The Nebraska Humane Society provides municipal pound services for Omaha, Ralston, La Vista, Papillion, Bellevue, Gretna, Springfield and Sarpy County. If you live in these areas, it’s likely your stray animal will end up with us.
Stray animals found in Omaha, Douglas County, Ralston, and outside of our animal control service areas will be held for 3 days. Strays found in Sarpy County cities will be held for 5 days.
*Stray Pet Reclaim opens every day at noon.
What you can do if your animal is missing
File a lost pet report through Petco Love Lost
Fill out a detailed report, including if your pet is microchipped and/or wearing identification tags. Attach a good photo to the report, and Petco Love Lost will alert you if someone uploads a photo of a found match.
Report on Social Media
If you are a Facebook user, you can post a "missing" message on the page Lost Pets of Omaha Area. That page is run by a group that posts both lost pets and found pets. We also recommend utilizing neighborhood apps, like Nextdoor, when trying to reunite with a pet. Odds are, your pet is nearby where they went missing, so utilizing the community is a great way to bring them home.
View photos of animals at NHS or reported found
Animals appearing in the Petco Love Lost list are either located at the Nebraska Humane Society OR have been reported found by the public and are currently being housed at the finder's home. Continuously check the page for updates.
Take a "lost walk" at NHS
Come to the Nebraska Humane Society, and we'll walk you through our stray kennels. Our No. 1 interest is to reconnect you with your pets.
Our address is 8929 Fort Street in Omaha, NE. Our lost and found area is open weekdays from noon to 7 p.m. and weekends from noon to 5 p.m.
I've reported my animal missing, now what?
Even after filling out a lost report, please continue to visit the shelter and Petco Love Lost frequently. Be diligent and continue to utilize all the available resources.
Don’t rely solely on the website for determining if your pet is at the shelter. Continue to visit the Nebraska Humane Society and do a walkthrough of our kennels. In the unfortunate circumstance that you don’t find your pet, our Lost & Found staff can assist you with a listing of animals that were brought in deceased and/or severely injured.
Retrieving a Lost Animal
- You must physically come to the shelter to claim your animal. * Plese note: the stray kennels are open noon-7 p.m. on weekdays, and noon-5 p.m. on weekends.
- You must be at least 19 to walk through our stray kennels.
- A picture ID, such as a driver's license, is required to redeem your pet.
- Additional proof of ownership, such as the pet's picture, microchip verification, and/or vaccination records, may be required.
- There are city fees associated with redeeming your pet. These fees will vary based on the city in which you reside, how often your pet has been brought to the shelter and if they are altered. Keep in mind, our top priority is to reconnect you with your pet and we want to work with you to make that happen. If your pet is at the shelter, please come in to reclaim them.
Have you found a stray animal that you're not sure what to do with? Please don't assume it has been abandoned or abused. Often, pets are missing for an extended period of time and may appear neglected or scared. Here are a few simple steps you can take to ensure that the animal is safely returned to its owner.
What you can do if you found a pet
Keep the pet safe and file a found pet report online
Submit a found report, including a picture, through Petco Love Lost. Their recognition technology can automatically connect you with anyone who has submitted a lost pet with a similar photo.
Keep the animal if you can. Statistically, the owner is likely nearby. If the pet can be returned to their owner without ever having to come to the shelter, that's the best case scenario for everyone.
Check to see if the animal has ID tags or a microchip
Check to see if the animal has a rabies or license tag on their collar. There may be a name, number or address on it. If it's just the tag number, NHS can trace it. Call 402-444-7800, ext. 1, provide the license and/or rabies tag number, along with a description of the animal, and we'll help you find the owner.
You can also bring the pet to most local vets and they can scan to see if the pet has a microchip, which can also connect you with the owner.
Report on Social Media
If you are a Facebook user, you can post a "found" message on the page Lost Pets of Omaha Area. That page is run by a group that posts both lost pets and found pets. They advocate for folks to bring found pets to NHS. We also recommend utilizing neighborhood apps, like Nextdoor, when trying to reunite with a pet. Statistically, the pet you found is likely from nearby!
Search online lost pet pages to see if the animal has been reported missing
If you locate a potential match to a lost report, click on the photo for additional information.
Bring the pet to the Nebraska Humane Society
The Nebraska Humane Society is located at 8929 Fort Street in Omaha. Our lost and found is open weekdays noon-7 p.m. and weekends noon-5 p.m. Before bringing the pet to NHS, be sure you've exhausted all of the above options.
Call Animal Control
Animal Control can be reached at 402-444-7800, ext. 1. Be sure the pet is contained to an area, like a backyard or a room in the home, that the animal control officer doesn't need to search.
NHS will hold the found animal through its stray holding period. If unclaimed, the animal’s temperament and health will be assessed for entry into our adoption program.