WAG Rescue receives calls every day about a lost or found pet. Our goal is to help reunite an owner with their lost pet and to be a community resource for found/stray dogs. Once we receive your email, we will post on our Lost & Found FACEBOOK page, our WAG Rescue Facebook page and several other Facebook pages and websites for lost and found pets.
Please make sure your dog has a collar and ID tag. All dogs in Texas are required by law to have a rabies vaccination. The rabies tag is registered at your vet with your information and makes a good ID tag. Even better, get your dog microchipped. Collars come off and a microchip is the best way to protect your dog. WAG Rescue offers microchipping for $20.
Please have your dog spayed or neutered. Male dogs that are NOT neutered are the most common lost dog. Wag Rescue provides dog spay/neuter vouchers to the community to be used at Emancipet. REQUEST A VOUCHER
What To Do If You Have Lost Your Pet
The first 48 Hours are critical so start your search immediately!
Post a sign in the area the pet was lost. It is very important to do this as soon as possible. Make the letters on the sign big enough to read as someone drives by, easily read 10′ to 20′ away. Add picture if it looks like the pet now.. Offer REWARD. You don’t have to put how much on the sign, but it makes people read the sign.
Put a sign in your car window.
Complete our LOST & FOUND FORM.
Drive around – YOUR DOG MAY BE AFRAID AND MAY NOT COME TO YOU. Calling out to them is NOT the best method. Lost dogs are can be skittish or scared of vehicles and too much noise, they are most likely to head to woods, or somewhere where they can hide. Extend out your search each day the dog is lost. Dogs can travel a great distance when they are lost and afraid. Ask around your neighborhood, especially kids, whether they have seen your dog.
Dogs usually are active and moving when it is their regular feeding time, and not active when it is their usual napping time. They are more active when it is cooler in the morning and evening and resting somewhere when it is hot. Dogs will gravitate to where there is water, check the creeks/river. Dogs will gravitate to homes that have dogs.
Post to our Lost & Found FACEBOOK PAGE. Facebook gets the best and fastest results. Also use social media to your advantage. Post, Share, Tweet, Pin, Instagram, the list goes on. Make sure you post pictures, descriptions, contact information, exact location pet was lost INCLUDING CITY.
Call the microchip company if your pet is chipped and report they are lost. This is also important to make sure your information is current. If you don’t know your dog’s microchip information your veterinarian should have this information.
Call your Vet immediately and report your pet lost. Call other Vets in area and report your pet lost (see area Vet numbers below).
Call rescue groups/shelters (see numbers below)
If you have lost your dog and Hays County Animal Control picks up your dog they will take the dog to the San Marcos Animal Shelter. You can try calling the San Marcos Animal Shelter, 512-805-2650, but they will tell you that you have to come in person to identify your dog.
Post on the San Marcos Animal Shelter website. This website is for the public. The listing remains on their website viewable to the public for 30 days. The City of San Marcos Animal Shelter is the regional shelter for Hays County, City of Kyle, City of Buda and City of San Marcos. All pet owners must come to the animal shelter to look for and identify a lost pet.
Post an ad on Craig’s List. Please be careful when someone responds. If someone says they have your pet…NEVER GO ALONE TO MEET UP WITH ANYONE. MEET IN A PUBLIC LOCATION.
What To Do If You Have Found A Dog Or Cat
(or a goat, horse,…yes, we will post on any lost or found animal)
We are grateful to all the kind people that get involved when they find a dog or cat and help them to safety. WAG Rescue recommends using good judgment when helping a stray dog. They are almost always frightened and are possibly injured. Always use caution if you’re unsure of a dog’s temperament. If you have any concerns about the dog and your safety please contact Hays County Animal Control – 512-393-7896. Please note that if you are unable to catch the dog, then we at WAG Rescue will not be able to catch the dog either. We are not a legal entity that has the right to go onto personal property to take a dog. If you suspect abuse, then please call Hays County Animal Control – 512-393-7896. We are their voice!
Found dogs received by WAG Rescue will be held 7 – 10 days and then the dog becomes the property of WAG Rescue and will be placed up for adoption. Owners that come forward before the dog is adopted, and can show definitive proof of ownership, can reclaim their dog. We ask for a donation to help with the costs spent on veterinary care while we took care of your dog, but we do not charge for our lost & found services we offer to our community. The goal is to get them off the streets and to safety.
Our refuge is open By Appointment Only, at this time. We will not accept dogs that are brought directly to our refuge. Dog Dumping is against the law.
We DO NOT take in found cats/kittens. Please contact ARF, 512-847-2878; PAWS in Kyle, 512-268-1611 or the San Marcos Animal Shelter, 512-805-2650.
WHAT TO DO FIRST:
Complete our LOST & FOUND FORM. Please provide a picture. We understand you may need help immediately, but we are volunteers and are not available 24/7. Please do not leave a voicemail as this delays the process, complete the lost and found form and we will contact you as soon as we can. We are a DOG ONLY rescue organization. We will make every effort to take in a found/stray dog, but this is dependent upon several factors: the number of dogs we have, available funds to care for our dogs, the condition of the found dog, if we have space and where the dog is located.
Post to our Lost & Found FACEBOOK PAGE. Facebook gets the best and fastest results. We will share your post to our WAG Rescue Facebook page and multiple lost and found pages on Facebook and the internet. USE social media to your advantage. Post, Share, Tweet, Pin, Instagram, the list goes on. Make sure you post a picture, description, contact information, exact location pet was lost, INCLUDING CITY.
STEPS TO TAKE IF THE FINDER HOLDS ON TO THE DOG:
Post a sign in the area the pet was found. It is very important to do this as soon as possible. Make the letters on the sign big enough to read as someone drives by, easily read 10′ to 20′ away. Add picture if the pet is hard to describe. (see lost sign example above).
Call area veterinary offices and report the found dog. (see numbers below) The veterinary office may recognize the dog. Also, vet offices keep a lost & found call log. Some dogs are microchipped, so please try to take the dog to any veterinary office and they will scan for a chip. If you cannot take the dog to the vet, WAG Rescue owns a microchip scanner and will make every effort to come out and scan the dog. Please remember we are volunteers and we are not available 24/7.
Please visit our PET LINKS page for resources .
Contact local groomers as they may recognize the dog, especially if the dog looks recently groomed.
Ask around your neighborhood, especially kids, whether they have seen the dog. The dog’s home may be close by.
Call local rescue groups/shelters. (see numbers below)
IF WE CAN TAKE THE DOG:
Over 50% of the dogs WAG Rescue takes in are found dogs in and around Wimberley, Dripping Springs, Blanco and sometimes farther if the dog is injured or puppies. They rarely have identification, and if microchipped the chip is usually not registered. When we receive a found dog they are taken to one of the local Veterinarians we work with to be checked out before taking to a foster home or our refuge. We cannot always take dogs in the evenings.
We will contact you once we receive the LOST & FOUND FORM, and let you know if we can take the dog.
If you can foster the dog you found, WAG Rescue will have the dog examined by a Veterinarian, tested for parasites, dewormed and vaccinated while we give the owner time to come forward. You will be asked to adhere to our Foster Program protocol.
Resources
Area Veterinarians
- Wimberley – Blanco – Dripping Springs – San Marcos
- Wimberley Veterinary Clinic 512-847-5630
- Cypress Creek Veterinary Hospital 512-847-5514
- 4 Paws Veterinary Hospital 512-396-7297
- Dripping Springs Animal Hospital 512-858-4787
- Wildflower Animal Hospital 512-943-6990
- Apollo Veterinary 512-648-6477
- Sunset Canyon Veterinary Clinic 512-894-0266
- Blanco Veterinary Clinic 830-833-5140
- San Marcos Veterinary Clinic 512-392-7107
- Animal Care of Hays County 512-754-6333
- BANFIELD VET
- New Braunfels (830) 620-0038
- SAN MARCOS (512) 392-6570
- BEXAR, STONE RIDGE (210) 481-9506
- SAN ANTONIO (210) 658-79
Shelters & Rescue - Hays County
- San Marcos Animal Shelter website. This website is for the public and is not always checked by the shelter. You can fill out a lost & found listing. The listing remains on their website viewable to the public for 30 days. You must go IN PERSON to check and see if they have your dog. They cannot provide accurate information on the phone.
- PAWS Shelter & Humane Society. PAWS is a no-kill shelter located in Kyle, Texas.
- Thundering Paws Animal Sanctuary. Thundering Paws is a small no-kill sanctuary in Dripping Springs, Texas.
Groomers
- PUCCI GROOMING – Wimberley 512-847-6877
- PAMS PET GROOMING – Wimberley (512)847-5630
- HILLL COUNTRY GROOMING – Wimberley & Dripping Springs, 512-738-3900
- DOGS BEST FRIEND GROOMING (830) 964-2275 – 14138 Fm-306, Canyon Lake, TX
- SCISSORS AND SUDS – (830) 899-7387 – 15692 Cranes Mill Rd, Canyon Lake, TX
Lost & Found Pet Websites
**You should never have to pay to post a lost pet. Please do not pay a website. There are too many free sites out there.