CCA Found a Stray?

Found a Stray or Someone's Lost Pet?

Thank you for taking the time to help a lost or stray animal. By stopping to help a loose dog or cat you can prevent them from getting hit by a car and you will increase the likelihood of them being reunited with their owner. However, please do take great care when trying to catch a stray. Here are some tips for helping to reunite a lost pet with their owner.

Check the animal's collar for an ID Tag and phone number.

Contact your local police department, animal control, and local shelters to let them know you have found an animal. They will log the report and connect you with the owner if the owner calls looking for the pet.

You may turn the animal over to animal control or a shelter. If you want to hold onto the animal please refer to your local animal control agency to find out their policies. Please do take him/her to a vet or shelter to be scanned for a microchip. There is no charge to have this done.

City of Carmel Animal Control - (831) 624-6403
City of Marina Animal Control - (831) 384-2528
City of Monterey Animal Control - (831) 646-3830
City of Pacific Grove Animal Control - (831) 648-3143
City of Salinas Shelter - (831) 758-7285
City of Seaside Animal Control - (831) 394-6811
Monterey County Animal Services - (831) 769-8850, ext.1
The SPCA of Monterey County - from Monterey (831) 373-2631; from Salinas (831) 422-4721

Walk around the neighborhood where you found the lost animal. Knock on doors or ask passersby if they know whose animal it is. If you have found a dog, you might try putting a leash on him/her and asking him/her to "go home". Often dogs are only blocks from home and they know their way back if given the opportunity.

Look in your local newspaper under "LOST" animal ads to see if someone is looking for this pet.

Place a "FOUND" ad in your local newspaper. Most newspapers will run "FOUND" ads for free.

Place "FOUND" posters with a photo and/or description of the animal all over town.

Visit Petfinder.com, a popular national website with a free classified ad section for posting lost and found animals.