Lost and Found
Lost and stray animals are picked up and taken to the Cheyenne Animal Shelter; and each year, nearly 1,000 of those pets are reunited with their caring owners through the shelter.

What to Do if You’ve Lost a Pet:

The loss of a beloved companion is often a scary and frightening event; many owners do not even know where to start their search.  Often, owners never even think of looking at their local animal shelter.  In fact, according to the ASPCA, nationally less than two percent of stray cats and only 15-20% of stray dogs at animal shelters are reclaimed by their owners.  Of those animals that were reclaimed by their owners, many were microchipped or were wearing an ID tag, enabling the shelter to contact the owner.  If your animal ever goes missing, the following simple steps will help you find your best friend.

  • Start the search for the lost pet as soon as you notice it is missing.  The longer you wait, the less likely it is that you will find your animal.
  • Check at the Cheyenne Animal Shelter.  If it is after hours, leave a message but make sure to come out and look as soon as the shelter opens.  If your animal is not at the shelter, we will have you fill out a lost card, please bring a photo of your lost pet with you so that we may attach it to the lost card.  We recommend that you check our shelter at least every other day.  We often receive between 20-40 animals a day and typically have 200 animals in the lost files.  We try our best to help owners find their lost pets, but owners are the best at identifying their own animals.  If you find your pet, please call us at 307-632-6655!  
  • Contact the classified section of the newspaper.  Both the Tribune Eagle (307-633-9985) and Traders (307-634-8895) will run lost and found ads for free for a limited period of time.  Make sure that you look in the paper for found ads, too.  Perhaps someone has already found your pet.  
  • Displaying posters around the area where you lost your pet is a great way to find your missing friend.  Make sure to use bold letters that can be by drivers, also include the type and breed of animal, whether it is a male or female, an adult or baby, and a name and number where you can always be reached.  Often, offering a small reward, like $10 is a great way to get every neighborhood child on the lookout.  Also, have a picture of the lost pet on your poster.  Bring your lost pet poster to local veterinary offices and to the shelter.
  • Local radio stations can also help you find your lost animal.  
  • Injured animals are often found and taken immediately to the nearest vet clinic.  A complete list of vet clinics in Cheyenne can be found in the yellow pages of the phone book under the section titled, “Veterinarians”.

Before your pet has the chance to get lost, prevent yourself a lot of heartache by simply making sure that your pet is wearing a collar and current ID tags and is microchipped.

Microchipping

Statistics show that one in four pets will be lost sometime during their lifetime.  Of those pets that become lost, many of them are never found again by their owners.  How can you assure that your beloved family member is reunited with you if it ever gets lost?  The best answer is to make sure that it is wearing tags and is microchipped.

A microchip is a tiny identification device (about the size of a grain of rice) that is implanted beneath the skin of your pet.  Each chip contains a unique identification number.  When a pet is found, it can be scanned at an animal shelter or veterinary clinic.

The Cheyenne Animal Shelter offers microchipping 361 days a year in our Lost and Found Department.  Hours of operation are Monday – Friday 8 am until 6 pm and Saturday – Sunday from 8 am until 5 pm.  The cost is $25 per pet and no appointment is necessary. 

Humane Traps

Cat, squirrel and raccoon humane traps are available at the shelter’s Lost and Found department.  We only have a limited number of traps; call the shelter prior to coming out to ensure that a trap is available.  Please bring your checkbook, as we require a $65 deposit.  We will give you your check back when you return the trap.