People and Pets Belong Together

Pets bring boundless love, compassion, and cuddles into our lives. They make our homes brighter, improve our well-being, and strengthen community connections. To ensure everyone can enjoy the joy pets bring, we are committed to supporting pet parents by helping provide access to essentials like food, shelter, protection, fairness, opportunities, and of course, plenty of tummy rubs.

from the left: LA Mayor Karen Bass, Dr. Gary K Michelson, and Alya Michelson

Dr. Gary Michelson started Found Animals

in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. By establishing the first free microchip registry for pets, the goal was to allow every lost animal to find their way home. In the 15 years since, Found Animals has continued to identify important problems facing pets and people, and develop real-world, scalable solutions to help them thrive.

Our Programs

Span social enterprises, impact investments, and thought leadership initiatives that champion pets at every point they intersect with our society.

LEARN MORE ABOUT OUR PROGRAMS

Get to know us

Dr. Gary K Michelson

Founder & Co-Chair

More

Alya Michelson

Founder & Co-Chair

More

Jennifer Pimentel Naitaki

Vice President, Programs and Strategic Initiatives

More

Ross Barker

Program Director, Pet-Inclusive Housing Initiative

More

Heather Thomas

Manager, Operations

More

Helen Larimore

Marketing & Communications Manager

More

Jana Brennan

Program Manager, Spay and Neuter Initiative

More

Leslie Amaya-Yanez

Public Affairs and Advocacy Manager

More

Paige Ellen

Senior Program Manager, Leap Venture Studio

More

Becky Cyr

Senior Program Manager, Michelson Prize and Grants

More

Victoria Piar

Senior Program Manager, Better Neighbor Project

More

Impact statistics you should know

$10
Million

Amount Raised Through our Saving Pets Challenge

1st

Free National Pet Microchip Registry

$11+
Million

In Grants for Surrender Prevention Spay & Neuter and Related Programs

Weekly Pet Food Pantry I Despensa Semanal de Alimentos Para Mascotas – Boyle Heights

DATE: April 2, 2025

TIME: 9 AM-10 AM EST

<img width="940" height="788" alt="" decoding="async" data-srcset="https://www.foundanimals.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/BNP-Pet-Food-Pantry-.png 940w, https://www.foundanimals.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/BNP-Pet-Food-Pantry--480x402.png 480w" data-src="https://www.foundanimals.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/BNP-Pet-Food-Pantry-.png" data-sizes="(min-width: 0px) and (max-width: 480px) 480px, (min-width: 481px) 940px, 100vw" class="attachment-full size-full wp-post-image lazyload" src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==" /><noscript><img width="940" height="788" src="https://www.foundanimals.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/BNP-Pet-Food-Pantry-.png" class="attachment-full size-full wp-post-image" alt="" decoding="async" srcset="https://www.foundanimals.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/BNP-Pet-Food-Pantry-.png 940w, https://www.foundanimals.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/BNP-Pet-Food-Pantry--480x402.png 480w" sizes="(min-width: 0px) and (max-width: 480px) 480px, (min-width: 481px) 940px, 100vw" />

Tri-Weekly Pet Food Pantry I Despensa de Alimentos Para Mascotas Trisemanal – Paramount

DATE: April 4, 2025

TIME: 8 AM-9 AM EST

<img width="940" height="788" alt="" decoding="async" data-srcset="https://www.foundanimals.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Pet-Food-Pantry.png 940w, https://www.foundanimals.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Pet-Food-Pantry-480x402.png 480w" data-src="https://www.foundanimals.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Pet-Food-Pantry.png" data-sizes="(min-width: 0px) and (max-width: 480px) 480px, (min-width: 481px) 940px, 100vw" class="attachment-full size-full wp-post-image lazyload" src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==" /><noscript><img width="940" height="788" alt="" decoding="async" data-srcset="https://www.foundanimals.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Pet-Food-Pantry.png 940w, https://www.foundanimals.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Pet-Food-Pantry-480x402.png 480w" data-src="https://www.foundanimals.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Pet-Food-Pantry.png" data-sizes="(min-width: 0px) and (max-width: 480px) 480px, (min-width: 481px) 940px, 100vw" class="attachment-full size-full wp-post-image lazyload" src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==" /><noscript><img width="940" height="788" src="https://www.foundanimals.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Pet-Food-Pantry.png" class="attachment-full size-full wp-post-image" alt="" decoding="async" srcset="https://www.foundanimals.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Pet-Food-Pantry.png 940w, https://www.foundanimals.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Pet-Food-Pantry-480x402.png 480w" sizes="(min-width: 0px) and (max-width: 480px) 480px, (min-width: 481px) 940px, 100vw" />

Bi-Weekly Pet Food Pantry I Despensa de Alimentos Para Mascotas Quincenal – Korea Town

DATE: April 8, 2025

TIME: 9:30 AM-10:30 AM EST