When a pet wanders from home, it can be stressful. Here are some tips to help reunite you and your pet.
Where did your pet go missing from?
Outside city limits, but within Yellowstone County:
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- Stray dogs picked up by Yellowstone County Animal Control and Laurel Police Department will be brought to Yellowstone Valley Animal Shelter. County Animal Control typically does not pick up lost/stray cats found in the county.
- Even if your pet goes missing from the county, we highly recommend filing a lost report with YVAS and following the steps below, as these animals can enter city limits/YVAS.
Inside Billings city limits:
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- Stray animals picked up by Billings Animal Control will be brought to the Yellowstone Valley Animal Shelter.
Complete a Lost Pet Report:
If your pet is not at the shelter, you can fill out a Lost Pet Report. Even with a Lost Pet Report on file, we recommend coming to the shelter every couple of days to check for your pet. As you can imagine, some pets look alike, and you are the only one who can truly identify your pet.
Come Look at the Shelter:
We strongly encourage owners to come into the shelter and look in person. We do our best to keep the stray section of our website up to date, but it is always best to physically come in. Please click on the following links to view a list of Lost Cats or Lost Dogs or Lost Other Animals brought into the shelter.
Spread the Word Online:
If you are on Facebook, join Lost/Found Pets of Billings MT, and create a post for your lost pet. This group has over 20,000 members and is an excellent tool for reuniting lost animals with their owners.
Post ads on Craigslist under the Community section in the “lost+found” and/or “pets” sections.
Contact Local Newspapers:
Place a free lost/found ad in the Billings Gazette (406-657-1200) and the Thrifty Nickel (406-652-4740). Ads run for free for three days. Also, monitor these papers sections if a Good Samaritan finds your animal and lists it as Found.
Create Lost Pet Flyers:
Create your own Lost Pet flyer or use an online template. If you would like to create your own flyer, visit this website for some helpful tips for creating an effective Lost Flyer. Post your flyers at grocery stores, community centers, veterinary offices, traffic intersections, pet supply stores, and around your neighborhood.
Check with Other Organizations:
Occasionally, stray animals will be taken to other organizations within the area, which include:
- Billings Animal Rescue Kare (BARK), 406-208-2454 located at 4017 1st Avenue South.
- Help for Homeless Pets, 406-896-1700 located at 2910 Hannon Road.
- Rimrock Humane Society, 406-323-3687, RHS does not have a facility & is a foster-based program.
- Laurel Police Department, 406-628-8737.
Dont give up! There are cases of animals that were lost for months, even years, and were eventually reunited with their owners.