found Pets
Thank you for caring enough to help
Let’s get this pet home safely. We’ll guide you through the best steps based on what you’ve found.
What Type of animal did you find?
Dog
Cat
(8+ weeks)
Kitten
(Under 8 weeks)
Small pet
(Rabbit, bird, guinea pig)
Other Animals
(Pigs, Goats, Chickens etc.)
What's their condition?
Healthy
(Friendly, calm or maybe a bit scared)
Injured or sick
(Visible wounds, illness signs)
Aggressive/Defensive
(Growling, hissing, or threatening)
Are you able to contain the animal?
Yes
No
Are you able to contain the animal?
Yes
No
Healthy
Let's find their family
Most effective
Try this first:
- Walk them around the area – They may lead you home or someone will recognize them
- Check for tags – ID, license, or rabies tags
- Ask people nearby – Neighbors, business owners, or regular visitors often know local pets
- Post on local networks – Nextdoor, local Facebook groups, community boards
If no owner found
Next steps:
- Get microchip scanned – Free at any vet clinic or our shelter
- Search our lost pet reports – Owners will often post here when missing their animal
- Submit a found report here
- Post “Found” on social media – Take clear photos of the animal and post them on social media:
HomeSafe™ 24/7 lost pet service
719 Lost and Found Pets of Colorado Springs | Facebook
Colorado Springs Lost Pet Alert | Facebook
What if the animal seems scared or nervous?
- Let them approach you rather than cornering them
- Use food/treats to build trust if available and safe to do so
- Don’t chase if they run – Note the location and call for guidance
- Watch for warning signs – Backing away, raised hackles, or growling means give more space
- Be patient – Scared animals may take time to warm up
Injured or Sick – contained
Get animal to emergency care
Please bring the animal to an emergency animal hospital or to the shelter
Emergency vets open 24 hours
- Animal ER Care, LLC
5520 N Nevada Ave, Colorado Springs • 719-260-7141 - Southern Rockies Animal Emergency + Specialty
5885 Tutt Blvd, Colorado Springs 80923 • 719-473-0482 - North Springs Veterinary Referral Service
10520 White Diamond Pt, Colorado Springs, CO 80908 • 719-920-4430
If you find an injured pet in Pueblo, please call Animal Law Enforcement at 719.302.8798 so that we can transport the animal to an emergency vet in Colorado Springs.
Vets with extended hours
- Uintah Pet Emergency
Open noon-midnight every day
1635 W Uintah St, Colorado Springs, CO 80904 • 719-633-3214 - Animal ER Care-Central
Open 8 a.m.-8 p.m., closed Wednesdays
3670 Rebecca Ln, Colorado Springs, CO 80917 • 719-755-0558)
Aggressive/Defensive Animal: Contained
Please bring the animal to the shelter or call Animal Law Enforcement
Contact Animal Law Enforcement
- Colorado Springs – 719.302.8798
- Pueblo – 719.302.8798
- City of Centennial – 303.325.8070
- Douglas County – 303.660.7529
Bring to our shelter
We’ll house them, scan for a microchip and actively search for their family.
Injured or Sick – not contained
What to do next
See if you can safely contain animal
- Injured, sick or fearful animals may seek escape, bite, or display aggressive behaviors
- Do your best not to corner the animal
- Utilize minimal handling when possible
- Dogs – use a slip lead to leash the animal
- Cats, small animals, and small dogs – may use a towel or blanket to pick up. Contain in a carrier, box, secure container, etc.
- When possible, cover carrier with a blanket or towel to reduce stress.
If you are still unable to contain animal, please contact Animal Law Enforcement
- Colorado Springs – 719.302.8798
- Pueblo – 719.302.8798
- City of Centennial – 303.325.8070
- Douglas County – 303.660.7529
Aggressive/Defensive Animal: Not Contained
What to do next
Be cautious! When in doubt call of us for help!
See if you can safely contain animal
- Watch their body language (growling, hissing, raised fur) and give the animal space if they are displaying these behaviors
- Injured, sick or fearful animals may seek escape, bite, or display aggressive behaviors
- Do your best not to corner the animal
- Utilize minimal handling when possible
- Dogs – use a slip lead to leash the animal
- Cats, small animals, and small dogs – may use a towel or blanket to pick up. Contain in a carrier, box, secure container, etc.
- When possible, cover carrier with a blanket or towel to reduce stress.
If you are still unable to contain animal, please contact Animal Law Enforcement
- Colorado Springs – 719.302.8798
- Pueblo – 719.302.8798
- City of Centennial – 303.325.8070
- Douglas County – 303.660.7529
Kitten (any condition)
Wait! Don't "kit-nap"
Important: Mom is likely coming back. Kittens under 8 weeks have the best survival chance with their mother.
Small pet (rabbit, bird, guinea pig, etc.)
When you see a small animal:
- First, ensure the animal is domesticated and not wildlife. Use this helpful guide.
- Check identification (tags, bands, or collars), ask neighbors nearby and check lost reports
- Small animals may be temperature sensitive or have other specific care requirements that need immediate care
Not sure what to do? Call us, and we’ll help!
Colorado Springs: (719)-302-8766
Pueblo: (719)-544-3005.
Containing a small animal:
- Have a carrier, box, or container ready. If you are comfortable picking the animal up, okay to corner, place in carrier. If not as comfortable, a towel or net may be used to throw on top of the animal and you can pick up there.
- Remember, these animals are prey animals and are likely already frightened being in an unfamiliar environment. These animals will seek escape, so ensure you are not chasing them into a busy street or anything else that could be dangerous for them or for you.
- Get help! More than one person can make a drastic difference in attempting to contain an animal. Don’t have a friend or family member with you? Ask a neighbor, passerby, or call Animal Law Enforcement.
Livestock
Found a farm animal wandering around your neighborhood? Chances are, someone is missing it!
While HSPPR cannot accept owner surrendered livestock animals, we can take in stray livestock (including chickens, roosters, domesticated ducks, goats, pigs, and more.)
If the animal is considered large livestock (horses, cattle etc.), please call Animal Law Enforcement.
Our Lost and Found team works to reunite livestock with their owners as well – we post the animals on our website, search lost reports and social media platforms.
Containing Livestock:
- Fowl (birds): have a carrier, box, or container ready. If you are comfortable picking up the animal, it is okay to corner it and place it in a carrier. If not as comfortable, a towel or net can be used to cover the animal, and you can pick them up there.
Remember, these animals are prey animals and are likely already frightened being in an unfamiliar environment. These animals will seek escape, so ensure you are not chasing them into a busy street or anything else that could be dangerous for them or for you.
Get help! More than one person can make a drastic difference in attempting to contain an animal. Don’t have a friend or family member with you? Ask a neighbor, passerby, or call Animal Law Enforcement.
How to contain? Use food or treats, get the animal into a fenced yard & call ALE, or, if you have the ability to safely transport (i.e., you have a livestock trailer), can lure or get the animal into a trailer, then take it to HSPPR.
Intake process:
- Health check – Our team examines the pet to ensure the animal is healthy and provides intake vaccinations to reduce the risk of catching illness while in the shelter
- Photos taken – Posted online for owners to see
- Microchip scan – We check all national databases
- Hold period begins – Standard hold period for lost pets is 5 days
During hold period:
- Active owner search – We contact microchip companies, post online, check lost reports
- Daily care – Medical needs, feeding, cleaning, enrichment
- Available for viewing – Owners can visit and identify their pets
- Community outreach – Social media posts, volunteer networks
After hold period:
If no owner comes forward during the 5-day stray hold, the pet may become available. All pets are evaluated and must be medically and behaviorally cleared before becoming available for adoption.
- If you have found a pet, please remember that it is likely an owned pet and its family is looking for it! Please make every effort to find its owner following the steps listed above. There is no defined timeline for how long you must wait before you consider the pet ‘yours.’ Animals are defined as property in the state of Colorado and property ownership laws apply. We recommend you consult with an attorney if you have specific questions regarding ownership transfer.
- Consider placing a choice hold during the animal’s stray period. Note that animals need to be behaviorally and medically clear before they are available. Learn more about choice holds here.
If an animal is not an adoption candidate due to medical or behavioral concerns, our team works to support the animal appropriately – sometimes animals can be sent to foster care or transferred to another shelter or rescue if our shelter is unable to meet their needs. Humane euthanasia may be considered for animals that are not eligible for adoption, foster or transfer. When you bring an animal into the shelter, you will be asked if you would like to be contacted if we reach a humane euthanasia decision for the animal. If you would like to opt into the “claim” process and our team determines that humane euthanasia is the only option for the animal, our staff will contact you and give you the option to reclaim the animal instead of proceeding with humane euthanasia. You can read more about HSPPR’s Socially Conscious shelter philosophy here: About Us – Humane Society of the Pikes Peak Region
HSPPR is not licensed to take in wildlife – please contact Colorado Parks & Wildlife or reach out to a local wildlife rehabilitator.
If you’re struggling to identify whether an animal is wildlife or a domestic animal, please use this helpful guide.
Effective May 1, 2026, it is illegal to breed, sell, or release into the wild red–eared sliders in the state of Colorado. In accordance with these state regulations, HSPPR will not adopt, rehome, or relocate red–eared sliders.
We accept deceased animals as strays and make every effort to find their owner – the stray process is essentially the same as when live lost pets come into our shelter. If you are willing and able to do so, check to see if the animal has any identification (collars, tags, etc.) and bring them into the shelter so that we may assist with finding their owner.
What is SNR?
Shelter-Neuter-Return (or SNR) is the process of impounding a community cat to an animal shelter, held for an appropriate legal stray hold period, and then sterilized, vaccinated, ear-tipped, microchipped, and released back to the location in which it was found.
Many cats actually prefer a mix of indoor and outdoor living. Forcing a lifestyle that doesn’t match a cat’s natural preferences can lead to stress and behavior problems.
Found an ear-tipped cat?
Leave it alone! Ear-tipped cats are already fixed and cared for. Taking them to a shelter can cause extreme stress.
Only bring the cat in if:
- They are injured or very sick
- They are in immediate danger
If needed, safely contain the cat in a carrier or box with minimal handling and cover it to reduce stress. If you can’t safely contain the cat, contact Animal Law Enforcement.
SNR Eligibility
We ensure cats have no signs of being “owned” (no collars, tags or microchip) while making every effort to locate owners during the five day stray period. Cats must also be healthy, thriving, and have an outdoor history to be considered for SNR. Lastly, we make sure we are releasing the cat from the exact location they were found, and that this location is safe for them to live.
Why should I support SNR?
- It supports population control and reuniting indoor-outdoor cats with families by returning healthy, thriving, fixed (i.e. spayed/neutered) cats back to their home neighborhoods.
- SNR cats are always vaccinated for rabies and other illness, which benefits herd health and public safety.
- Some cats prefer living outdoors – it’s all they’ve ever known. Even if a cat is social with humans, that does not necessarily mean they want to live inside- forcing them to can even lead to behavioral problems
- Cats are excellent outdoor survivors! They can thrive – even in cold temperatures – and are much happier outside than in a shelter.
- Spaying/neutering community cats helps with behavioral issues, like male cats fighting or unwanted spraying.
- Releasing fixed cats helps prevent more unaltered cats from moving in and causing overpopulation.
- Releasing cats back to their home territories allows the shelter to focus more medical and behavioral resources on the animals who don’t have the option of SNR.
Missing your own pet?
We can help with that too! If you’ve lost a pet, we have resources and tools to help bring them home.
Need immediate help?
Additional ways to search and important information
Call us
If your pet is injured, trapped, or in immediate danger
Colorado Springs: (719)-302-8766
Pueblo: (719)-544-3005
(Note: Phone lines can be very busy – visiting in person is often faster)