Man and woman sitting on either side of a smiling dog in a red bandana

Return-to-Home: Challenge On-Demand

We know that helping lost or loose dogs get back home is important to your organization and to the community you serve. Making an effort to get pets back home is time well spent—reducing stress on the pet, cost for the shelter, and opening up space for pets who truly have no other place to go. That’s a better outcome for everyone.  

This toolkit offers simple, easy-to-use strategies and resources that have worked for many organizations across the country of varying sizes. Taking these steps can help lower the number of animals entering shelters and increase the number of happy reunions. 

35.8% 
 

Only 35.8% of stray dogs that entered shelters in 2025 reunited with their families. The return-to-home toolkit equips organizations with proven strategies to increase reunifications in the field.

70% 
 

Research indicates 70% of lost dogs are found within 1 mile of their home, and 42% within only a block.

Resources 

  • Reclaim materials 
    These templates are for your animal control officers or field teams to use when a pet is found to indicate how someone can contact your organization for more information.
  • Petco Love Lost 
    Petco Love Lost simplifies the search for lost and found pets by offering a free central location to report, search, and share. Their database includes pets reported by individuals, as well as thousands of shelters across the country. By uploading a photo of your lost or found pet and reporting it in our system, you make that pet visible to pet parents searching for their pet.
  • Marketing and Communications Guide
    • Use this guide to spread the word about return-to-home. Included are ways to engage local media and your community, social media template designs in Canva, and customizable flyers for microchipping events. Need help? Here’s how to get started in Canva. 

About Return-to-Home 

View our program endorsement and resources below for strategies and steps that build on proven programs and can be used as you plan your return-to-home efforts.  

Use our training playbooks and resources to learn more about practices and strategies.

Get Started! 

Step 1: Create A Plan

Work with your regional strategist to make a plan for using your new return‑to‑home practices.  

This may include the return-to-home (RTH) starter kit if it applies to you. As part of our program, some participants will receive a small field kit that includes a universal microchip scanner, flyers to help return pets, door hangers, and QR code PetHub tags to share in the community.
 

Step 2: Communicate

Talk with your staff, volunteers, and other stakeholders to get them excited about return-to-home practices. Let them know what they mean for your organization and the community as a whole!  

Don’t forget to tell the community about your efforts as well. This guide can help you spread the word. 
 

Step 3: Track Your Data

Use your data to see how your program is making a difference. Try using things like heat mapping to see where to focus your efforts.

Once you collect your data, make sure that its current in Shelter Pet Data Alliance (SPDA). While in SPDA we combine return-to-home (RTH) in-field and in-shelter numbers into a single total for tracking, we recommend tracking them separately. Recording both your in-shelter and in-field RTH numbers will help you better understand how new practices impact each area.
 

Take the Next Step 

These practices and resources can help you take your program further.

Type:
Event