Lost & Found Pets
Helping Delaware's lost pets find their way home.
Delaware Animal Services (DAS) now uses Petco Love Lost as Delaware's official statewide lost and found pet reporting platform. Whether you've lost a pet or found one, Petco Love Lost helps connect pets with their families using powerful AI photo-matching technology to quickly reunite lost pets by comparing images of lost pets with those of found pets. Read more about the transition to PLL here.
- All stray pets that DAS animal welfare officers pick up are taken to Brandywine Valley SPCA (BVSPCA) for care and posted on Petco Love Lost (PLL).
- The public may post lost or found pets on PLL.
- Many animal shelters and rescues post stray pets on PLL.
- Pet owners may register their pet on PLL, so that if they go missing, they can make it home more quickly.
Note: If your lost pet was picked up by DAS, it was taken to BVSPCA for care and will be posted on PLL. Follow reclaim instructions in the post, or call BVSPCA at 302-516-1001.
I've Lost a Pet
Start here if your pet is missing
- Search your neighborhood. Pets are usually found within a mile of home.
- Report your pet on Petco Love Lost. (Button link to Love Lost)
- Search Petco Love Lost for pets currently reported by Delaware Animal Services, animal shelters, and members of the public.
- Contact local animal shelters and rescues.
- Share your pet's information with neighbors and your community. Utilize social media and hang flyers. Nextdoor and Facebook community pages are good resources.
- Contact your microchip company to ensure your contact information is up to date
- Leave a familiar scent out, like a garment of clothing you or someone in the family has worn, a blanket, or a pets bed.
- Continue searching. Many pets are reunited days, weeks, or even months after going missing.
I've Found a Pet
Start here if you find a pet
If you can safely do so, walk or drive around the neighborhood and knock on doors. Most lost pets live very close to where they are found.
- Check for identification tags or other forms of ID.
- Have the pet scanned for a microchip at a veterinary office or animal shelter.
- Report the pet on Petco Love Lost with a photo.
If you are unsuccessful finding the owner, contact the following animal control agencies depending on your location:
- Delaware Animal Services – New Castle, Kent and Sussex Counties – 302-255-4646
- City of Newark Animal Control, Newark Police – 302-366-7111
- City of Dover Animal Control, Dover Police - 302-736-7111
Give Your Pet the Best Chance of Coming Home
License Your Dog
A Delaware dog license provides another way to identify your dog and quickly return it home without the need for impoundment at a shelter.
Microchip Your Pet
Microchips provide permanent identification that can help reunite lost pets with their families. All found pets are scanned first for a microchip by Delaware Animal Services and animal shelters. Remember to register your pet’s microchip and keep your contact information current.
ID Tags Matter
A collar with current identification can reunite many pets with their owners without ever entering a shelter or having to scan for a microchip.
Register with Petco Love Lost
Register your pet now in case they go missing later. Upload your pet’s information and photo to Petco Love Lost today!
Keep Current Photos
Clear, recent photos are one of the most valuable tools for locating a lost pet. They can be uploaded to PLL, used on flyers and social media to quickly identify your pet.
A Note About Cats
Cats are permitted to roam outdoors in Delaware, so a healthy cat you find may be someone's pet or a community cat that is cared for by nearby residents. As there is no enforcement issue, Delaware Animal Services does not respond to healthy stray cats. More information is below. You may also seek out more information and resources online and local shelter and rescue resources.
If the cat appears healthy and is not injured or in immediate danger, the cat likely does not need help and sometimes the best thing to do is leave it alone. It will return home. Before intervening, observe from a distance. If it appears friendly, and it is safe to do so, check for a collar for identification. If you are able to safely contain the cat, you may have it scanned for a microchip at a veterinary clinic or animal shelter and create a Found Pet report on Petco Love Lost to help locate the owner. Shelters and rescues may also take friendly cats that have no known owner into their adoption programs. Do not attempt to handle a feral or unsocialized cat.
If the cat appears sick, injured, or is in immediate danger, contact a veterinarian, your local animal shelter or rescue. If the cat has no known owner, is seriously injured or in imminent danger, contact Delaware Animal Services at delawareanimalservices@delaware.gov.
Learn more about community cats, living with outdoor cats, and humane solutions by visiting Alley Cat Allies.
What should I do if my indoor cat becomes lost?
Indoor cats often behave differently when they get outside. A frightened indoor cat will usually hide nearby rather than travel far and may not come when called, even if they hear you.
If your indoor cat is missing:
- Search close to home first. Check under decks, porches, sheds, bushes, garages, and other hiding spots. Ask neighbors to check their properties.
- Search quietly. Early morning and evening are often the best times. Use a flashlight to look in dark hiding places.
- Use familiar scents. Place your cat’s bedding or a recently worn item of clothing near your home.
- Report your cat missing. Create a lost pet report on Petco Love Lost and contact local shelters and animal control.
- Keep looking. Many indoor cats are found days or even weeks later after hiding close to home.
Remember: An indoor cat’s first instinct when lost is often to hide, not run. A slow, thorough search of nearby hiding places is usually the best first step.
Learn more about lost cat behavior:
Missing Animal Response Network – Lost Cat Behavior: https://www.missinganimalresponse.com/lost-cat-behavior/
Petco Love Lost: https://petcolove.org/lost/lost-tips/
I Found Kittens, What Do I Do?
If the kittens are very young, their mother is likely nearby caring for them. Unless the kittens are sick, injured, or in immediate danger, it is usually best to leave them where they are and observe from a distance to see if the mother returns.
As kittens grow older and are weaned, they may be candidates for socialization, spay/neuter, and placement into homes when appropriate.
Learn more about caring for found kittens and determining when intervention is necessary. More information
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. Delaware Animal Services (DAS) will continue helping reunite lost pets with their families. All stray pets that DAS picks up will be taken to Brandywine Valley SPCA (BVSPCA) for care, and will be posted on Petco Love Lost.
Petco Love Lost provides a centralized place where residents can search for lost pets, report found pets, and share information to help reunite pets with their families.
Petco Love Lost provides advanced tools to help reunite lost pets with their families, including photo-matching technology that helps quickly identify possible matches between lost and found pets.
Moving to Petco Love Lost expands Delaware’s lost and found pet resources by connecting residents, shelters, animal welfare organizations, and pet owners through one statewide and nationwide platform.
Yes. Delaware Animal Services continues to respond to animal-related concerns, including stray dogs, animals in need of assistance, and other situations requiring animal enforcement services.
For lost and found pets, residents should use Petco Love Lost to report lost or found pets, search for possible matches, and share pet information.
Delaware Animal Services’ operating hours are available here. If you have found a stray dog after operating hours, you may call the next business day.
If the animal is safe and you are able to do so, check for identification and search the surrounding neighborhood, as pets are usually found less than a mile from home. Have the pet scanned for a microchip, post on social media, and create a Found Pet report on Petco Love Lost to help locate the owner.
Yes. A microchip is an important tool for identifying your pet, but it only works if someone finds your pet and has the chip scanned.
Creating a Lost Pet report on Petco Love Lost helps spread the word, allows your pet’s photo to be matched with found pets, and increases the chances of a quick reunion.
Yes. Creating your own Lost Pet report is recommended so it can potentially be matched to any found postings.
Delaware Animal Services will continue posting stray pets in our care to Petco Love Lost, but your report provides additional information about your pet and increases the chances of a successful match and reunion.
Create a Lost Pet report on Petco Love Lost. Because Petco Love Lost is a nationwide lost and found pet platform, your report can help connect you with shelters, animal welfare organizations, and members of the public beyond Delaware.
Pets can travel farther than expected after becoming lost, and a nationwide platform helps expand the search.
Existing listings from the former Delaware Animal Services Lost & Found page will no longer be available after August 1, 2026.
If you currently have a lost or found pet listed, we encourage you to create a new report on Petco Love Lost to ensure your pet’s information is available on the new platform.
The best time to prepare is before your pet is lost. Keep current photos of your pet, make sure your microchip information is updated, license your dog, and register a Petco Love Lost profile with your pet’s information while they are safely at home.
A healthy outdoor cat may be someone’s pet or a community cat. If it looks healthy, usually the best thing to do is leave it alone and it will return home.
If friendly and safely approached, you may check for identification, have it scanned for a microchip if possible, and create a Found Pet report on Petco Love Lost.