Emergency right now?
Call before you drive - hours and services change. If you are in danger on a highway shoulder, call 911 first.
Lost or found pet in Okaloosa County
Most of Okaloosa County - including Destin and Fort Walton Beach - is covered by PAWS, the Panhandle Animal Welfare Society, under a county contract. By county ordinance strays are held at least five days. PAWS scans every animal for a chip, but it will not confirm over the phone whether your pet is there: you have to visit during reclaim hours with ID and proof of ownership (photos on your phone count), and there is a fee.
Crestview and Niceville run their own animal control, and PAWS does not cover Eglin Air Force Base or Hurlburt Field. Niceville holds strays at the city kennels for seven days.
Emergency and after-hours vets
The Niceville emergency clinic is open around the clock, every day. The Destin clinic covers nights, weekends and major holidays only - during a weekday, a sick pet in Destin goes to a regular vet or the drive to Niceville, about 25 minutes across the Mid-Bay Bridge.
Veterinarians by town
Established clinics with their own websites, grouped by town. Some of their websites say "24/7 emergency" in a template headline - they are regular clinics, not overnight hospitals.
Destin
Fort Walton Beach
Mary Esther
Niceville
Crestview
Injured wildlife, or a run-in with it
The nearest wildlife rehabilitator is Emerald Coast Wildlife Refuge, just over the line in Navarre. Sea turtles and dolphins stranded on Okaloosa Island or Destin's beaches are an FWC call.
Hurricane season: pet-friendly shelters
Okaloosa County says pet-friendly sheltering will be offered, but pets are not kept on the premises with you - they are housed at a separate site. The county does not open every shelter for every storm, and it announces which are open at the time. If you are visiting when a storm is forecast, the simpler plan is to leave early and book a pet-friendly hotel inland.
About Okaloosa County
Okaloosa County runs from the Gulf beaches at Destin and Okaloosa Island north to the Alabama state line. Crestview is the county seat. The nine cities are Crestview, Destin, Fort Walton Beach, Mary Esther, Niceville, Valparaiso, Laurel Hill, Shalimar and Cinco Bayou, and Bluewater Bay, Holt and Baker are among the unincorporated communities. Eglin Air Force Base takes up much of the middle of the county.
Highways through it: I-10 crosses the north of the county at Crestview. US 98 is the main road along the coast through Fort Walton Beach and Destin, and US 90 runs east-west through Crestview. SR 85 links the two, north through Eglin.
What catches pets out here:
- Eglin’s woods are hunting ground. About 250,000 acres of Eglin are open for recreation with a permit, including deer, turkey and hog hunting. Check with Eglin’s Natural Resources Branch (850-882-4164) before taking a dog in, and put a bright vest on the dog in season.
- Black bears – Okaloosa is home to the Eglin bear population. Keep pet food and trash inside at a rental.
- Blue-green algae has been flagged before, at Spring Lake in Destin in October 2025. Keep pets out of scummy or discolored water.
- Timber rattlesnakes reach into Florida only along the northern edge of Okaloosa and Walton counties – on top of the cottonmouths and diamondbacks found across the Panhandle.
- Proof of rabies vaccination is required to reclaim a pet from PAWS; without it they vaccinate and charge for it.
Before you drive through
Most lost dogs on a road trip get out at a gas stop. Four cheap things make the call above far less likely - or far shorter.
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These listings come from public sources - business websites, county and state agencies. Apart from the few marked "We've been here", being listed is not a recommendation - we have not used them and do not rank them; we list that they exist and how to reach them. Always call ahead.
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