In short
- Lost pet: Council first. Every animal a ranger picks up is listed on City of Newcastle's Lost Pets in Ranger Care page with an impound number. If yours is there, use Claim your pet, then mark it missing on NSW Pet Registry, then post on the map and the local groups.
- The pound: City of Newcastle Animal Facility, 75 Elizabeth Street, Tighes Hill, typically staffed 8am to 11am and 2pm to 4pm, daily. 7 days for an animal with no identification, 14 days if microchipped. Unclaimed animals pass to a rehoming group.
- Found dog: Check the collar or tag for a phone number. Take it to any vet to be scanned. Vets do this for free, and the chip may already say the dog is missing. Report a stray dog on the City of Newcastle website. If it is inside a Newcastle suburb a ranger will call you to arrange a drop-off at Tighes Hill.
- Found cat: Cats are allowed to roam and cannot be taken from a public place, apart from food preparation and wildlife protection areas.
- Keys, wallet, phone: Newcastle Police Station, transport for nsw lost property handles anything left on trains, buses, ferries or at stations, and a lost or found pin on Rangr Dangr for anything on a street or beach.
Lost pet
Council first.
Every animal a ranger picks up is listed on City of Newcastle's Lost Pets in Ranger Care page with an impound number. If yours is there, use Claim your pet.
Report it lost
on the council website if it is not listed. They contact you if a match comes in.
NSW Pet Registry.
Log in, set your pet to missing and check your phone number is current.
Post it where locals look.
A lost pet pin on the map at the street it went missing from, then the Newcastle and Hunter lost pet Facebook groups and PawBoost, same photo.
Walk the block
at dawn and dusk with something that smells of home, and tell the neighbours three doors each way.
The pound
| Where | City of Newcastle Animal Facility, 75 Elizabeth Street, Tighes Hill |
| Hours | Typically staffed 8am to 11am and 2pm to 4pm, daily |
| Holding | 7 days for an animal with no identification, 14 days if microchipped. Unclaimed animals pass to a rehoming group. |
| Fees | Impound and sustenance fees are charged per day, so the sooner you collect, the less it costs. Hardship waivers are assessed case by case. |
| To go home | The animal must be microchipped and lifetime registered, and the fees paid. |
NSW Pet Registry. Log in, set your pet to missing and check your phone number is current. Any vet or shelter that scans the microchip sees that status.
Found a pet
A dog
- Check the collar or tag for a phone number.
- Take it to any vet to be scanned. Vets do this for free, and the chip may already say the dog is missing.
- Report a stray dog on the City of Newcastle website. If it is inside a Newcastle suburb a ranger will call you to arrange a drop-off at Tighes Hill.
- Drop a found pin on the map with the street you found it on, and post to the lost pet groups with a photo.
A cat
Cats are allowed to roam and cannot be taken from a public place, apart from food preparation and wildlife protection areas. If the cat is injured, sick or clearly in trouble, call RSPCA NSW or a local vet. Otherwise a found pin on the map and a post in the local groups is the right move.
Lost keys, wallet, phone
| Lost it… | Check |
|---|---|
| On a street, park or beach | A lost pin on Rangr Dangr at the spot, and the map's found items layer. Surf clubs and kiosks keep a box too. |
| Handed in to police | Newcastle Police Station, 1 Watt Street, Newcastle. Phone (02) 4929 0999. |
| Train, tram, bus or ferry | Transport for NSW lost property handles anything left on trains, buses, ferries or at stations. Newcastle Interchange and Newcastle Station staff can log it on the spot. |
| The airport | Newcastle Airport runs its own lost and found through its contact page. |
| Shop, pub or café | Ring them. Most hold property for a few weeks before handing it to police. |
| Taxi or rideshare | The app’s lost item form, or the taxi company’s lost property line. |
Found something
- Keys, a wallet, a phone, a bag: post a found pin on Rangr Dangr naming the item and the street, but not what is inside it. Hand it to Newcastle Police Station if nobody claims it within a day or two.
- A bank card: cut it up or hand it to any branch of that bank. Never post the number.
- Licence or Medicare card: the police station, or a government service centre.
- A bike or scooter: police, with a photo and the serial number.
Posting on the map
Rangr Dangr is a live, neighbour-powered map. It started on the streets of Newcastle and works anywhere in Australia: the more Newcastle neighbours on it, the better the heads-up. Lost pets and found items are two of its layers. Double-tap the map where it happened, choose lost pet or found item, add a line and a photo if you have one, and everyone browsing that part of Newcastle sees it for the next 24 hours. A Still there tap keeps it up longer.
Locals also post to: Lost Pets Newcastle Hunter Valley & Surrounds, Newcastle & Hunter lost and found animals, PawBoost Newcastle NSW, Lost Dogs Newcastle.
Good to know.
My dog is missing in Newcastle. Where do I look first?
Council first. Every animal a ranger picks up is listed on City of Newcastle's Lost Pets in Ranger Care page with an impound number. If yours is there, use Claim your pet. Report it lost on the council website if it is not listed. They contact you if a match comes in. NSW Pet Registry. Log in, set your pet to missing and check your phone number is current.
Where is the Newcastle pound?
City of Newcastle Animal Facility, 75 Elizabeth Street, Tighes Hill. Typically staffed 8am to 11am and 2pm to 4pm, daily. 7 days for an animal with no identification, 14 days if microchipped. Unclaimed animals pass to a rehoming group.
I found a dog in Newcastle. What do I do?
Check the collar or tag for a phone number. Take it to any vet to be scanned. Vets do this for free, and the chip may already say the dog is missing. Report a stray dog on the City of Newcastle website. If it is inside a Newcastle suburb a ranger will call you to arrange a drop-off at Tighes Hill. Drop a found pin on the map with the street you found it on, and post to the lost pet groups with a photo.
Where is lost property handed in around Newcastle?
Newcastle Police Station at 1 Watt Street, Newcastle takes handed-in property. Transport for NSW lost property handles anything left on trains, buses, ferries or at stations. Newcastle Interchange and Newcastle Station staff can log it on the spot. Newcastle Airport runs its own lost and found through its contact page. For anything lost on a street or beach, post a lost pin on Rangr Dangr and check its found items layer.
Post it where the neighbours look.
Lost pets and found items on a live map of Newcastle streets, seen by the people walking them. Free, in your browser.