Lost and found pets in DeKalb County, GA

If your dog or cat went missing anywhere in DeKalb County, including Decatur, Dunwoody, Brookhaven, Chamblee and Doraville, this page has the shelter, the phone numbers and the order to do things in. Everything here comes from the county’s own published information.

Do these today

1. Contact DeKalb County Animal Services (run by LifeLine Animal Project). DeKalb routes lost-pet reports through Petco Love Lost. You can also email lostandfound@dekalbanimalservices.com, or text LOST to 1-833-285-7387 (1-833-ATLPETS) for LifeLine’s lost-pet tips.
2. Check the shelter in person, often. DeKalb does not publish a stray hold period on its lost-pet page, so check every day. Walk the kennels yourself every couple of days. Staff may not match your description to the animal in front of them.
3. Watch the online list daily. DeKalb shelter animals on Petco Love Lost. Online listings can lag behind intake by a day or more.
4. Search close to home first. In a national ASPCA-backed survey, about half of recovered dogs were found by searching the neighborhood, and most recovered cats came home on their own or were found nearby. Walk your streets, look under decks and in garages, and talk to everyone you pass.
5. Post everywhere free. File a report on Petco Love Lost (many metro shelters photo-match against it), post on Nextdoor, and share in local lost-pet Facebook groups.
6. Get the word to neighbors who aren’t looking. Flyers at eye level on main roads near Decatur still work. A targeted neighborhood alert reaches the people who never check lost-pet groups.

DeKalb County shelter and animal control

Other shelters and rescues to check

• LifeLine Animal Project lost-pet resources

Private shelters and rescues may take in strays that never reach county animal services. Call them too.

Good to know in DeKalb County

• Bring a printed photo or flyer when you visit. Staff can compare it against animals in the kennels.
• Parts of Atlanta (East Atlanta, Kirkwood and nearby neighborhoods) sit in DeKalb, so strays found there usually end up in Chamblee, not on Fulton Industrial Blvd.

Found a pet in DeKalb County?

Check for a tag, then take the animal to any vet or to DeKalb County Animal Services (run by LifeLine Animal Project) to scan for a microchip. Scanning is free. Report the animal to the county at 404-294-2996, post a found pet report, and add it to Petco Love Lost. Before you hand a pet over, ask the person to describe something you left out of your post. Our guide to lost pet scams covers the common tricks.