Lost and found dogs and cats
Missing dogs and cats
If you have lost your dog or cat, please consider the following:
Ensure your pet's microchip details are up to date and all contact phone numbers are current, and:
1) contact Council to notify us of your missing dog or cat 8416 6333
2) check our Facebook page for recently impounded animals
3) contact the Animal Welfare League on 8348 1300
4) contact the RSPCA on 1300 477 722
5) notify local and nearby veterinary clinics and the After Hours Emergency Vet clinic 8371 0333
6) notify neighbouring councils
7) check social media lost pet pages
8) place an advertisement in the paper stating the breed, sex, colour, age, any identification, where and when your dog or cat was lost and your phone number
9) put a notice in your local supermarket or deli
10) ask at your local school and shopping centre.
How we help
We make every effort to reunite wandering dogs and owners as quickly as possible.
We check:
- registration discs and id tags
- microchip number, and search all national microchip databases for owner contact information
- our lost dog register.
We display impounded dog notices:
- at our Civic Centre, 165 Sir Donald Bradman Drive, Hilton SA 5033
- on our Facebook page
Dogs whose owners cannot be contacted will be held at the Council Impound Facility. They must be claimed within 72 hours of being impounded.
Cats believed to be stray or un-owned may be taken to the Animal Welfare League, however there is no requirement for wandering cats to be collected by Council. You can contact the Animal Welfare League on 8348 1300 during their opening hours to check whether your cat has been taken to the shelter.
When you find your dog or cat
Please inform us when your dog or cat has been found.
If you find a stray dog
Missing and stray dogs fact sheet
During office hours
Report it to us immediately on 8416 6333. An authorised officer will collect the dog and return to owner or impound the dog at an approved facility for suitable care until the owner can be located. Do not remove any identification.
Outside of office hours
Report it to us on 8416 6333. Council's afterhours service line will answer and direct your enquiry through to the appropriate channel.
- For dogs that are contained, the afterhours service line will contact a Council Community Safety Officer who will attend and collect the dog from the location of containment.
- Unfortunately Officers cannot attend for dogs that are not contained, however the afterhours service line will send a notification to the Community Safety Team for the following business day.
Abandoned animals
It is an offence under the Animal Welfare Act 1985 (Formerly Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act 1985) to abandon a dog or cat. Severe penalties apply. View the Animal Welfare Act 1985. If you are unable or unwilling to care for your dog or cat, please contact your local animal shelter to discuss surrender options.
If you wish to report animals that have been abandoned or cruelty concerns relating to mistreatment, harming animals, not providing owned animals with adequate food, water or shelter, please report the matter to RSPCA SA on 1300 477 722.
Deceased animals
If you find a deceased animal and it is located on Council land (i.e. a Council owned road, reserve, park) contact Council on 8416 6333 to make a report. You can also report this online using the 'general request' section.
To help our staff locate the animal, please provide details of the street, suburb and a locator so that we can identify the location. Staff will attend the area to remove the animal, which will then be scanned for a microchip (all domestic cats and dogs are scanned). If the animal is microchipped, we will notify the owner.