602) 444-2424
(Found Ads are free)

Pets 911 website for pet lost and found, rescue and emergency information.