images12

Lost and Found

Obviously, the best chance of your pet being reunited with you is to have them properly tagged or micro-chipped. If you adopted your cat from HART, we provided a safe collar with a heart-shaped tag & number for our database. It is crucial that you advise us if your address or phone information changes so that we have accurate means to contact you if someone finds your animal. If your animal has ANY chance of going outside, please have them properly tagged for identification.

YOU HAVE LOST YOUR PET

If you have lost your pet and have done an exhaustive search of your neighborhood (a can of tuna is often a helpful inducement to come out of hiding), HART suggests the following steps:

  • Place an ad in online sites like Craigslist. Many people who do not take newspapers will look there for lost animals, and shelters, DAS, etc, will refer people looking for a lost pet to these sites. Include a picture, if you can, and information like dates, area lost, etc. Renew the ad every few days so people know the animal is still missing.

  • Post flyer's with a photo of your pet in your neighborhood and give flyer's to your neighbors. Post flyer's at groomers, pet shores, dog parks, walking paths & major intersections. Please visit http://www.bestfriends.org/nomorehomelesspets/resourcelibrary/flyermaker/flyermaker.cfm for help creating a flyer. We recommend you save it as a .pdf file. Don't forget to include a date on it.

  • Contact the local vets, animal shelters and rescues in your area and provide them with your flyer (sending as an attachment to an email works). If you lost your pet in Cambria, call HART (927-7377, open M-Sat. 12-5 PM but if you can leave a message with the pet's description and area/date lost at any time); provide us with a flyer and your contact information. We maintain a database of lost & found animals and will post your flyer at the shelter.

Phone numbers you may need:

Department of Animal Services, SLO (805) 781-4400

North County Humane Society, Atascadero (805) 466-5403

Central Coast SPCA (805) 937-1766

Dog Rescue Network (805) 461-8453

Santa Maria Valley Humane Society (805) 349-3435


 

  • Contact the Department of Animal Services in San Luis Obispo. Their hours are: M-F 11:00 AM to 4:30 PM (Wed. till 6:30 PM), Sat. 11 AM to 3:30 PM. (They also have a lost and found animal "hotline" which records your message for people calling in to report found animals--contact DAS for details) Dogs, cats & other pets found ANYWHERE in San Luis Obispo County are brought to DAS. DAS also has a microchip reader.
  • When you find your pet, please notify everyone to remove your pet from their "lost" list.

 

YOU HAVE FOUND AN ANIMAL

Please consider:

Most people who lose a pet check with their local shelter/vets first, then with the Department of Animal Services.
Owners may be on vacation and have left their animal at home with a caregiver. The caregiver may miss your fly or ad in the paper.
Some people do not take delivery of the local newspapers.

WHAT TO DO:

  • Be aware that many lost animals are frightened and/or may be hurt.  It is normal that they may be nervous or uncertain about being approached.  Speak softly, approach slowly, and give the animal the option to make "first contact" physically.  DO NOT attempt to contain an animal that is obviously hostile (as opposed to apprehensive) or will not allow you to approach it.  In such a case, calling the Department of Animal Services so that a trained officer can respond may be the best option, especially if the animal may be a danger to the public.
  • After checking for identifying information on the animal, call your local vet to see if they are able to “read” the animal for a microchip. The Department of Animal Services also has this capacity.  If you are unable to safely hold the animal while a search is being performed, ask for help from a vet's office or other trained personnel, such as your local animal rescue organizations.

 

  • Try to maintain the animal in a private home while you seek the owner.  If you cannot, ask your family members, co-workers or neighbors if they can foster the animal.  If these options are not viable, call your local no-kill animal shelter to see if they can help. Your last option may be to surrender the animal to the Department of Animal Services.  PLEASE DO NOT DUMP THE ANIMAL AT A SHELTER OR OTHER RESCUE ORGANIZATION without prior arrangements as this is both unsafe for the animal and illegal.
  • Place an ad in online sites like Craigslist.  Many people who do not take newspapers will look there for found animals.  Include a picture if you can. Include information like dates, area found, etc.  Even if you no longer have the animal, an ad can help an owner know what area or source to search.  If you had to turn the animal in to a shelter or DAS, state it in the ad so owners know where to go to reclaim the animal.
  • Notify Department of Animal Services (805) 781-4400 that you have found an animal.  If you can hold the animal let them know.  Provide them with a flyer and identifying information in case the owner calls them.  You can also leave a message on the DAS "found animal" line that will be made available to owners seeking lost animals.
  • Post flyer's at pet stores, groomers, and dog parks, walking paths, major intersections and in a 6 to 8 block radius of where the animal was found.
  • Place an ad in the local newspaper.  Do not include a photo and leave out “one piece of identifying information" so that you know the real owner is calling.
  • Check the “LOST PET ADS” in the newspaper every day and the “Lost Pet” list at your local animal shelter.
CATS ONLY

A cat that visits regularly or gobbles food may not be lost or abandoned.  Some cats just like to “Dine Out”!

If a cat is showing up regularly for feeding and attention, ask your neighbors to see if they know the owner. If this persists for more than 2 weeks and the owner has not been found, there is a good chance that the cat has been abandoned.

If you are unable to keep the cat as your pet, ask your neighbors, family members, friends, co-workers, etc. if they are able.  If these options are not viable you can call your local animal shelters and rescue organizations for assistance.  You may also call DAS as a last resort.