Lost Pets

The Carteret County Humane Society (CCHS) is an open admission, non-profit organization for residents of Carteret County. All pets that are picked up by the Carteret County Animal Control are brought to our shelter. We accept stray animals from the public as well as from Animal Control. We highly recommend that if your pet is lost, you file a lost report with CCHS, complete with a picture and detailed description of your pet. You should also check back with CCHS in person every couple of days as descriptions can be misrepresenting and many pets are especially difficult to match up to lost reports.

The law requires that stray animals be held for a period of time so that owners can find and reclaim them. Animals are held for seventy-two (72) hours (not including Sundays or holidays). After this time, the animal is placed up for adoption and becomes the property of CCHS. For this reason, it is important that you check with CCHS via phone and in person frequently during the first few days of losing your pet.

You may also consider:

Checking with local veterinarians in case your animal was injured and taken there.
Hang flyers in your neighborhood. Check with your neighbors and mail carriers. Offer a reward – even a small one is an incentive. Make sure to include a phone number and description of your pet (pictures are great).
Place ads in your local newspaper.
*Make a report to Animal Control 252-728-8585
*Make a post on Facebook groups "Carteret Lost and Found Pets" and "Carteret County Lost Pets"
*Make a report on PetcoLove.org/lost


Other Shelters

If you live close to other counties, keep in mind your pet may have traveled into those counties or may have been picked up by a concerned citizen and taken to other shelters. Please consider contacting the animal shelters outside of Carteret County. We have listed some below:

Cherry Point ACO: 252.466.2094
Havelock Animal Shelter 252.444.2712
Craven County Animal Shelter 252.637.4606
Onslow County Animal Shelter 910.455.0182

Help! I Have Lost My Pet