1. Perform a License Look-up and contact the owner.

If you have found a pet with a Multnomah County License ID Tag, you can find the owner by typing that ID number into the "License Look-up" page of the website or by calling the shelter during phone hours. If you are unable to reach the owner or if the animal does not have a license tag, perform the following steps below.

2. Search our Lost Reports on the Animal Search page.

On the Animal Search page, you may search through the list of animals reported lost by their owners. You must complete all fields in order for the search to work, i.e. breed, color and sex. If the animal looks like several different breeds you must keep changing the criteria to make your search as broad as possible. On the results page, click on the details (+) button to find out where an animal was lost, and the contact information.

3. Other places to look for a pet's owners:

Look through the Lost Pet binder at the MCAS Shelter and bring in a flier to place in the Found Pet binder (please note that submitting a flier does not take the place of filing a Found Report- see below). Check the neighborhood for fliers. Check Craigslist, OregonLive.com and local newspapers. You may also be able to have a local vet scan the animal for a microchip. If a microchip is located, the owner information may be obtained through the microchip company.

4. File a Found Report with us.

If you are unable to locate the animal's owner, file a Found Report with MCAS. Please submit the form with all the appropriate information. Give an accurate description of the animal. Include size, ears, length of hair, colors, and any special markings/scars, etc.

5. Bring the animal to the MCAS Shelter in Troutdale.

You may bring the animal to the shelter during regular shelter hours. If the animal you found is a dog, we may be able to arrange for a pick-up by one of our animal control officers if you call before 2 pm. When bringing pets to the shelter, please make sure to have cats in carriers and dogs on leashes.

6. If you choose to hold the animal, you must take these steps:

By law, any person who finds and holds an animal must take certain steps to locate the owner before the finder can claim ownership. (Please see Section 13.302 of the County Ordinances for a complete explanation.)

1. You must notify the the MCAS Shelter and file a Found Report.
2. MCAS may require you to surrender the animal.
3. Found Reports will be accessible to the public for 6 months.
4. You must publish a notice of the finding in a newspaper of general circulation within the county. This notice must be published at least once a week for 2 consecutive weeks. The notice must include a description of the animal, where it was found, your name and address, and the final date before which the animal must be claimed (this is 180 days from the found date).
5. If no person claims ownership within 180 days from the found date, the finder may be declared the owner.
6. If, within 180 days, an owner does come forward, you must surrender the animal. The owner must pay the finder for reasonable actual costs incurred, but the animal can not be held as collateral for payment. It must be surrendered to the owner.