Fundamentally, LostAndFound.com is divided into two distinct databases: a "Lost Database" and a "Found Database". The " Lost Database" contains information from owners reporting their pets/property lost or missing. Conversely, the "Found Database" contains information from finders who have recovered lost or missing pets/property. In order to avoid confusion, you will need to be aware of which database you are searching.

In addition to the lost and found databases, there is a third database for Venues. The "Venues Database" allows users to search for their lost or found pets/property at a specific location. Whether an Animal Shelter, Airport, Stadium or someplace else, the venue database allows the user to report and search at these public localities. To sign your venue up for your own venue page, please click here.

Finders looking for the owners of lost property or pets will be Searching in the Lost Database.

To search this database, please do the following:

1. Please make sure the dropdown underneath the header is set to: "I FOUND A (an)"
2. In the field to the right, please enter your search query. DO NOT ENTER "LOST" or "FOUND" as a keyword. We already know that information based on the database you are searching. (HINT: Try to use keywords that are specific to your inquiry. Use category, color, brand or breed to start. Stay away from ambiguous words like "nice" or "friendly" that are opinion rather than fact)
3. If you would like local results only, please check the box that indicates that request. Alternatively, use your postal/zip code or the name of your town/city/state/province
4. Press the SEARCH BUTTON to the right of the query field.
5. Press on the hyperlink of any ad that is relevant in your search results to bring you more information about that listing. This will bring you to the detail page for the ad.
6. Once you have arrived at the detail page, click on the contact information to retrieve a phone number (if provided) or use the form to communicate by email.
7. If do not see any relevant results, try searching in broader terms. For example, search by state, instead of by zip code. To search by state, choose your state and omit the zip code. To search the country omit the city, state and zip from the search parameters.
8. If you have too many results from your query, you can use the keyword function to narrow down the possibilities. For example, if I know the breed or color of my lost dog, I might try to put that in the keyword field on the results page. You can use the Keyword Function for almost any word that you can think of that might relate to your lost article or pet.
9. 10. If you still have too many results, or are dissatisfied by the results, try using the Advanced Search options page, which will give you more parameters to choose.

You might be wise to search your area for near matches without any additional parameters (search just zip code, or state) as sometimes people will make mistakes and fill out an incorrect category, or give an incorrect description.

For those wish to search for the owner at a particular location, they can elect to go to the Venue Page and search only data relevant to that venue. In order to do so, simply select "Search by Venue" in the dropdown underneath the header (3rd selection). Put in the Venue's name (and city or zip if necessary) to look up the Venue's page on our website. Once on the Venue page, please repeat steps 1-10 for searching. Only data relevant to that venue will appear, so your search will be simpler, but your options fewer. To find out more about Venue Search, please click here.

If your search is unsuccessful, please report your find here. For more information about entering your ad (reporting) into the database, please click here.

Special Note for Items found at Airports, Bus/Railway Stations, and Rental Cars:. Please remember in most cases, to search in the area where you found the item only. The Internet Lost and Found allows multiple listings in different areas by the owners to assist them, therefore, the item should be reported lost in your area as well. However, sometimes an article is reported lost with a particular transit system, rental car, or airline, so you might want to explore these avenues as well. If this is too much work, don't worry - the onus is on the owner to find you so make sure you report the item found.

In the keyword field, put the name of the Arena/Civic Center/Stadium, plus the state or city, and press submit.

Enter the name of the local park in the keyword field, plus the city and state. Add category or more parameters as needed.

Enter the name of the National Park in the keyword field. Add category or more parameters as needed.

To search specifically in a transit system, simply put the name of transit system or transit system acronym code in the keyword field and press submit. Please note that you should also use the state with this query, as some transit systems from different states have the same name or identifier code. For example. MTA is the acronym for many transit systems, so a specific state will be required. If you are unsure of the specific name of the Transit System or Transit System acronym code, use our Transit systems list to look it up. You can also use the Advanced Search Options page to search specifically in the transit category.

To search specifically for lost items in a rental car, simply put the name rental car company in the keyword field and press submit. Please note that you should also use the city and state with this query. To search the rental car company at a specific airport, first submit then name of the airport in the keyword field and then follow using the rental car company name in the keyword field to search within those results.