What to do if you have found or lost a pet…

If you have found an animal (stray) or need to surrender an animal

  • If you are a resident of Jefferson County, you will need to take the pet to the municipal shelter located in Jefferson City. That organization is county funded and contracted to take in all Jefferson County animals.
  • If you are in Jefferson County and need the animal picked up, call Animal Control at 865-471-5980 and request them to get the animal. All phone calls to Animal Control are routed through the Sheriff’s Department.

Lost, found, stray, abandoned or owner-surrendered animals of Jefferson County are the responsibility of the municipal shelter in Jefferson City. That organization receives taxpayer funding to house stray animals and accept owner-surrendered pets. All stray animals should be taken to the shelter located at 310 Landfill Road Jefferson City, TN.

*The Humane Society of Jefferson County is not an open-admission shelter and does not accept strays as we are no longer funded or contracted to do so and do not have the means to house strays.*

You can also “foster” the animal(s) and look for it’s owner. Follow these steps

  • Take the animal to a vet office or shelter to be scanned for a microchip.
  • Contact the municipal shelter located in Jefferson City and give them descriptive information on the pet and how to contact you in case the owners contact them to notify
  • Also, notify the Humane Society (HSJC) at 865-475-8930 (located in Dandridge) and give them descriptive information on the pet and how to contact you. HSJC does not intake stray/found animals but pet owners may still contact HSJC to notify them of their missing pet.
  • Run an ad in the local newspaper.
  • Notify the area veterinarians.
  • Post flyers in the area giving information on the animal and how to contact you.
  • Website for lost/found pets: lost.petcolove.org lostmydoggie.com lostmykitty.com