By KEELY BRAZIL The Daily JournalUpdated: 08/12/2011 12:00:01 AM PDTFramed on the walls of the Ukiah Animal Shelter are pictures that tell stories: stories of dogs who found homes, and families who found canine friends. Behind the shelter, in kennels open seven days a week, hundreds of dogs await their own happy endings. Many are waiting for the owners they lost.
"All of the dogs have somebody who was their person, their family," Sage Mountainfire, adoption coordinator for the county, says. In her office, one such lost dog waits patiently on a low couch. The female Doxie-mix was found wandering Old River Road on Aug. 9.
"She has an owner," affirms Mountainfire. "She is very friendly, very happy." But the pup's five-day holding period is almost up. After that, if her family hasn't come for her, she'll be put up for adoption.
Of the 3,090 animals admitted to the shelter last year, 1,674 were lost pets that had been brought in either by individuals who found them running loose, or the county animal control officer. No matter how an animal comes in, the arrival procedure is the same. Each is first scanned for a microchip. If no owner is found, the animal is then vaccinated and placed in a kennel. This begins the holding period. If no owner has arrived at the end of those five business days, the animal will be evaluated for adoption.
At this point, animals are photographed classifieds and the Plant Road Animal Shelter's Facebook page. While many pictures are posted, Mountainfire emphasizes that not every dog is advertised. "We
do a sampling to keep people aware," she explains. But often the shelter cannot keep up with the influx of new arrivals."One time we had a family who had lost their dog," Mountainfire recalls. "It had been several months, and they came in and said they were finally ready to adopt a new dog. They went out to the kennels, and there was their dog! It had been here for three months. That uncommon, but it's not unheard of."
This story highlights the need for owners to be persistent when searching for a lost pet. "You have to come in, and you have to come in frequently," she says.
When an owner calls to report a lost dog, the shelter will provide a lost pet report to fill out as a first step. Often, by simply matching the description in a report with a caller who has found a lost animal, the shelter is able to reunite pets with their families immediately. If that doesn't happen, Mountainfire reiterates that the first step is always to come to the shelter. Photos and fliers for the shelter bulletin board are other ways that owners can be proactive.
"We are extremely lucky to work in a system where we can keep animals as long as they are healthy and behaviorally sound, but a dog can only live in a shelter for so long," says Mountainfire. "It's hard for them to be here. The kennels are small, it's noisy."
While many lost dogs are reunited with their families, most are never claimed. Mountainfire believes that this is often because owners give up looking for a dog that may well be waiting for them in the shelter.
According to the National Council on Pet Population Study and Policy, less than 2 percent of lost cats and only 15 to 20 percent of lost dogs are found. Of these, most are identified by tags, tattoos or microchips. However, even microchips can be ineffective when owners fail to keep their contact information current.
"There's nothing more disheartening than scanning the dog for a microchip, and finding that the owner has moved or changed their cell phone number," says Mountainfire. Keeping contact information accurate by contacting the microchip company and the county with any changes ensures that the microchip does its job. To this end, the Ukiah shelter also offers microchipping at low cost to pet owners.
The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals states on its website that most strays are lost pets who were not kept properly confined or who did not have identification. In Mendocino County, where many rural residents live on unfenced land, Mountainfire encourages dog owners to be careful. "When you have open property, you have to be really aware," she says. Spaying and neutering is also an important factor. "A male dog can smell a female dog in heat two miles away. Even with proper fencing, if he wants to get out, he will."
The local Humane Society and Animal Shelter work hard to reunite dogs and cats with their families. "Returning a beloved pet to an owner is so wonderful," says Mountainfire, adding that, along with adoption, this is the most rewarding part of her job. For pets and families alike, being found is a happy ending.
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