Report a loose or stray dog
See a dog running loose with no owner nearby? Report it to Animal Control by calling 311 — there's no cost. An officer is dispatched Monday to Friday, 8:30 am – 5 pm.
What to tell us
Have these ready when you call — it helps the officer find the dog fast.
- Where the dog is right now
- Which way it was headed, if you couldn't contain it
- When you last saw it
- Whether it seems aggressive, injured, or sick
- How the animal is behaving
- What it looks like — size, color, breed if you know it
Post on South Bend Lost and Found Pets on Facebook.
Post a photo with a photo and the location where you found it. This is the quickest way to reunite a pet with its owner.
Post to Facebook group(opens in a new tab)Fill out a found report.
This gets the dog into our system so we can match it to any lost reports.
File a found report(opens in a new tab)Call SBARC to schedule a drop-off or officer pickup.
We may not be able to take the dog at the time of your call, but an officer can come scan it for a microchip.
If you can safely contain the dog
Only approach a dog if it's safe to do so. If you can contain it, that's the biggest help — and during open hours you're welcome to bring it to SBARC yourself, which is often faster than waiting for an officer.
If the dog is contained on your property and you'd rather an officer collect it, someone will need to be home to hand the animal over.