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Report a lost or found pet in South Bend

Acting fast is what reunites pets with their families. Report it to the South Bend Animal Resource Center right away — by phone, email, or online — then check the shelter in person. Strays are only held for 3 to 5 days

If your pet is missing

  1. Search close to home first.

    Most pets are found near where they went missing. Check your property and ask neighbors to look on theirs.

  2. File a lost report.

    This is the step that reunites pets — do it as soon as you can. Call 311, email sbarc@southbendin.gov, or file online.

    Report a lost pet

  3. Come look in person, twice a week.

    Staff can't match every pet from a description. Walk through the stray dogs and cats at SBARC and at the St. Joseph County Humane Society until your pet is home.

If you found an animal

  1. File a found report.

    This is how SBARC matches the animal to a lost report. Submit photos and details — what the animal looks like, where and when you found it, and how to reach you. Photos matter most: they're what an owner searching for their pet will recognize.

    File a found report

  2. Ask around the block.

    Most pets are found close to home. Neighbors, nearby porches, and local lost-pet groups turn up an owner faster than anything else.

  3. Bring the animal in, if you safely can.

    Contained animals can come to SBARC during business hours — often the fastest route home. If you can't catch it or it seems sick or aggressive, don't approach; call 311 and an officer will respond.

A couple of things people ask