My pet is missing

Step 1: Search pets online

Look on these websites for your pet and post that your pet is lost. Check these sites continuously.

Step 2: Contact your local lost pet facility

If your pet has been found and brought in by a citizen or an Animal Services Officer, they will be held at a lost pet facility that is assigned for the city that your pet was found in. When you contact them, be prepared to describe your pet, provide a photo, proof of ownership and vaccine history.

City of Des Moines

ARL Animal Services
1615 SE 14th Street, Des Moines
Hours: Mon-Sat, 9 a.m - 5 p.m.
24-Hour Dispatch: (515) 283-4811
Office: (515) 284-6905

Please call the ARL Animal Services to check on a lost pet.

ARL Main - Pet Help Center
5452 NE 22nd Street, Des Moines
(located on north side of building)
Hours: Mon-Fri, 9:30 a.m - 7 p.m. Sat-Sun, 9:30 a.m - 6 p.m.
Phone: (515) 262-9503

Please visit ARL Main - Pet Help Center to check on a lost pet.

Outside Des Moines

If brought to the ARL as a lost pet, your pet will be held at:

ARL Main - Pet Help Center
5452 NE 22nd Street, Des Moines
(located on north side of building)
Hours: Mon-Fri, 9:30 a.m - 7 p.m. Sat-Sun, 9:30 a.m - 6 p.m.
Phone: (515) 262-9503

Everywhere Else

Please contact your local shelters or police departments.

Step 3: Update your microchip contact information

If you know the type of microchip your pet has, contact the company to update your contact information and report your pet is lost. If your pet has a microchip, but you don't know the type, call your veterinarian and ask OR if the animal was adopted from an animal shelter, call the shelter.

Other Steps

Don’t give up. Some pets have been reunited with their families after a year or longer when their families continued efforts to find them. Here are some other ideas:

Regularly walk your neighborhood, searching and calling for your pet