Chico Animal Shelter is available by appointment. Please call Chico Animal Control at 530-897-4960 for stray dogs or sick/injured animals. See below to file a found report and for places to post found animals.
Found A Pet?
Think LOST, not STRAY. Many animals never get back home because the finder assumes the animal has been abandoned or dumped, when in fact the animal has just accidentally gotten out. Their owner may be frantically looking for their pet but doesn't know the best way to go about looking. Pets that have been out for even a short time may start to look neglected and may appear frightened or skittish, giving the impression that they were abused or abandoned.
If you have found a pet, it is important that you contact the shelter serving the area where the animal was found. This may not be the closest animal shelter to where you found the animal, or close to where you live. If you are unsure which shelter serves the area where the pet was found, contact the local police or sheriff's department for information. If you are unable or unwilling to bring the animal to the animal shelter, then you should contact law enforcement as soon as you find the animal to file a found animal report, and possibly have the animal picked up. This will give the pet the best chance of being reunited with their owner. People who find an animal in one city or county and turn the pet into a shelter in a different city or county have dramatically decreased the pet's chances of finding their family.
For a list of animal shelters in the Butte County region, and places to post found pets, click here.
If you find a cat in the incorporated area of the City of Chico, please see our Stray/Feral Cats page for more information. Make sure to read the entire page!
The Chico Animal Shelter, located at 2579 Fair St. Chico, CA will accept stray dogs found in the incorporated area of the City of Chico. You can also call Chico Animal Control at 530-897-4960 to arrange for pick up of a stray dog found in City limits. A majority of stray dogs brought to the shelter are reclaimed by their owners (See our stats HERE.) The Chico Animal Shelter maintains lost and found logs, so the sooner you contact the shelter, the more likely the dog will get back home. Finders have first right to adopt if the dog is not claimed.
To have an animal scanned, you can bring the animal to the shelter or a veterinary clinic, or contact a Pet Pal close to you. Pet Pals are volunteers that are able to scan lost animals for a chip. Click HERE for a map of Pet Pals in Chico.
If you have found a pet, it is important that you contact the shelter serving the area where the animal was found. This may not be the closest animal shelter to where you found the animal, or close to where you live. If you are unsure which shelter serves the area where the pet was found, contact the local police or sheriff's department for information. If you are unable or unwilling to bring the animal to the animal shelter, then you should contact law enforcement as soon as you find the animal to file a found animal report, and possibly have the animal picked up. This will give the pet the best chance of being reunited with their owner. People who find an animal in one city or county and turn the pet into a shelter in a different city or county have dramatically decreased the pet's chances of finding their family.
For a list of animal shelters in the Butte County region, and places to post found pets, click here.
If you find a cat in the incorporated area of the City of Chico, please see our Stray/Feral Cats page for more information. Make sure to read the entire page!
The Chico Animal Shelter, located at 2579 Fair St. Chico, CA will accept stray dogs found in the incorporated area of the City of Chico. You can also call Chico Animal Control at 530-897-4960 to arrange for pick up of a stray dog found in City limits. A majority of stray dogs brought to the shelter are reclaimed by their owners (See our stats HERE.) The Chico Animal Shelter maintains lost and found logs, so the sooner you contact the shelter, the more likely the dog will get back home. Finders have first right to adopt if the dog is not claimed.
To have an animal scanned, you can bring the animal to the shelter or a veterinary clinic, or contact a Pet Pal close to you. Pet Pals are volunteers that are able to scan lost animals for a chip. Click HERE for a map of Pet Pals in Chico.
For more resources visit the Mission Reunite website.
What You Should Know:
Pets are considered to be the legal property of their owners. Finding a pet does not entitle the finder to keep, sell or give away the animal, nor does it convey ownership to the finder. If you find a pet, you must actively look for the animal's owner for at least 90 days, and even then, the owner still has rights to reclaim their pet under many circumstances.
Penal Code 485 states: "One who finds lost property . . . without first making REASONABLE AND JUST EFFORTS TO FIND THE OWNER AND TO RESTORE THE PROPERTY TO HIM, is guilty of theft."
Part of this is reporting the found animal to the shelter servicing the area where the animal was found, and following their policies and procedures for strays, even if you have the animal checked for a microchip on your own.
NOTE:
The Chico Animal Shelter scans all animals entering the shelter for a microchip. A microchip is legal proof of ownership, and shelter staff will make every effort to contact the person registered on the chip. The person on the chip is the legal owner, regardless of how long someone else has had an animal, or how long ago they found or have been caring for that animal. Please makes sure your information is up to date on your pet's microchip! For more information about Microchips, click HERE.
The Chico Animal Shelter scans all animals entering the shelter for a microchip. A microchip is legal proof of ownership, and shelter staff will make every effort to contact the person registered on the chip. The person on the chip is the legal owner, regardless of how long someone else has had an animal, or how long ago they found or have been caring for that animal. Please makes sure your information is up to date on your pet's microchip! For more information about Microchips, click HERE.
