The City of Los Angeles Department of Animal Services estimates that anywhere from 26,000 to 44,000 stray dogs (and who knows how many stray and feral cats) roam the streets of Los Angeles at any time.

Pet Rescue Association suggests that you use the following steps when finding a stray.

1. Try to Find the Owner

Our first and best suggestion is to take the animal to your nearest public shelter, which you can locate (in Los Angeles) 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.

Oh we know what you are going to say, “I can't beleive that a Humane organization would say that - you know that they will be killed there!” Unfortunately while it is true that Los Angeles and many other cities have a terrible overpopulation problem and a large number ofl impounded animals are euthanized, the city and county shelters are the first place an owner will look for their dog or cat. Wouldn't you?

We have seen many animals successfully reunited with their owners because they were taken to the public shelter. 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 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 want to rescue and find a new home for the animal, you can place First Rights on the animal. Every stray turned in to a shelter has to be held for a certain number of days to give the owner a chance to reclaim it. After that period, the animal becomes available for adoption. Through the First Rights program, which is available at many shelters, 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 find it a new home.

Some 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. 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 in the Los Angeles area: Los Angeles Times 800-234-4444 Daily News 818-713-3711; 888-883-7355 Pennysaver Santa Monica Outlook 310-260-2199 The Recycler, 213-660-8900 Pasadena Star News, 818-578-6300, 818-578-6380 Glendale News Press, 818-241-4141, 818-243-5944. If you are not in Los Angeles, check the Yellow Pages for a list of newspapers.

Also, be sure to scan the Lost ads in your local papers, and watch for 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 rehome it yourself. If you decide to take it to a shelter, call 888-452-7381(in Los Angeles) to determine which shelter is closest to where you found the animal. If you are in another area check your local telephone directory.

If you choose to rescue and rehome an animal and you are not able to keep the animal at home yourself, you will have to find a place to house it until you find a new home for it. You have the option of boarding it at 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 Rescue Association receives dozens of calls every day from people who are trying to place their pet with us. Much as we want to help, it is not always possible to do so, and most other private humane groups face the same problem. But we can provide you with advice and resources on how to place the animal.

3. Finding a Home For the Animal

The first thing to consider before searching for a new home is whether or not 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. 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 you can contact our office for referrals to places that give low-cost vaccinations in your area, or contact the City of Los Angeles Department of Animal Services at 888-452-7381.

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 adoption websites allow private rescues to list pets for adoption:

Pet Bond, Pet Finders, 1 800 Save a Pet, Canine Crusaders, 310-376-6535, Friends of Animals Foundation, Cat Crossing.

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 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: Kitten Rescue 818-347-3037, Cats in Need, 626-337-4306, TLC Adoptions, Inc.
Groups where you can show your dog: Pet Orphans Fund’s Open House, Pet Adoption Fund 818-340-1687, 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? Here are just a few of the things to look for:

• Be sure that the pet is spayed or neutered before adoption.
• Check to be sure the pet is for the person calling. If it is to be a gift for someone else, ask to speak to that person.
• If the person lives in an apartment, does the landlord allow pets?
• Is this a loving adoptive family, committed to the pet for life.
• Consider a signed Pet Adoption Agreement (see ours for some ideas)
• Make certain that cats are kept inside exclusively.
• Check for proper shelter for dogs when kept outside.
• Does the prospective owner have pet proof fences and gates.
• Ask that the pet be returned to you if the new owner decides to give it up at any future date.
• Be honest with the adopting party about medical or behavioral problems. If you are not - all of your work will be in vain because the new owner may not be as responsible and caring as you are, and the animal may end up being euthanized at the Animal Shelter.

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