1
File with ACCT immediately
Submit ACCT's lost-pet report, email the listed lost-pet contact when appropriate, and review the shelter's current found-animal information. Include clear markings and the exact last-seen location.
Verified local resource guide
Lost dog or cat in Philadelphia, PA?
Find the public agency that serves the exact location, review current found-pet listings, and use this verified local plan for a missing dog or cat.
3Regional contacts
3Online resources
✓Checked August 14, 2026
Search with your pet’s photoUse Petgraphy alongside official reports and local checks.
Start in the correct Philadelphia service area
Animal Care and Control Team of Philadelphia is the City's open-intake shelter and the central place to file a lost-pet report and review found animals. ACCT recommends checking in person every day because descriptions and breed labels can differ from an owner's expectations.
Philadelphia's legal and shelter timelines differ by species: ACCT states a 48-hour hold for stray dogs, while there is no mandatory stray hold for cats. That makes immediate reporting, repeated in-person checks, neighborhood searching, and microchip updates especially important.
Routing note: ACCT Philly serves the City of Philadelphia. Nearby Bucks, Montgomery, Delaware, and Camden County locations use separate agencies; route the report by the exact last-seen or found address rather than the Philadelphia mailing region.
What to do for a lost dog or cat in Philadelphia
Work through these location-specific steps alongside an on-the-ground search and the species guide that matches your pet.
2
Check ACCT in person every day
Follow ACCT's recommendation to visit daily and compare animals directly. Do not eliminate a possible match because an intake record uses a different breed or age estimate.
3
Treat dog and cat timelines differently
Act within the shortest possible window. ACCT publishes a 48-hour dog hold and no mandatory cat hold, so cat owners should intensify immediate neighborhood and online checks rather than waiting.
4
Use nonprofits as supplemental channels
Check Pennsylvania SPCA and PAWS guidance and locations, but do not substitute them for the municipal ACCT report. Confirm each organization's current services before traveling.
Animal shelters and lost-pet resources near Philadelphia
These organizations do not all offer the same services. Use the note on each record, confirm its current service area, and follow its official contact or visit instructions.
ACCT Philly
111 W Hunting Park Ave, Philadelphia, PA 19140
267-385-3800Philadelphia's municipal open-intake shelter and primary lost-pet contact.
Pennsylvania SPCA
350 E Erie Ave, Philadelphia, PA 19134
215-426-6300Independent nonprofit resource; it is not Philadelphia's municipal animal-control shelter.
PAWS — Grays Ferry
2900 Grays Ferry Ave, Philadelphia, PA 19146
215-298-9680Supplemental nonprofit resource with its own current services and intake rules.
Official and regional resources to check
Review the relevant pages repeatedly. A community link should supplement—not replace—an official lost-pet report and agency listing check.
ACCT lost-your-pet guideOfficial municipal shelter reporting, search, and reclaim instructions.Open resource ↗Philadelphia animal-control contactOfficial City route for animal-control help.Open resource ↗PAWS Philadelphia locationsConfirm the current services at each nonprofit location.Open resource ↗
Facebook lost-pet groups and pages near Philadelphia
Local Facebook communities can spread a clear photo quickly and surface neighborhood sightings that never reach a shelter database. Post only after confirming that the community covers the last-seen location and allows lost-pet reports.
Independent community links—reviewed August 14, 2026. Facebook names, rules, activity, privacy, and coverage can change without notice. Confirm the current scope, never send payment or verification codes, and withhold identifying details that a legitimate owner should use to prove ownership.
Lost and Found Pets PhiladelphiaFacebook page · PhiladelphiaExternally corroborated; confirm current posting options.Philadelphia Lost and Found PetsFacebook group · PhiladelphiaExternally corroborated; Facebook details require sign-in.Lost and Found Pets of PhiladelphiaFacebook group · PhiladelphiaExternally corroborated; Facebook details require sign-in.Mayfair Pets Lost and FoundFacebook group · Mayfair and Northeast PhiladelphiaExternally corroborated; Facebook details require sign-in.
Other lost-pet websites
These services can extend your reach, but none replaces an official report, local searching, or checking the agencies that serve the last-seen location.
Show 3 additional websitesPetco Love Lost, PawBoost, and 24Petconnect
Petco Love LostFreeFree national lost-and-found database with photo matching and participating shelter listings. File directly with local agencies too because coverage is not universal.Open ↗PawBoostFree + paid optionsA basic lost-or-found alert and local Facebook-page post are free; optional premium promotion is offered.Open ↗24PetconnectSearch is freeSearch participating shelter and public lost/found records by location. Lost-pet notices can receive possible-match emails; postcards are optional and paid.Open ↗
Use the right field-search plan
Dogs and cats can respond differently when displaced. Use our sourced species guide for the field-search steps while this page handles local reporting and agency routing.
Lost-pet questions for Philadelphia
Where should I report a lost dog or cat in Philadelphia?
ACCT Philly serves the City of Philadelphia. Nearby Bucks, Montgomery, Delaware, and Camden County locations use separate agencies; route the report by the exact last-seen or found address rather than the Philadelphia mailing region.
How long will a shelter hold a stray animal?
Holding periods and intake rules vary by agency, jurisdiction, species, identification status, and circumstance. Check the current policy for the agency serving the place where your pet was found, and act immediately—do not wait for a hold period to expire.
Should I visit every organization on this page?
No. First identify the agency serving the exact last-seen or found location. Review its current listings and follow its contact or visit instructions. Add adjacent agencies when a boundary or likely travel path makes them relevant.
Are these contacts guaranteed to stay current?
No directory stays current forever. Petgraphy verified the listed sources on August 14, 2026. Always confirm hours, service areas, intake rules, and contact details on the linked official page before traveling.
Sources and verification
Contact details, direct links, and jurisdiction guidance were checked against these primary sources on .