​​​​​​​​​​​​An​imal Remains Recovery

​The City of Dallas provides Animal Remains Recovery ​to ensure deceased animals are handled promptly.

What This Service Includes

Upon request, Sanitation provides collection of deceased animals from City rights-of-way within Dallas, including both domesticated animals and wildlife. 

• If your pet has died, we extend our deepest condolences. You may wish to call your veterinarian or a pet crematory instead. However, we can collect it from the curb if you wish to request a collection.
  
• If the dead animal is small (such as a mouse, bird, turtle, etc.), it can be bagged and placed into the garbage rollcart.
  
• The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) handles dead animals located on farm-to-market, ranch-to-market, state, U.S. and interstate highways. If the dead animal is on one of those roadways, please submit a request to TxDOT here.
  

Care for Pets That May Have Been Owned

Our staff are trained to identify animals that may have been someone's pet. Indicators such as collars, tags, clothing, or other signs of ownership are checked. Crews also carry microchip readers to determine whether a domestic animal is microchipped.​

​If a deceased domestic animal appears it may have been a lost pet, the animal is transported to Dallas Animal Services (DAS). There, the remains are temporarily ​​stored while DAS staff attempt to identify and contact the owner.

If an animal is not claimed, Sanitation ensures final disposition in accordance with City procedures and health standards.​

Fees and Funding

Animal Remains Recovery is primarily funded through the Environmental Cleanup Fee assessed on utility bills for parcels within the City of Dallas. 

Additional fees apply in the following situations:

• Removal from animal clinics
• Collection of large animals, including horses, cattle, and other animals of similar size