05/09/07

Help! I've lost a pet!

Help! I've found an animal!

Help! I've lost a pet! : 
Time is of the essence so following are some things you can do. The Cherokee County Humane Society does not have a facility to house animals that are lost or found.
So FIRST, please go to the Cherokee County Animal Shelter if your pet was lost here. By law, they are only required to keep an animal for 72 hours before it is evaluated for adoption or foster case. For this reason they recommend that you go to the shelter on a regular basis to search for your lost pet, either daily or every other day. During the year 2000, there were 5,700 animals turned into the shelter. This averages about 500 animals per month or 110 per week. Due to the large numbers of animals they deal with and the large numbers of calls they receive concerning lost pets per day, they are unable to search the shelter for your lost animal. They will not be able to tell you over the phone whether or not your pet has been turned in. You can reach the shelter at:
 

• Visit other animal shelters in your area.
• Call other animal shelters and veterinary clinics to file a lost animal report.
• Check the local paper for lost and found ads.
• Make sure your veterinary clinic has your current address and phone number if someone traces the rabies tag.
• Place flyers in your neighborhood.
• Call other local agencies and check their facilities for your lost pet.
• Call the Century 21 Advantage Lost & Found Pet Hotline at (770) 615-3333 and give them details about a pet that has been either lost or found.
• The Atlanta Journal Constitution (404) 577-5772, The Cherokee Tribune (770) 479-1441 and The Cherokee Ledger-News (770) 928-0706 run lost and found ads for free.
• Go to www.petfinder.com and post your lost pet on their website. Also look under found pets to see if someone has put your pet on the website.
• Also go to www.petorphans.com and see if they have had an animal that matches your pet's description turned into one of the rescue organizations.

Help! I've found an animal! :
The Cherokee County Humane Society does not have a facility to house animals that are lost or found. You can take the animal to the shelter, let them know you have found the animal and have them scan the animal for a microchip which will reveal owners information and they can also determine breed of animal for flyers and found animal reports. Try not to leave the animal at the shelter if possible as they are overcrowded, especially this time of year. You can reach the shelter at:

 

Some other suggestions to see if you can find the owners or find the animal a good home if you can't keep it:

• Call other area Animal Shelters to see if anyone has reported animal missing and also to file a found animal report.
• Call area veterinary clinics to and see if anyone has reported animal missing and to file a found animal report.
• Check the local paper for lost and found ads to see if owner has listed their lost pet.
• Is there a rabies tag on the animal? If so call the phone number on the tag. It's usually the animal hospital that did the shot but they will trace the tag to the owner.
• Place flyers in your neighborhood.
• Call the Century 21 Advantage Lost & Found Pet Hotline at (770) 517-8210 ext. 567 and give then details about a pet that has been found.
   
• The Atlanta Journal Constitution (404) 577-5772, The Cherokee Tribune (770) 479-1441 and The Cherokee Ledger-News (770) 928-0706 run lost and found ads for free.
   
• Go to www.petfinder.com and see if anyone has posted the animal missing and I think you can also post the animal has found. If not, you can get a listing of rescue organizations that may be able to take the animal and find it a good home. Also try www.petorphans.com.
• The shelter should be the last resort to leave the animal as they cannot guarantee no animals will ever be euthanized. If they are overcrowded and new animals are coming in faster than they can adopt them back out, they have to make these difficult decisions. But they are very dedicated to trying to find good homes for the animals and euthanasia is a last resort.