Lost Pets

If you realize your pet is lost, don’t panic. There are many things you can do to find your pet.

Check our Stray Animals Page. Police from Hinsdale and surrounding villages bring stray pets to our shelter.

Or, call us at 630-323-5630 to see if your pet has been brought here.

What to Do If Your Pet Goes Missing

• Immediately call local and neighboring shelters and animal care and control facilities to see if your pet has been brought there. Many of these facilities also post information about strays on their websites, so check there too. Some facilities require you to visit in person. Bring a photo of your pet. Be aware that sometimes pets are held in non-public parts of the facility. Continue contacting shelters every 2 to 3 days until your pet is found. Contact animal care and control facilities daily.
• Immediately contact local and neighboring police departments. Continue contacting every 2 to 3 days until your pet is found.
• Immediately start looking for your pet. The sooner you start, the better your chances of success. Begin looking at the point where the animal was last seen.
• Check backyards, streets, and garages. Search during the day, and also at night. Cats often hide during the day in small sheltered places such as under porches, behind garbage cans, under cars, in sheds, in boxes, and in window wells. Cats climb so also look up in trees or on house tops. Dogs are often drawn to parks, woods, or school yards.
• Notify neighbors, deliverymen, newspaper carriers, and sanitation workers.
• Check local fast food restaurants, ice cream parlors, and other places where people might congregate.
• Check the local grooming shops for breeds that require grooming.
• Leave food and water outside your door to attract your pet.
• Put out a box containing an unwashed item of your clothing in a protected area of the yard to attract the pet to your scent.
• Create a poster using a clear photograph and post it at neighborhood places such as grocery stores, schools, laundromats, pet stores, and veterinarian offices. Use ink that won’t run if it rains.
• Post a free ad for your pet on the following Lost Pet websites:

• Place a lost ad in local papers to be run daily for two weeks, but do not use the pet’s name. Be sure to check found listings also.
• When you find your pet, remove any posters and website postings. Also contact shelters, police stations, and neighbors to let them know your pet has been found.

Safeguard Your Pet

• Make sure your dog wears a collar with a license and ID tag.
• Keep your dog on a leash unless it is in a fenced yard.
• Make your cat an “inside” cat.
• Get your cat a collar with an ID tag and license (if required) since no house is escape-proof.
• Have your vet implant a microchip. This helps ensure the return of your pet even if its collar is become lost.
• Neuter your pet to reduce its urge to roam.

Important Contacts

Facility	Phone	Address
Anderson Animal Shelter (Kane County)	630-697-2880	1000 S. La Fox Road, South Elgin, IL 60177
Animal Welfare League Chicago	773-667-0088	6224 S. Wabash, Chicago, IL 60637
Animal Welfare League Chicago Ridge	708-636-8586	10305 Southwest Highway, Chicago Ridge, IL 60415
Bolingbrook Animal Control	630-759-0332	145 Royce Road, Bolingbrook, IL 60440
City of Chicago Animal Care & Control	312-747-1406	2741 S. Western Ave, Chicago, IL 60608
DuPage Animal Control	630-407-2800	120 N. County Farm Road, Wheaton, IL 60187
Hinsdale Humane Society	630-323-5630	22 N. Elm Street, Hinsdale, IL 60521
Joliet Animal Control	815-726-4781	175 W. Jefferson Street, Joliet, IL 60432
Naperville Area Humane Society	630-420-8989	1620 W Diehl Road, Naperville, IL 60563
Burr Ridge Police Department	630-323-8181	7660 South County Line Road #1, Burr Ridge, IL 60527
Clarendon Hills Police Department	630-323-2151	448 Park Avenue, Clarendon Hills 60514
Hinsdale Police Department	630-789-7070	121 Symonds Drive, Hinsdale 60521
Western Springs Police Department	708-246-8540	740 Hillgrove, Western Springs 60558
Indian Head Park Police Department	708-246-4534	201 Acacia Drive, Indian Head Park 60525
LaGrange Police Department	708-579-2334	304 W. Burlington, LaGrange 60525
LaGrange Park Police Department	708-352-2151	447 N. Catherine, LaGrange Park 60526
Oak Brook Police Department	630-990-3030	1200 Oak Brook Road, Oak Brook 60523
Willowbrook Police Department	630-325-2808	7760 Quincy Street, Willowbrook 60527