Lost and found pets in Douglas County, GA

If your dog or cat went missing anywhere in Douglas County, including Douglasville, Lithia Springs, Winston and Villa Rica (part), 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 Douglas County Animal Services. Call the shelter or visit in person. The county says its stray-hold listings update every 30 minutes and recently found pets are posted on Petfinder.
2. Check the shelter in person, often. With a 3-day hold for some strays, a pet that comes in on a Friday can be eligible for adoption early the next week. Go every other day at minimum and walk the kennels yourself. Staff may not match your description to the animal in front of them.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. Get the word to neighbors who aren’t looking. Flyers at eye level on main roads near Douglasville still work. A targeted neighborhood alert reaches the people who never check lost-pet groups.

Douglas County shelter and animal control

Good to know in Douglas County

• Douglas County says most strays are found within a quarter mile of home, so search your own streets hard before widening out.
• Microchipped or tagged pets may qualify for the county’s “Free Ride Home” program instead of an impound.
• Visiting hours are Tuesday to Sunday, 1 to 5pm. The shelter is closed Mondays.

Found a pet in Douglas County?

Check for a tag, then take the animal to any vet or to Douglas County Animal Services to scan for a microchip. Scanning is free. Report the animal to the county at (770) 942-5961, 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.