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Lost and wandering pets

At Knox, we work to reunite families with their lost cats and dogs as quickly as possible.

Report your lost pet

If your pet is missing, please contact Animal Aid on 8756 1300. Animal Aid is an animal shelter that helps pet owners in Knox find their lost pets.

Council can help by ensuring your contact information is up to date. Please contact us to confirm your registered pet's details on 9298 8000.

Lost animals in Knox Facebook page

The Lost Animals in Knox Facebook page also helps reunite owners with their lost pets.

We use this page to share information on animals that we have collected, when we can't find their owners. We send any lost animals we have collected to Animal Aid.

If your dog or cat is registered with Knox and is wearing a registration tag, officers will contact the owner before posting to social media, unless special circumstances apply.

If you find a lost pet

To report a lost animal that you have found, please call us on 9298 8000.

We aim to respond to reports within 1 hour.

If you have found someone’s dog or cat, you are required by law to:

  • give the animal to an authorised officer of Council, or
  • take it to Council’s pound Animal Aid, located at 35 Killara Road in Coldstream.

This way we can make sure that the pet gets back home to its owner.

Pets found during working hours

Our reunite service for registered pets operates every day until 9pm. Registered animals must be wearing a current Knox registration tag. 

All pets found during working hours are checked for a microchip and council registration tag.

We will attempt to contact the owners of registered cats and dogs to reunite them.

This is why it is vital to make sure your registration and microchip details are always up to date.

All unregistered cats and dogs are taken to our pound at Victorian Animal Aid Trust in Coldstream.

Pets found after hours

If a pet is collected after hours, it will be picked up by our after-hours animal collection contractor and taken to the pound. This includes weekends and public holidays.

Once an animal is at the pound staff will look to identify it through:

  • Council registration tag
  • microchip number
  • name tag.

Every effort is made to trace the owner so that they can be reunited.

A pound release fee applies to every animal that is taken to the pound. This is a council fee that is collected by the pound on our behalf.

There may also be infringements issued to the owners of animals that are not registered or have a history of getting out.

Pound release and livestock fees

2024/25 fees and charges
Fees and chargesUnit2024/25 feeIncludes GST

Pound release fees

Release of domestic dog from pound (reclaim within 1-2 days) - unregisteredPer Animal$315.00N
Release of domestic dog from pound (reclaim within 3-5 days) - unregisteredPer Animal$345.00N
Release of domestic dog from pound (reclaim within 6-8 days) - unregisteredPer Animal$385.00N
Release of domestic dog from pound (reclaim within 1-2 days) - registeredPer Animal$230.00N
Release of domestic dog from pound (reclaim within 3-5 days) - registeredPer Animal$260.00N
Release of domestic dog from pound (reclaim within 6-8 days) - registeredPer Animal
$300.00
N
Release of domestic cat from pound (reclaim within 1-2 days) - unregisteredPer Animal$180.00N
Release of domestic cat from pound (reclaim within 3-5 days) - unregisteredPer Animal$200.00N
Release of domestic cat from pound (reclaim within 6-8 days) - unregisteredPer Animal$220.00N
Release of domestic cat from pound (reclaim within 1-2 days) - registeredPer Animal$135.00N
Release of domestic cat from pound (reclaim within 3-5 days) - registeredPer Animal$155.00N
Release of domestic cat from pound (reclaim within 6-8 days) - registeredPer Animal$175.00N
Per day sustenance fee (if held beyond the 8 days impounding fee period)Per Animal
Per Day
$43.00 

Livestock

Impounding fees for large animal - horse, cow or similarPer Animal$439.00N
Impounding fees for sheep, goat, pig or similar sized animalPer Animal
$294.00
N
Posting formal noticePer Animal$26.00Y
Advertisement in newspaper (animal to be sold at auction after statutory 14 day impound period)Per Advert$370.00Y

Need help?

Contact us and we will get back to you.

Or call our Community Laws department on 9298 8000.

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