Lost - Found - Impounded Dogs

Polk County Animal Control wants to help dogs find their way home, here is how you can help.

Lost your dog?

If you have lost your dog, please contact the Polk County Sheriff’s office 503-623-9251. Staff will put the information into our system so that if someone calls in finding a dog matching that description, we will have your information to get your pet home.

The Oregon Humane Society in Salem is no longer contracting to assist with stray animals. Previously, we would transfer all of the stray dogs we picked up to the care of OHS for vet treatment and sheltering until their owners could collect them or they were adopted out. Other local police agencies also contracted with OHS. With these services no longer available, we currently have very limited resources and options for taking in loose dogs.

If you are able to post a photo of the dog as lost, please do so. There are several local media pages that you can post on, here are a few:

• Lost and Found Pets of Polk County Oregon
• Lost and Found Pets of Dallas Oregon 
• Lost and Found Pets of Monmouth/Independence
• Falls City events, info & happenings
• Lost and Found Pets of Salem Oregon 

If you are unable to get a photo posted, you can send a photo along with your contact information and details to: whiting.jodi@co.polk.or.us

Polk County requires all dogs to be licensed pursuant to ORS 609.100. What you are doing when you license your dog is registering the Rabies Vaccination with the county. This provides you a tag for your dog which substantially increases the likelihood your dog will be reunited with your family. For more information please visit: License Application

Please notify us if your dog has been found so we can keep our records current: 503-623-9251

Found a dog?

Please contact the Polk County Sheriff’s Office 503-623-9251 to report the animal as found.

Please note that dogs are considered personal property ORS 609.020. Because of this a finder is obligated to report the property as found. 

ORS 164.065 – Theft of lost, mislaid property - A person who comes into control of property of another that the person knows or has good reason to know to have been lost, mislaid or delivered under a mistake as to the nature or amount of the property or the identity of the recipient, commits theft if, with intent to deprive the owner thereof, the person fails to take reasonable measures to restore the property to the owner.

• You can take the dog to a local veterinarian to have it checked for a microchip.
• You can contact the Polk County Sheriff’s Office 503-623-9251 and request the animal be picked up.
• You can photograph the dog and post it on local social media:

Lost and Found Pets of Polk County Oregon

Lost and Found Pets of Dallas Oregon 

Lost and Found Pets of Monmouth/Independence

Falls City events, info & happenings

Lost and Found Pets of Salem Oregon 

A dog has to be reported and advertised for thirty days before you can claim it as your own.

The found dog cannot be rehomed during that time. If you cannot keep the dog any more, please give us a call.

If you are not able to hold onto the animal we encourage you to turn the dog in as found property. Dogs that are turned in are seen by a veterinarian, vaccinated and microchipped upon intake. This assures the animal will have identification should it become lost in the future.

Impounded dogs

Polk County lodges impounded dogs for their mandatory stray hold time and will then transfer them to local rescues with availability. If you believe your dog was impounded, please contact the Polk County Sheriff's Office 503-623-9251.