SO YOU FOUND A LOST ANIMAL, NOW WHAT?
We are so happy that you took initiative to a help a lost pet by taking it into your home. Congratulations, you are now a partner in our life saving efforts!
Dogs
FOUND A LOST DOG? REGISTER IT ON PETCOLOVELOST
Petco Love Lost is a, searchable national database that uses patented facial recognition technology to make finding lost pets quicker and easier. Uploaded photos of a missing dog or cat are immediately scanned to determine whether the lost pet is at a participating shelter or with a neighbor in the community.
If you have an injured or aggressive lost pet, please contact our department at 951-358-PETS (7387) for assistance immediately. Please note: After-hour dispatchers are available for emergencies only. If you found a lost pet, it is not an emergency. Emergency calls should be made for injured, aggressive, sick and suffering, or animals obstructing traffic.
- Post the lost pet on many different social media sites including Facebook, Twitter, Craigslist, Nextdoor, Pawboost and any other resources available so that an owner may see them. If you cannot hold the pet, please call (951) 358-7387.
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Cats
FOUND A LOST CAT?
RCDAS supports free roaming cats through Trap-neuter-return services and does not impound healthy adult cats unless in need.
Most "stray" cats are actually a part of the community and do not have owners, the best thing that can be done for them is Trap-Neuter-Return. This ensures that the cat is spayed or neutered, vaccinated, and returned back to their outdoor "home" where they are looked after and cared for. Despite our efforts, an animal shelter is an extremely stressful place for cats, so returning to a place they know is far better for healthy outdoor cats.
Fewer than 2% of stray cats coming in to RCDAS are reclaimed by an owner. The main reason for this is that many cats are actually free roaming cats and don't have an indoor home. Kittens who are born to these community cats make up a very large part of our stray intake, so there is no one to come looking for them. There are some occasions where an owner of an indoor-outdoor cat does not come looking for the cat before they have been adopted out because they are used to their cat being gone for a few days at time.
If you have an injured or aggressive lost pet, please contact our department at 951-358-PETS (7387) for assistance immediately. Please note: After-hour dispatchers are available for emergencies only. If you found a lost pet, it is not an emergency. Emergency calls should be made for injured, aggressive, sick and suffering, or animals obstructing traffic.
For more information on not impounding healthy adult cats visit the National Animal Care and Control Association position statement here.
If you find kittens, please leave them alone unless they are sick, injured or in immediate danger.
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