Animal Control in Allen County, Indiana

Last Updated: August 2026

Animal control services in Allen County handle stray animals, animal bites, cruelty and neglect complaints, aggressive animals and other domestic-animal safety concerns. Who you contact depends partly on whether you’re inside the City of Fort Wayne or elsewhere in Allen County.

Quick Answer

Inside Fort Wayne: Call Fort Wayne Animal Care & Control at 260-427-1244.

Outside Fort Wayne in Allen County: Call Allen County Animal Complaints at 260-449-7491.

For urgent animal-related problems after hours, call the Allen County Sheriff’s non-emergency line at 260-449-3000.

Animal Control in Fort Wayne

Fort Wayne Animal Care & Control handles animal-control services within the City of Fort Wayne.

Fort Wayne Animal Care & Control
3020 Hillegas Road
Fort Wayne, IN 46808
Phone: 260-427-1244

Animal Control Officer assistance is generally available Monday–Friday, 9:00 a.m.–8:00 p.m.

Visit Fort Wayne Animal Care & Control

Services include responding to:

  • Stray and loose animals
  • Aggressive animals
  • Animal bites
  • Animal cruelty and neglect
  • Injured animals
  • Lost and found pets
  • Animal ordinance complaints

Animal Control Outside Fort Wayne

For domestic animal-control issues elsewhere in Allen County, contact the Allen County Sheriff’s Field Service Officers.

Animal Complaints: 260-449-7491
Sheriff Non-Emergency: 260-449-3000

Allen County Animal Control Field Service Officers

Field Service Officers handle issues including:

  • Picking up stray animals
  • Investigating animal bites
  • Animal cruelty and neglect complaints
  • Domestic livestock concerns
  • Stray dogs attacking livestock
  • Other domestic-animal public safety issues

If an animal is aggressive, tell the dispatcher when you call.

Stray or Loose Animals

Allen County ordinances prohibit owners from allowing animals to stray beyond their property unless the animal is under reasonable control, with limited exceptions.

If you find a stray animal in Allen County, you can also bring the animal to Fort Wayne Animal Care & Control during normal receiving hours.

What to Do If You Find a Lost Pet

Animals picked up as lost pets throughout Allen County are brought to the Fort Wayne shelter for owners to reclaim.

Lost Pets

If your own dog, cat or other pet is missing, check with Fort Wayne Animal Care & Control.

View Lost Pet Information

You can:

  • File a lost-pet report
  • View animals currently at the shelter
  • Search found pets
  • Check whether your pet was picked up
  • Provide identifying information

Lost & Found: 260-427-1244

Pets brought to the shelter as strays are generally held for a minimum of three business days before ownership transfers to Animal Care & Control if they remain unclaimed.

Animal Bites

Animal bites should be taken seriously.

Allen County Sheriff’s Field Service Officers investigate animal bite cases, and Fort Wayne Animal Care & Control handles animal-related enforcement within the city.

For a bite involving an animal, contact the appropriate animal-control agency.

For serious injuries or an immediate public-safety emergency, call 911.

Aggressive Animals

If a loose dog or other animal is behaving aggressively:

  • Don’t approach it.
  • Don’t try to capture it yourself.
  • Keep children and pets away.
  • Get to a safe location.
  • Contact animal control.

Fort Wayne: 260-427-1244
Allen County Animal Complaints: 260-449-7491
After Hours: 260-449-3000

Tell the dispatcher immediately if the animal is aggressive or threatening people or other animals.

Report Animal Cruelty or Neglect

Suspected animal cruelty or neglect should be reported to local animal control or law enforcement.

Outside Fort Wayne, Allen County Sheriff’s Field Service Officers enforce county ordinances involving animal cruelty and neglect, including domesticated livestock.

Report an Allen County Animal Complaint

Animal Complaints: 260-449-7491

Inside Fort Wayne, contact Animal Care & Control at 260-427-1244.

What About Wildlife?

Animal control primarily handles domestic animals.

For nuisance wildlife, poaching and many other wildlife issues, contact the Indiana Department of Natural Resources.

Indiana DNR Wildlife Information

Allen County Sheriff’s Field Service Officers may assist with injured wildlife when a DNR officer isn’t available, but ordinary nuisance-wildlife complaints are generally handled through DNR or an appropriate wildlife-control provider.

Barking & Nuisance Animals

Allen County’s animal-control ordinance addresses animals that create a public nuisance.

Examples can include animals that:

  • Repeatedly run loose
  • Attack people or other animals
  • Damage property
  • Interfere with pedestrians or vehicles
  • Create excessive noise

For county animal complaints, call 260-449-7491.

Inside Fort Wayne, contact Animal Care & Control at 260-427-1244.

Found an Injured Animal?

If you find an injured stray animal, contact animal control rather than putting yourself at risk trying to handle an injured or frightened animal.

Fort Wayne Animal Care & Control: 260-427-1244
After Hours: 260-449-3000

An injured animal may bite or scratch even if it normally isn’t aggressive.

After-Hours Animal Control

For animal-control assistance after normal Fort Wayne Animal Care & Control hours:

Allen County Sheriff’s Non-Emergency: 260-449-3000

After-hours response is generally intended for urgent or public-safety situations, particularly involving injured or dangerous animals.

For routine stray-animal situations, you may be asked to wait until regular animal-control hours.

Before You Call

Be ready to provide:

  • Your location
  • Type of animal
  • Description of the animal
  • Where the animal was last seen
  • Whether it is loose or contained
  • Whether anyone was bitten
  • Whether the animal appears injured
  • Whether the animal is aggressive

Don’t put yourself in danger trying to catch an aggressive or frightened animal.

Local Tip

Make sure you’re calling the right agency. Fort Wayne residents generally start with Fort Wayne Animal Care & Control at 260-427-1244, while residents elsewhere in Allen County can contact the Sheriff’s Animal Complaint line at 260-449-7491.

For an urgent animal-control problem after hours, use the Sheriff’s non-emergency number at 260-449-3000.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who handles animal control in Allen County?

Inside Fort Wayne, contact Fort Wayne Animal Care & Control. Outside Fort Wayne, domestic animal-control complaints are handled by the Allen County Sheriff’s Field Service Officers.

Who do I call about a stray dog?

In Fort Wayne, call 260-427-1244. Elsewhere in Allen County, call 260-449-7491.

Where are stray animals taken?

Animals picked up as lost pets throughout Allen County are generally brought to Fort Wayne Animal Care & Control at 3020 Hillegas Road.

Who do I call after hours?

For an urgent animal-control issue after hours, call 260-449-3000.

Does animal control handle wildlife?

Domestic animal issues are the primary responsibility of local animal control. Many wildlife complaints should be directed to Indiana DNR.

Related Pages

Official Resources

Fort Wayne Animal Care & Control
3020 Hillegas Road
Fort Wayne, IN 46808
Phone: 260-427-1244

Allen County Animal Complaints: 260-449-7491
After-Hours/Non-Emergency: 260-449-3000

Summary

Animal control in Allen County is handled by both Fort Wayne Animal Care & Control and the Allen County Sheriff’s Department. Fort Wayne residents can call 260-427-1244, while residents elsewhere in the county can report domestic animal problems at 260-449-7491. Services include stray animals, animal bites, cruelty and neglect, aggressive animals and other domestic-animal safety concerns. For urgent after-hours assistance, call 260-449-3000.