LAS VEGAS, Nev. (FOX5) – The Animal Foundation is packed with lost pets, and with the busy summer months coming up, the shelter said this influx is especially concerning.
“In just the last week alone, we had over 400 intakes total, and of those, more than half were what you’d call strays,” said Animal Foundation CEO Hilarie Grey. “But when we talk about strays, they’re not generally like roving packs of strays like you’d see in other countries. They’re primarily lost pets who are primarily lost in their own neighborhoods.”
Grey says most of those lost pets are usually found very close to home.
“There are studies that actually show most lost pets are found by someone within a mile of their home, and of those, most of them are within 400 feet of their home,” she said. “So if you’re out walking your dog, and you see another dog running around without its owner, chances are it’s very close to home.”
That’s why Grey says if you find a lost dog or cat, it’s best to look around the area first to try to find the owner.
You can also post in neighborhood groups online, take it to a vet to scan for a microchip and foster in the meantime if you can.
Grey suggests taking all these steps before bringing the pet to the shelter, which is already low on space.
“It makes a big difference. If you think about half of our intakes potentially or more being people’s lost pets, that’s a lot of space and time. It’s harder for people to reclaim their lost pets once they’re at the shelter.”
Once those lost pets arrive at the Animal Foundation, Grey says there’s a three-day hold as they wait for an owner to come forward, before the pet is put up for adoption.
To prevent this from happening to your pet, Grey says get them microchipped, and keep the information updated – which will be required soon anyway if you live in the City of Las Vegas.
“The City of Las Vegas recently adopted a mandatory microchipping ordinance with becomes law in August,” said Grey.
If you’ve lost of found a pet, Grey recommends using an online tool called Petco Love Lost, which lets you upload a photo of the pet and uses AI technology to find any matching lost of or found pets nearby.
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