Lost Pets
Each year thousands of animals end up at animal shelters as
strays. Many of them are well cared for family pets that were, for
whatever reason, never claimed by their owners. We often ask
ourselves why no one came to pick up their adorable, well behaved
dog, or their beautifully groomed cat. Over the years, we have
heard many stories and would like to share some of our ideas which
may help you find your pet, should they ever become lost.
A recent report is one of a lost Dachshund who came in on a
Saturday, after being found wandering on a busy Healdsburg road.
Four days later, as we were ready to put her up for adoption, a
nice older couple with two young girls came into the shelter. They
said they were driving by, saw our sign, and decided to check the
possibility we might have their son's lost dog. Because they lost
their dog in the Santa Rosa area, they first looked at the Sonoma
County Animal Care and Control, located off Airport Blvd.; however,
their dog was not there. As they described their dog, it sounded
similar to the little Doxie we had received as a stray about the
same time their son's dog went missing. The person at the front
counter asked the couple if the dog had painted toe nails and the
woman's face lit up instantly. She said her granddaughter painted
the dog's nails! We took the family to see the dog, and they were
so excited to see it was their son's dog. They said that they had
been looking at the County shelter, but never thought about
checking ours. Taking a chance, they stopped and the outcome became
a happy reunion. Their small dog had traveled over five miles to
reach a neighboring town.
Another story is that of Honey. She is a Pit Bull mix stray who
was found running loose in Healdsburg. We always scan for
microchips upon intake of animals and we ID'ed her chip. We
contacted the owners registered to the chip, who said had lost the
dog in Santa Rosa a few months prior to our call. Honey was in good
shape, so it appeared she had been well cared for by someone. The
family was so excited to be reunited with Honey.
We believe many people look for their lost pets, but maybe look
in the wrong places or at the wrong times. Also, now that we have
so many rescue groups, dogs are often found and turned into a
rescue, instead of a shelter. Resources are available. Just of few
of the many sites available are listed to the right-the last
address allows you to post a photo of your dog, which could be very
helpful if you lose your dog while traveling. Some things you can
do to protect your pet from ending up in a shelter is to always
keep an ID tag on your pet. Make sure it has your cell phone
numbers as well as your home numbers. Animals often run away while
you are not at home. We also recommend putting your address on the
ID tag because if your neighbor finds your pet and can return it,
this is always the best solution. Your pets should also be
microchipped, which we do for $15.00, which is an affordable
onetime fee which can save your pet's life. The key item to
remember with microchips is keeping the registration current. If
you move or change your phone number you need to update the
system's information. And lastly, if your pet does become lost,
please contact your local animal shelter and file a lost report, so
if someone finds your pet-we can get in touch with you!