Florida County Resources for Dogs & Cats

Looking for help with a stray, lost, or aggressive dog or cat? You need your county’s public agency — not a wildlife company. Dr. Critter handles wild animals only (raccoons, snakes, bats, rodents, etc.) and does not respond to calls about pets or domestic strays. To save you a phone call, we keep a current directory of the agency that handles domestic animals in every Florida county below.

Where to Call First

• Your county’s public agency: Use the directory below to find the phone number for the office that handles stray dogs, lost pets, bites, and similar issues in your area.
• Your local sheriff’s non-emergency line: Best for after-hours situations involving an aggressive or injured pet when the county office is closed.

What These County Offices Actually Do

• Respond to calls about stray, lost, aggressive, or bitten domestic animals.
• Operate the county shelter or contract with a local rescue partner.
• Investigate cruelty and neglect cases under Florida Statute 828.
• Most are funded by local taxes and have limited after-hours capacity — be patient when calling, especially in smaller counties.

When Pets and Wildlife Overlap

A few scenarios fall in a gray area between domestic pet response and wildlife removal. Calling the wrong agency wastes a service visit:

• A stray cat or dog is sick or acting unusually in your yard. Always call your county animal services first. If it’s after hours and the animal seems rabid or aggressive, call your sheriff’s non-emergency line. Do not approach.
• You see a feral cat colony nesting under your deck or shed. County animal services or a local TNR (trap-neuter-return) group is the right resource. Dr. Critter does not relocate cats.
• Your pet was bitten by wildlife. Take the pet to a vet immediately and call Florida Health (rabies risk). If the wildlife is still on the property — raccoon, bat, fox — that’s where Dr. Critter steps in to remove the source.
• Wildlife is killing or threatening your outdoor pet. Coyotes, foxes, large raptors, and venomous snakes are wildlife problems we can address through exclusion fencing, habitat modification, or direct removal where legal.
• You found a dead pet that looks like it was attacked. Call your county animal services for pickup. If wildlife is the suspected cause and you want to prevent recurrence, we’ll inspect the property and identify what got in.

Wildlife Issues Dr. Critter Handles

If your situation involves wild animals on your property, we’re the right call. Common wildlife problems in Central Florida:

• Raccoons in the attic, garage, chimney, or trash.
• Snakes in the yard, garage, or pool deck — including the six venomous species native to Florida.
• Bats roosting under roof tiles, in attic voids, or behind shutters.
• Squirrels chewing soffit, fascia, and attic vents.
• Armadillos digging up turf or burrowing under foundations.
• Opossums in crawl spaces and under decks.
• Dead animal removal — locating and removing carcasses inside walls, attics, or under structures.

Florida Animal Control Directory by County

Below is a current directory of the public agency that handles stray, lost, or aggressive dogs and cats in every Florida county. We maintain this list as a free public reference. Tap the phone number on a mobile device to dial directly.