FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

LA Animal Services Media Contacts:

Agnes Sibal-von Debschitz, (213) 482-9512 or  [email protected]

Justin Khosrowabadi, (213) 482-9551 or   [email protected]

Fostering a Lost Dog or Cat

Most lost dogs or cats who have gotten out of their yard or home, are often lost and wandering in their own neighborhood . Posting a photo and description of the found pet on  Nextdoor , Pawboost, or Shadowapp   is an effective way to reunite the pet with his or her family.

Another way Angelenos can help is to consider our Shelter-at-Home Program   and foster the dog or cat, while searching for the owner. It’s a great program by which the “Finder” sends LA Animal Services a picture of the found animal and has the animal scanned for a microchip at an open veterinary clinic or hospital. LA Animal Services then posts the lost pet’s picture on our website’s “Found by the Public” pages for  dogs   and   cats . When a possible owner calls, our staff will get the information and set the time for the “Finder” to bring the pet to the Center so the possible owner can see the found dog or cat. According to an ASPCA survey, about half of missing dogs and a third of missing cats were found by searching their local neighborhoods.

“We are also taking in pets whose owner has died leaving them alone, as well as taking in pets whose owner lives alone and is too sick to care for them,” said Brenda Barnette, General Manager for LA Animal Services. “As part of our ongoing commitment to the residents and the City of Los Angeles, our Officers also respond to calls for people and pets in danger, while our staff in our Animal Services Centers provides enrichment for the animals in our care, continues to process the adoption and fostering of pets, and reuniting lost animal companions with their families by appointment.”

If you have an emergency with a sick or injured animal, please call the nearest Animal Services Center ahead of time to let us know you are arriving and describe the emergency. We will get all of the information we need and will be able to meet you in the parking area if there are no appointments available.

To find your nearest LA Animal Services Center or to find out more about Shelter-at-Home and the resources available to you, visit laanimalservices.com .

Partnering with Local Cat Rescues

To assist with the caring of underage kit tens LA Animal Services has made arrangements with three cat Rescue groups to take the kittens who need bottle feeding if you cannot care for them at home. LA Animal Services also has a kitten foster manual available online, view the manual by clicking here .

If you need help and can’t care for the kittens, call the closest shelter , tell them you need help with kittens, and give them your name, address, and phone number. A volunteer from a kitten rescue group will call you within 30 minutes and arrange to meet you to take the kittens.