Lost & Found Pets
All Jefferson County impounds are taken to the Foothills Animal Shelter, unless sick or injured. Please call Animal Control if your pet is missing from unincorporated Jefferson County and you have been unable to locate your pet at the shelter.
Lost Your Pet?
Call Animal Control
Call your local animal control agency at (303) 271-5070 to report your missing pet.
Post Signs Immediately
Immediately post signs in the area where the pet was lost.
Talk to Neighbors
Talk to as many people in the area as possible. Delivery drivers, mail carriers, and dog walkers often notice animals in the neighborhood.
Call All Shelters
Call all the shelters, even counties surrounding the area where the pet was lost.
Visit Shelters in Person
Physically go to all the shelters as often as possible and look at the impounded animals. Shelter employees may not describe your pet the same way you would.
Check with Veterinarians
Check with local veterinarians in case someone has brought your pet in for care.
Post on Social Media
Post on social media — neighborhood groups, local lost-and-found pet pages, and apps like Nextdoor — to quickly reach people near where your pet was lost.
Found a Pet?
Call Animal Control
Call your local animal control agency at (303) 271-5070 to report the found animal.
Bring to a Shelter
All Jefferson County impounds are taken to the Foothills Animal Shelter, unless sick or injured. People that find pets may not turn them in, erroneously thinking the animal will be euthanized; however, euthanasia is not the goal — reuniting pets with owners is the goal.
Interested in Keeping the Pet?
If you find an animal and are interested in keeping the pet, please take it to the shelter for the holding period and fill out an application for the animal.
Spread the Word
At the very least, advise the shelter that you found the animal and post signs in the neighborhood where it was found. Posting on social media — neighborhood groups and local lost-and-found pet pages — is one of the fastest ways to reach the owner.
Important: If a found animal is not taken to a shelter, the pet owner may have given up hope, and the "good deed" may have done more harm than good. Shelters are the best place for a found pet to be reunited with its owner.
Local Shelters
Foothills Animal Shelter
580 McIntyre Street, Golden, CO (off of 6th Avenue and Indiana Street)
Foothills Animal Shelter serves Arvada, Edgewater, Golden, Lakewood, Morrison, Mountain View, Westminster, Wheat Ridge, and unincorporated areas.
FAS posts incoming stray animals on their website within hours of arrival and cares for over 7,000 homeless pets each year.
Stray, Abandoned or Unwanted Pets
Each year, more than 40,000 stray, abandoned and unwanted dogs and cats are euthanized in Colorado.
You can help by spaying and neutering your pet. You can also help by donating to the Pet Overpopulation Fund — simply check the box on your state tax form.
Your donation will fund spay and neuter surgeries and education programs in underserved areas of Colorado to prevent litters of unwanted puppies and kittens. Every donation, no matter how small, will help Colorado's pets!
Colorado Pet Overpopulation Fund