If you’ve found a lost dog…
Bringing a lost pet to the Humane Society should be a last resort. Most pets are found by neighbors within close proximity to the pet’s home (usually within a mile from home), and the farther an animal is taken from it’s found location, the lower the chance of the pet being reunited with their family. We need community members to assist us in limiting shelter intakes to animals that are truly homeless or suffering and those that represent public safety concerns. If you find a pet that appears healthy and friendly, please review the tips on this page to expedite the reunion of the pet with its owners. And remember: pets can become dirty and bedraggled quickly, so try to avoid judgments or assumptions that the pet was intentionally abandoned or not cared for by its family.
There are a few ways you can help a lost pet get back to its home without bringing it to the shelter:
Be safe – if you are able, get the dog to a safe and secure area and be aware of surroundings. Your safety and the safety of others should come first. DO NOT chase the dog into traffic.
Check for identification – Is the dog wearing a collar with a tag? Is a phone number written on the collar? If so, call or text the number. For license tags or rabies tags issued by Kitsap Humane Society, call 360-692-6977 ext. 1209. For other rabies tags, contact the veterinary clinic listed.
Knock on doors – Check with your neighbors or other people in the area. They may know the dog and can help you locate its home.
Snap photos – Take pics of the dog, street signs, and area where dog was found.
Post on social media – Facebook, Ring, and neighborhood social sites are outstanding ways to reunite pets with their families. Also, see the list above for other resources.
Make and post flyers – Hang flyers in heavy traffic areas and public spaces near where the dog was found. Good old fashioned leg work is still the best way to locate an owner.
Check for a microchip – Veterinary offices and Kitsap Humane Society can scan a lost pet for a microchip and can assist you with contacting the microchip company to report a lost pet.
Can you keep the dog for 48 hours? – Typically, pets don’t wander very far from home so chances are that someone is looking for them close to where they were found. Keeping a found pet at home helps keep shelter population low and prevents the missing pet from being housed in a high-stress environment and exposed to disease. If you do take in a lost dog, it is always best to house the dog separately from other pets and from small children to avoid any possible injuries or contagious illnesses.
If you still can’t locate the owner or house the dog safely – You can bring him or her to the shelter during regular business hours. Admissions is open daily from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Lost a Pet?
If you have lost your pet, it is important be proactive and thorough in looking for your pet as soon as possible. When a lost pet arrives at Kitsap Humane Society (brought in by someone who is not the owner), its photos and details will be listed below. Please note that animals are only listed below while they are on their legal hold period- once those few days have passed, they will no longer be listed as a stray/found pet.
Lost/ Found Pets at Kitsap Humane Society
Visit the Shelter
The only sure way to find out if your lost pet is at the shelter is to come in and look for your pet – you are the only person that can accurately identify your pet.
When a stray animal comes into the shelter, KHS will hold that animal for the legal stray hold time as determined by each municipality – this varies depending on where the animal was picked up. All adult stray animals that come to KHS are generally held for three days before being placed up for legal adoption. Animals found with a current, valid pet license from any jurisdiction in Kitsap County will be held for seven days before being placed up for legal adoption.
If you believe your pet is at KHS, please visit the Pet Adoption Center between 11 a.m. – 5 p.m. to positively identify and reclaim your pet. If your pet is not at the shelter, you may also complete a Lost Pet Flyer to leave with KHS.
Call us at (360) 692-6977, ext. 1.
The KHS Lost Pet Phone Line is updated daily with the stray animals that were brought into Kitsap Humane Society within the last 24 hours. On the hotline, we do our best to describe each animal, but descriptions are subjective, and your animal may have been injured, lost weight, lost hair or look different from when you last saw it. If you hear about an animal that sounds like yours, come into the Humane Society to look at it.
Post flyers.
Create a “Lost” flyer with a photo of your pet and information about where the pet was lost. Post this flyer at the KHS Admissions office and around the area where your pet was lost.
Search and post online.
Many pets are reunited before ever arriving at the shelter. We recommend that you post a “Lost” report and search “Found” reports on the following websites:
Reclaiming Your Pet
County and local ordinances require Kitsap Humane Society to pick up, care for, shelter, vaccinate, and provide emergency medical care for stray animals. Our contracts with Kitsap County and local municipalities authorize us to charge impound, boarding, and vaccination fees to cover the cost of these services. If your pet does not have a registered microchip proof of ownership is required. Veterinary records, photos of your pet, or purchase receipts are accepted.
Pet Reclaim Fees
- Impound fee: $45
- Boarding fee: $20 per night
- Vaccination fee: $45
- Microchip fee: $30 (residents of unincorporated Kitsap County only)
- Pet license fee: If your pet is not already licensed, applicable license fee will apply
- Veterinary fees: Cost of any emergency veterinary care if provided
Since there is no way of knowing if a stray animal has been previously vaccinated, KHS vaccinates all animals against common diseases when they arrive at the shelter. There is no danger to your pet in receiving these vaccines even if it was recently vaccinated.
Kitsap County ordinances require KHS to microchip pets that reside in unincorporated Kitsap County and to collect a fee for implanting the microchip.
Reclamation fees must be paid by cash or major credit cards only.
If your pet is at KHS as a stray and you have questions or concerns about reclamation fees, please contact (360) 692-6977 x1209 to learn about available options. Please do not contact this number for questions unrelated to reclamation fees.
Found a Stray?
If you’ve found a stray animal within Kitsap County, you have two options for how to help reunite them with their family:
Bring the animal to us.
KHS’ Admissions Department is open every day from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. to accept stray animals*. If you have found a pet during the hours the shelter is closed, please confine it until you can bring it to the shelter.
*Hours are limited/reduced on major holidays.
FERAL CATS: Kitsap Humane Society currently has very limited capacity to intake or house any healthy feral or community cats – specifically, cats that are not able to be handled and must be caught in a humane cat trap in order to be safely brought to our shelter. If there is a feral or community cat on your property that you wish to bring to the shelter for rehoming, please email Admissions@kitsap-humane.org for information about making an appointment to bring the cat to the shelter. PLEASE NOTE: WE ARE UNABLE TO ACCEPT WALK-IN DROP OFFS OF TRAPPED CATS, AND AN APPOINTMENT IS REQUIRED. For information about Trap/Neuter/Return (TNR) options for feral and community cats, please click here.
Found kittens?
If you have found a litter of kittens, please review this step-by-step guide on what steps to take first, before bringing kittens to the shelter.
Locate the owner.
If the pet is wearing an ID tag, attempt to contact the owner with the information provided.
Tips:
- Take the animal to a vet clinic to be scanned for a microchip. If microchipped, the owner’s contact information may be available.
- Visit KHS to view the bulletin board of “lost pet” flyers to see if there is a match
- Leave a “Found” flyer with a photo and information about where the pet was found at KHS.
- Post “Found” notices and search “Lost” pet notices on the following websites:
- Upload an image of the pet to the Petco Love Lost nationwide lost & found pet database
- If you’ve found a litter of kittens, please check out our step-by-step guide on what to do next.
If you have found a stray animal in another county, not in Kitsap County, please take it to the closest Animal Shelter or Humane Society within that county. Kitsap Humane Society can only take in stray pets found within Kitsap County limits.
Kitsap Humane Society
9167 Dickey Road NW
Silverdale, WA 98383
- Phone:
- (360) 692-6977
- Fax:
- (360) 698-9668
Kitsap Humane Society is a 501(c)(3)organization.
Tax ID Number: 91-0728353
Adoption Hours
- Monday:
- Noon – 4 pm
- Tuesday:
Wednesday:
Thursday:
Friday:
Saturday:
Sunday: - Closed
Noon – 4 pm
Noon – 4 pm
Noon – 4 pm
Noon – 4 pm
Noon – 4 pm
Walk-through viewing is available from noon to 5 pm every day except Tuesday.
All adoptions are first-come, first-served. We are closed on major holidays.
Stray Animal Admissions Hours
Every day: 11 am – 4 pm (closed 1:30 – 2 pm)
Feral cats/cats in traps: By appointment only.
Owner Surrenders & Private Euthanasia
By appointment only.
Pet Reclaim Hours
Every day: 11 am – 5 pm
Pet Food Pantry Hours
Every day: Noon – 4 pm
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