Polk County officials seek owners of 102 pets found during Hurricane Milton

TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — The Polk County Sheriff’s Office’s Animal Control division is searching for the owners of 102 pets that were found during Hurricane Milton, as of Wednesday afternoon.

Anyone whose pet may have gone missing during the storm is asked to visit the county’s animal control shelter and check the records for their missing pet.

The animals found during and after Hurricane Milton will be held for 30 days to give owners the chance to claim them.

The shelter is located at 7115 de Castro Road in Winter Haven and is open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday.

Sheriff Grady Judd said only two pets found wandering during the hurricane had microchips.

“We would like to encourage all pet owners to please microchip your pets,” Judd said in a statement. “This helps our amazing Animal Control staff quickly and easily identify owners of lost pets, so we can promptly return your pets to you if they are lost.”

Separate from the group of strays taken in during the hurricane, the shelter has 56 dogs and 84 cats up for adoption. Anyone interested in adopting a new furry friend can visit the shelter’s website .

Adoptions are free for the next 30 days.

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