Lost Animals

If you have lost an animal in York County or have found a stray one running loose, there are several steps that should be taken for the safety of the animal as well as the public.

I FOUND A LOST ANIMAL. WHAT SHOULD I DO TO HELP?
1. Take the pet to the nearest vet clinic,  animal shelter,  or Petsmart to have it scanned for a chip. Check for other identification.  If it has a rabies tag,  contact the clinic listed for ownership information. 
2. Post a picture and description of where the pet was found on local Facebook Lost and Found sites and other social media, such as the Next Door app. Include a contact number. Scroll through posts to see if the pet was already reported lost. Potential owners should show proof of ownership to reclaim.  If there is a dispute or uncertainty as to proper ownership, contact York County Animal Shelter to hold for proof of ownership.
3. If owner is not immediately found using Steps 1 and 2,  notify Animal Services at 803-628-3190. Choose option 1 on the main menu.  The dispatch line is open Monday- Friday 7:30-5. (You have 24 hours to complete this action step.)  Found animals must stay in the county and state of where they were found for the owner to be able to have the opportunity for reclaim. 
4.  Place posters in the area the animal was found with contact information. Check with neighboring homes to see if they recognize the pet. 
5. If the animal requires no medical care, is above 6 months of age,  and does not have a microchip or tag,   citizens may opt to do a stray hold release agreement at their home for 5 days while actively seeking the owner, with approval of a York County Animal Services Officer.  
Thank you to all of our community members that have cared for Lost Pets in our area.  
Below are listed our county ordinances related to Finding and Holding Lost Pets. 
55.24  KEEPING OR HARBORING STRAY ANIMALS.
   (A)   No person, without the actual consent of the owner, shall harbor, feed, keep in possession by confinement or otherwise have any animal which does not belong to such person, unless he has, within 24 hours of the time the animal came into his or her possession, notified the animal shelter. Upon receiving such notice, the animal shelter may choose to impound the animal.
   (B)   No person shall refuse to surrender a stray animal to an employee of the animal shelter upon demand.


If you have lost your pet, please visit 24Petconnect: Lost, Found, and Adoptable Animals. You can also search lost animals below by choosing Dog or Cat and selecting Search Now. Animals are listed in order of Animal ID. If you wish to view the most recent pets that have been impounded as stray, please use the link above. These websites are updated hourly. 


Animal Control Lost Animal Policies

To report a lost or found pet, contact the York County Animal Control at 803-628-3190.

If your pet is lost it may have been taken to the York County Animal Services. We do not identify any lost pets over the phone, so we strongly urge to please come to the shelter to see if your pet has come for a visit. The shelter is located off Highway 5 near the York County Landfill and the Moss Justice Center, one mile east of York. You can stop by the shelter anytime during office hours, Monday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. to see if your pet is there. Please bring current pictures and current vet records and/or proof of rabies. 

Lost animals are held for 5 days, provided they are not extremely sick or injured when they arrive at the shelter. After the 5 day stray waiting period, animals may be made available for public adoption, rescue only adoption, or are euthanized for aggressive behavior.

Claiming Fees


The fees to claim a stray pet is as follows:
  • $75 for the first offense
  • $125 for the second offense
  • $225 for the third offense
  • $300 for the Fourth and subsequent offenses
  • Repeated offenses may bring court action against the owner of the stray pet.
Please note: If you are not able to show proof of current rabies vaccination, please add an extra $6 to the above fees. (If a veterinarian is available, they will provide the rabies vaccine at time of reclaim. If not available, owners claiming their pet may apply this $6 rabies charge toward getting the rabies vaccine at their vet if it is not current. Owners claiming their pet may also use $71 of the impoundment fee toward having their claimed pet spayed or neutered at their vet.)

Animals held longer than the first 24 hours of being picked up will cost pet owners an extra $15 a day.

Additional Steps to Finding Lost Pets


It's also a good idea to notify area veterinarians and the media about lost pets. Post notices with a photograph of your pet on bulletin boards of local businesses, churches and other public locations.

If you have found a lost pet or a stray animal, contact Animal Services at 803-628-3190, option 1. 

Related Documents

Amendments to Animal Control Ordinance (Effective 9/3/19)

  1. Updated Animal Control Ordinance
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