Pets
Lost and found dogs Las Vegas: what to do, and what the law says
Lost and found dogs Las Vegas residents run into end up in three places: a neighbor's yard, a shelter,
or someone's home. Whether you lost your dog or found one, Nevada law has a few rules that matter. A
finder who keeps a dog without trying to find the owner can be charged with theft. A shelter can hand
your own dog back without the spay or neuter rule that applies to adopters. Here is what to do and
what the law says.
If you lost your dog
1. Search close to home first. Walk the streets around your home at quiet times,
with treats and the dog's leash. Ask neighbors to check yards, garages and sheds.
2. Check the shelters, in person if you can. Loose dogs are taken to local pounds.
Nevada lets the county set its own rules for loose animals and run a pound
(NRS 244.359(1)(b), (c)), so how long a dog is held is a local rule. Do not wait. Go or call
every day.
3. Bring proof the dog is yours. Photos of you with the dog, vet records, license or
microchip papers. A shelter can release a dog to a person who already owns it without the spay or
neuter requirement that applies to new owners (NRS 574.640(2)(a)(1)).
4. Post it. Put up flyers with a clear photo, the area and date it went missing,
and a phone number. Post on neighborhood groups. Leave out one detail, such as a mark only you
know about, so you can check anyone who says they have the dog.
5. Watch for scams. Someone who says they have your dog and asks for money first,
without proof, may be lying. Getting money by a false story is theft (NRS 205.0832(1)(c)). Ask for a
photo of the dog with today's date, and meet in a public place.
If you found a dog
1. Keep it safe, and keep yourself safe. Use a leash or a closed yard. A scared dog
may bite. Give water.
2. Look for the owner. Check the collar and tags. Ask a vet or shelter to scan for a
microchip. Post a "found dog" notice where the dog was found. Keep a note of each step you take, with
dates.
3. Do not just keep it. Under Nevada law, a person who comes into control of lost
property, with a way to find out who owns it, and keeps it without reasonable efforts to tell the
owner, commits theft (NRS 205.0832(1)(d)). A dog is the owner's property. Your notes show you tried.
4. Report it to animal control or take it to a shelter. That is where an owner will
look first. Local animal rules come from local ordinances, such as the county's (NRS 244.359).
5. Do not dump it. Leaving an animal behind is abandonment, which Nevada law
forbids (NRS 574.100(1)(f)). So is leaving it without food or water (NRS 574.100(1)(c)).
The rules in Nevada law
| What | What the law says | Source |
|---|
| Keeping a found dog | Theft, if you keep lost property without reasonable efforts to tell the owner | NRS 205.0832(1)(d) |
| Theft penalty | Under $1,200 in value: misdemeanor. $1,200 to under $5,000: category D felony. The court also orders the money paid back | NRS 205.0835(2), (3) |
| Dog's value | Fair market value. If that is not clear, the court looks at all the evidence, including what the dog is worth to its owner | NRS 205.0831 |
| Abandoning a dog | First offense in 7 years: misdemeanor, 2 days to 6 months in jail, 48 to 120 hours of community service, $200 to $1,000 fine | NRS 574.100(1)(f), (7)(a) |
| Third offense in 7 years | Category C felony | NRS 574.100(7)(c) |
| Care costs | A person convicted must pay the costs of caring for and impounding the animal, including vet bills | NRS 574.100(8) |
| Owner picking up their dog | No spay or neuter requirement when an owner reclaims their own pet | NRS 574.640(2)(a)(1) |
| Adopting an unclaimed dog | 4 months or older: must be spayed or neutered first. Under 4 months: deposit of the local cost or $25, whichever is more, plus a signed agreement | NRS 574.640(1) |
| Deposit refund | Within 15 days after you send the vet's letter and receipt | NRS 574.655(1), (3) |
Read 2026-11-08 off the Nevada Revised Statutes: chapter 205 revision stamped
4/15/2026 (2025), chapter 574 revision stamped 4/15/2026 (2025), and chapter 244 revision stamped
4/15/2026 (2025).
Where the shelter rules come from
Nevada law lets each county set a yearly dog license fee, catch and dispose of dogs whose license fee
is unpaid, control animals running loose, and set up a pound with a poundkeeper (NRS 244.359(1)). How
long a lost dog is held before it can be adopted out is set in those local rules, not in state law.
Ask the shelter how long it holds strays, and ask on the first day.
A "releasing agency" under state law includes a local government animal shelter, a humane society,
and a nonprofit that shelters or places pets (NRS 574.620). The spay and neuter rules apply to all of
them.
If you want to keep a dog you found
Try to find the owner first. Make real, reasonable efforts and keep
proof. That is the line between finding a dog and taking one (NRS 205.0832(1)(d)).
Go through the shelter. If no one claims the dog, ask the shelter if
you can adopt it. Expect the spay or neuter rule and the agreement (NRS 574.640(1)).
Under 4 months old? You will pay a deposit and sign an agreement with
a date to get the dog fixed. Send the vet's signed letter and the bill or receipt by the date in the
agreement to get the deposit back (NRS 574.655(1)). If the dog is lost or stolen before then, a signed
sworn statement saying so counts. Money trouble does not (NRS 574.655(2)).
If someone has your dog and won't give it back
Ask in writing. Say the dog is yours, show proof, and ask for it back
by a set date.
Report it. Holding on to someone else's property meaning to keep it from
them, or holding property you know was stolen, is theft (NRS 205.0832(1)(a), (e)). Give police your proof of ownership.
Small claims. You can also go to court for the dog's value. See our
small claims page.
Good to know
If you see a dog being hurt, starved or left in a hot car, see our
animal control page for how to report cruelty. If a dog bit
you, that page covers bites and dangerous dogs too. In danger right now? Call 911.
For shelter locations, hours and stray holding periods, check with your county or city animal
shelter directly. Call
211 if you need help.