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The City of
Los Angeles Department of Animal Services estimates that anywhere from
26,000 to 44,000 stray dogs roam the streets of Los Angeles at any time. Pet
Orphans Of Southern California suggests you use the following steps when
finding a stray.
1. Find the Owner
Our first strongest suggestion is to take the animal
to your nearest public shelter, which you can locate by calling 888-452-7381.
Legally, you must take the animal to the shelter for the minimum holding
period, or make an attempt to find the owner with flyers, ads, etc. for ten
days. The normal reaction we receive when we tell the many members of the
public who telephone us each day is, “Oh no, but he or she will be killed
there!” Unfortunately while it is true that Los Angeles has a terrible
overpopulation problem and approximately 70% of all impounded animals are
euthanized, the city and county shelters are the first place an owner
will look for their dog or cat. We have seen many animals
successfully reunited with their owners because they were taken to the public
shelter to be reclaimed by their owners. Even if a dog does not have a collar
or appears filthy, it still could very well belong to a desperately searching
person. Collars can come off, and many dogs are excellent escape artists and
can make their way out of what seems the most secure yard. Moreover, with the
new micro-chipping technology, a dog or cat could very well have a microchip
that would be scanned immediately upon their entrance into a public shelter.
Please keep in mind if this was your dog, wouldn't you want the kind person who
found it to make every effort to find you?
If you decide you still want to rescue and re-home
the animal, you can place First Rights on the animal. Every stray turned in to
a shelter has to be held for five working days to give the owner a chance to
reclaim it. After the five-day period, the animal becomes available for
adoption. Through the First Rights program, if you show up between 8:00 a.m.
and 9:00 a.m. on the first day the animal is available for adoption, you have
the right to adopt it.
If you decide against taking the animal to a public
shelter, you must place ads in local newspapers and place Found flyers in the
area where you found the dog for at least ten days before you can legally claim
ownership of the animal and attempt to re-home it. Most newspapers allow you to
place found pet ads free of charge. When placing an ad, be careful to give
simple descriptions that do not describe too much about the animal, so that you
can determine whether or not any callers really do own the dog or cat in
question. For example, a good ad would be: “Found small dog, Saticoy and
Sepulveda. Please call xxx-xxx-xxxx” When someone answers your ad, make
sure they can give you an accurate description of the animal. You can ask the
caller to produce a photo of the animal, a veterinary reference, or other proof
of ownership. Ask the owner for the animal's name and call it out to see if the
animal reacts.
Listed below are the phone numbers for various local newspapers' classifieds departments:
Los Angeles Times 800-234-4444
Daily News 818-713-3711; 888-883-7355
Pennysaver
The Recycler, 213-660-8900
Pasadena Star News, 818-578-6300, 818-578-6380
Glendale News Press, 818-241-4141, 818-243-5944
Also be sure to scan the lost ads in your local papers and flyers posted in your neighborhood
to see if anyone is looking for the animal. Your local animal shelter also keeps logs of lost
dog or cat calls and you can view these to see if any animals match your animal's description.
2. The Animal Has No Owner - What Next?
If you have placed flyers and ads and no one has
called you during the 10-day period, you have the option of taking the animal
to a public shelter, or trying to re-home it yourself.
If you decide to take it to a shelter, call
888-452-7381 to determine which shelter is closest to where you found the
animal. Public shelters are open 24 hours a day to take animals in.
If you decide to find a home for the pet, you can try to call various private
rescue groups in your area to see if they might let you sit at their adoption
shows with the animal in question. You will have to find a place to house the
animal in the mean time however. If you cannot house the animal at your home,
you have the option of boarding it a low-cost kennel or veterinarian's office.
Some kennels and veterinarian facilities will give you a reduced rate if they
know the dog or cat is a rescue looking for a home. Or you can attempt to find
a foster home through a friend or relative.
Pet Orphans Of Southern California is routinely asked to take in rescued or
re-homed pets. The majority of private rescue groups in Los Angeles deal with
a similar situation. Unfortunately, most private groups will not be able to take
in the animal, although they can provide you with advice and resources on how to
place the animal. If you choose to rescue and re-home an animal, in most cases you
will have to find a place to house the animal until you find a new home for it.
3. Finding a Home For the Animal
The first thing to consider before re-homing the animal is whether or the animal is
adoptable. Cats who are feral do not make good house pets, and dogs who act
aggressively toward people are not good prospects for adoption. If you need
assistance in evaluating a dog or cat, please call our office for referrals to
professional trainers in the community who can do this. The more you know about
the animal will help you to find a good home for it as well. Determining
whether the dog or cat is good with children, dogs, cats, etc. is very helpful
to the adoption process. Does the dog have a type of personality where an
experienced owner is optimal? Or can it make a good first-time family dog?
If the animal appears to have medical needs, you should have it examined by a
veterinarian as well. You should also have the dog or cat spayed or neutered before
it is adopted. If you need financial assistance and live in the City of Los Angeles,
we can give you a voucher for $20.00 of a cat or $30.00
of a dog's sterilization procedure, as our funds permit. You can contact our office for
referrals for places that give low-cost vaccinations in your area (818) 901- 0190 x 101,
or contact the City of Los Angeles Department of Animal Services at (888) 452-7381.
If the animal is a dog, and time and financial resources are available, you might want to
consider taking him or her through a basic obedience training class, which will make him or
her a more attractive prospect for adoption. Our office can provide you with referrals to
trainers in the community, or you can find one through
www.apdt.com.
4. Showing the Animal for Adoption
There are various options for showing the animal. You can place advertisements in local
newspapers, on local websites, and show them at local adoption shows run by private rescue
groups. These private rescue groups have websites that allow you to place a picture and short
description of the animal on their site:
These adoption websites allow private rescues to list pets for adoption:
You can make flyers with the animal's photo and description and your contact
information as well. Good places to hang these flyers are:
- Veterinary clinics
- Pet Supply Stores
- Local retail and restaurant businesses
- Dog parks (bulletin boards)
- Bulletin boards at your work place
Some private groups also allow you to sit with your animal at their adoption shows and may
even assist you with the adoption process. Please call them for more information:
Groups where you can show your cat:
Groups where you can show your dog:
- Brittany Foundation 818-709-5706
- Pal Rescue and Adoption 310-669-5947
5. Finding a Good Home
Finding a good home for your animal can take days, weeks, months or even years. Be prepared for a
long-term commitment to the animal.
Once you find a prospective home, how do you go about deciding if they are the right one?
Listed below are a few websites that have some helpful information on how to screen potential
applications and sample adoption agreements:
http://www.petrescue.com/library/find-adopter.htm
http://www.petrescue.com/library/dog-phone-screen.pdf
http://www.petrescue.com/library/cat-phone-screen.pdf
http://www.petrescue.com/library/free-pet.htm
http://www.petrescue.com/library/adoption-form1.pdf
http://www.chowwelfare.com/cciw/findhome.htm
Click here to view our Private Adoption Assistance Program.
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