Some quick and easy tips to help find a lost pet, or reunite a lost pet with their family:
Immediately contact every Animal Control facility within a thirty mile radius.
Post flyers in the area the pet was lost.
Ask the local news paper to run a free ad.
Ask local radio stations to make an announcement over the air.
Make a post on lost and found pet pages on social media.
If your pet is microchipped, notify the microchip company immediately!
Have you lost a pet or found someone’s lost pet?
Unfortunately, we are unable to take in lost, stray or found pets directly from the public. All animals that are found as lost or stray must go through Animal Control for the city or area in which they were lost or found. From there the pet will be placed on a mandatory stray hold (three to five days depending on the city) to allow the owner to look for and claim their lost pet. If the pet is not claimed during the allotted amount of time and the stray hold ends, the lost pet will then be transferred to us (with the exceptions of Calexico Animal Control and Imperial County Animal Control) and will immediately be available for adoption or rescue group transfer. Contrary to popular belief, animals that are picked up by Animal Control are NOT euthanized after three days if not claimed. To find out if your pet has been picked up by Animal Control, or if you have found a lost/stray pet and need Animal Control to pick him or her up, please contact the appropriate Animal Control facility. The contact information for each facility is as follows:
Brawley: 760-344-5800, option 2
Calexico: 442-200-7366 or 760-768-1861
Calipatria: 760-351-7766
El Centro: 760-352-2113. Press 0 when the recording comes on.
Holtville: 760-356-2912
Imperial: 760-355-4327
Westmorland: 760-344-3411
*Imperial County: 442-265-2655, option 0
*Imperial County Animal Control services Heber, Seeley, Niland, Ocotillo, Salton City, Bombay Beach, Palo Verde, Winterhaven and all unincorporated areas of each city.
Did you know that we offer low-cost microchipping?
It is important to make sure that pets have proper identification on at all times. Properly fitted collars with a name tag that has current owner contact information is always a good idea, but when a collar and tag is taken off for a bath, accidentally comes off or is misplaced, this is when microchips save the day!
What is a microchip?
A microchip is tiny device that is slightly larger than a grain of rice. Microchips serve as a quick, easy and reliable way in helping to reunite lost pets with their families.
How do microchips work? Are they GPS devices?
It is important to know that microchips are NOT GPS tracking devices. Instead, they act like a name tag that can never be removed or misplaced. Each microchip contains a serial number (some alphanumeric) that is registered to the owner of the pet. The microchip contains the pet’s basic information (name, breed, description, etc.) and the owners name, address, phone number and email. When a lost or stray pet is scanned for a microchip by a pet care professional (e.g. an Animal Control Officer, a shelter worker or a veterinary clinic employee), the microchip number appears on the screen of the scanner. The pet care professional can determine which company the microchip is from and will then contact the microchip company to obtain the owners contact information. From there, either the microchip company or the pet care professional can contact the owner of the lost pet to notify them that their pet has been found.
How are microchips implanted? Does it hurt?
Microchips are implanted under the skin and between the pet’s shoulders. It is implanted using a needle, similar to how a vaccine is given. The implantation process literally takes seconds! In fact, it will take you longer to fill out the microchip registration form. There is no surgery or anesthesia required, no “down time”, no incision is made and the pet does not become nauseous or febrile after the microchip is implanted. The pet may feel the poke of the needle, but generally most pets that do great when receiving their annual vaccinations will do just fine when being microchipped. After all, a quick-one time poke of a needle is worth the peace of mind you will have knowing your beloved fur-kid has a permanent and reliable form of identification.
How much does microchipping cost?
Aside from every dog, cat and rabbit that is adopted from our shelter being microchipped as a standard, we do offer a low-cost microchipping service for our four-legged community members! The cost is $25 and that includes a lifetime registration that has no hidden monthly or annual fees. That’s right! Just a one time $25 fee and your pet is protected for life! If you would like to have your pet microchipped through our low-cost service, please give our office a call during business hours to schedule an appointment. We accept all forms of payment for microchipping.
We offer microchipping anytime during our business hours. No appointment is needed.
Please keep in mind that should you ever find a lost or stray pet and would like to know if he or she is microchipped, our team members would be more than happy to scan the pet for you during our business hours, at no cost to you!