Found an Animal?
Here are some steps to take if you find a stray animal:
Your first step should be to contact your local Animal Control. For Hamilton, call 905-574-3433 and for Burlington call 905-335-3030. Here are some other tips on what to do if you find an animal.
Should I take an animal in?
In rural and suburban areas many people, unfortunately, allow their animals to roam free - cats especially. Cats, tend to wonder from home a fair distance so do not be quick to assume the cat is lost or abandoned. Cats are also more territory whereas dogs tend to be focused on their guardian and are more distressed when separated.
If you take a lost animal in to your care, you have two choices. You can take the animal to the City of Hamilton Animal Control. Or you can help locate the guardian on your own. Taking some time to try to find the guardian will greatly increase the chance that the animal will be reunited with the animal's guardians quickly and with minimum stress to the animal.
Cats
Check to see if the animal appears well cared for or is dirty, thin, hurt, ill or generally frightened. If the cat looks healthy, see if the cat is still around over a couple of days. If the cat appears uncared for and thin, you need to intervene right away. If the animal appears sick of injured - call the City of Hamilton Animal Control. Also, animals that have been on their own for a period of time may not be approachable and can unpredictably scratch or bite. Approach cautiously and wear gloves if you attempt to handle cats.
Dogs
If you find a stray dog, again, use common sense by looking to see if the animal is well cared for. If the dog appears healthy, groomed and approachable - chances are he or she is merely lost and not abandoned. If friendly you can take him or her in and help find his guardian.
Is the Animal a Neighbourhood Pet?
Remember that most animals that are lost, belong in the neighbourhoods where they are stray and the guardians may be frantically looking for their pet. Bringing the animal to your local animal shelter is an option but moving the animal from the neighbourhood reduces the chances that the pet will be reunited with its guardian. At least for a couple of days -- if you are able -- try to find the guardian yourself.
Steps to help find the guradians
Look for ID on collars. If there are no visible tags, take the collar off and look carefully for ID. Sometimes there is identification written on the collar -- inside or out. If there is no ID around the neck, check for tattoos inside ears, on gums, on the inside hind legs and on the abdomen. The tattoo will usually contain both letters and numbers. You can call this code in to a veterinary clinic, city pound, kennel club or SPCA shelter and they can tell you where the animal had the tattoo done. The clinic will have the address of the animal's guardian (if the records are up to date).
The animal may also be microchipped, which is a form of electronic identification that is inserted under the animal's skin. Unfortunately, you will have no way of knowing this. You should take the animal to a veterinary clinic, pound, or the Hamilton\Burlington SPCA shelters to have the animal scanned for a microchip.
Put up some posters around your neighbourhood in prominent locations indicating you have found an animal with a brief description and your phone number. Put the date and location where the animal was found on the poster. If you can add a picture that will help. (Always withhold some particular information that is characteristic of the animal that only the actual guardian might know such as a special marking or a scar to verify the guardian's authenticity.)
Check the "Lost and Found" column of your local paper.
Place an ad in your local paper -- this ad space is generally offered free of change by newspapers as a community service.
Use the Internet
There are many websites dedicated to helping lost & found animals be returned to their guardians. Unfortunately, many only cover the United States and do not include Canada. The following site does include Canada, and may be a valuable resource for you to post either a lost or found animal.
PetLynx: www.petlynx.net
All animals adopted from the Hamilton/Burlington SPCA are entered into the PetLynx database.
Contact local veterinary clinics in your community to inform them you have found an animal. Also, you can register the animal with other rescue groups -- many communities have a lost and found network that helps reunited guardians with lost pets. Ask for numbers at a pet supply store, veterinary clinic, or SPCA shelter.
Ask neighbourhood children and other neighbours if they recognize the animal and encourage them to ask their friends if they know someone who has lost an animal.
If you have found a purebred animal you could contact a breed organization. Often a member of the specific breed group will be willing to aid the search or perhaps take the animal and locate the guardian.
Report that you have found a pet to Hamilton Animal Control (905-574-3433). If after a few days of trying to locate the guardians bring the animal to your local pound.
If you find the guardian, as a courtesy, contact the groups keeping records and let them know so they can take the animal off their records.
Can I keep him if no one comes forward?
Often people end up keeping an animal after an exhaustive search fails to find the guardians. Yet, even after a month or more the animal may not be legally yours. Animals currently fall under the property sections of the law, so even though the animal might be bonding to you, he or she may still be the property of someone else.
