Found a stray? Here's what to do

Is the pet actually lost?

Not every loose animal is a stray. Before you act, a quick sanity check:

• Dogs: most dogs wandering off-leash, especially in residential neighbourhoods, are lost. Off-leash parks are an obvious exception.
• Cats: many Canadian cats are indoor-outdoor by design. A confident, well-groomed cat with a collar is likely on their usual walk. A disoriented, scared, or obviously thin cat is probably lost.
• Collars and tags. If you can safely get close enough to check, a tag with a phone number ends the story immediately.

Safely approaching a scared pet

A lost pet is usually frightened. Scared animals can bite, bolt into traffic, or run for hours if chased. The goal is to seem safe and boring — not exciting.

• Move slowly and get low. Standing directly in front of a dog or staring at a cat reads as threat. Crouch sideways, avoid eye contact, and let them approach you.
• Use a calm voice. Whispering "good boy" or "hi kitty" works better than a loud confident tone.
• Offer food. A few pieces of anything with a smell (cheese, lunch meat, dry cat food if you have it) is often enough to bridge the gap.
• Don't chase. If they run, let them go. Chasing triggers flight instincts and they'll sprint into traffic before they stop.
• If you can't get close: note direction, snap a phone photo even from a distance, and post a sighting below. Somebody closer will pick it up.

Once you have them secured

Three things to do right away, in this order:

1. Post a sighting on Lost.ca. Post a sighting. 30 seconds. Even without a photo, a species + colour + location post is enough for the owner to find it.
2. Check for a collar with a tag. A phone number or rabies tag is the fastest reunion possible.
3. Get them scanned for a microchip. Most vet clinics and humane societies scan for free, no appointment needed. The chip is the single best tool for finding an owner when the collar is gone or there's no collar at all. See our Canadian shelters directory for the closest one.

Should you take them home?

If you're willing and able, holding a found pet for 24–48 hours while their owner sees your sighting is often the best outcome — shelters are stressful and many Canadian municipalities charge owners a "redemption fee" to reclaim a pet from an impound, which keeps some owners from showing up.

That said, only hold the pet if:

• You have a safe space where they can't escape again (a bathroom, laundry room, or spare room works).
• They're not showing obvious injury, illness, or aggression.
• You don't have other animals at home whose health or stress level would be at risk.
• You have 24 hours to post the sighting, scan for a chip, and respond to owner inquiries.

If any of that's not true, call a local humane society instead. They're equipped for this and the pet is safer in their care than in a stressed household.

What if no owner comes forward?

After 24–72 hours with a sighting up, a shelter check, and a chip scan, your options are:

• Drop the pet at a humane society. Most Canadian shelters have a stray-hold period of 3–7 days during which the owner can reclaim. After that, the pet is put up for adoption.
• Foster until adoption. Some rescues will take a found animal in but ask the finder to continue fostering. If you're comfortable with that, email local rescues.
• Keep the pet legally. Most Canadian provinces consider a found animal the finder's property after a prescribed waiting period (usually 30 days) if a genuine effort to find the owner has been made — which, critically, includes posting publicly, notifying shelters, and scanning for a chip. Your Lost.ca sighting plus a shelter notification is usually enough documentation.

Post a sighting now