News Release
For many of us, pets are family. Losing a beloved furry family member causes stress and anguish and often results in a frantic search for the missing four-legged companion. If your pet suddenly vanishes, what should you do?
When a stray pet comes to the Humane Society of Adams County (HSAC), every reasonable effort is made to return the animal to its rightful owner. This includes posting the pet on our Facebook page, holding the animal for the legally-required length of time, (72 hours in Ohio), scanning the pet for a microchip, and using the information on tags and tattoos to try to locate the owner.
If no one comes forward to claim the animal within the required time frame, then the animal may be euthanized, adopted or transferred to another rescue. HSAC will not euthanize a pet to make space for other animals. Once a pet has been adopted or transferred, privacy policies require that the shelter keep the information confidential. In Adams County, all stray dogs are held at the Adams County Dog & Kennel Department unless they are in immediate need of medical treatment, in which case they may come to HSAC.
To give your pet the best chance possible of being returned to you, please consider these steps:
1) Keep a collar with at least your phone number on the pet at all times. Adams County requires all pet dogs to be licensed. License tags are able to be secured to collars and the County Dog Warden can identify the owner by looking up the tag number.
2) Take photos of your pet often to be sure to have a recent photo that you can share with the shelter if you lose your pet.
3) Have your pet microchipped.
4) Start your search for your missing pet as soon as you notice he has gone missing. You might only have three days if he has already been taken to a shelter. Start by sharing details and recent photos with the Adams County Dog & Kennel Dept./Dog Warden and with HSAC. Adams County also has an Adams County Ohio Lost and Found Animals page on Facebook.
5) Tell your friends and family to keep an eye out.
6) Post fliers in public places, such as the village libraries and any place that sells pet products, (in case the finder goes to pick up food for the animal), such as Tractor Supply Company, Seaman Pet Center, and Cherry Fork Feed Supply.
The Humane Society of Adams County is in the business of helping pets live happy, healthy lives – that means both getting stray pets back to their current homes and helping homeless pets get new homes. HSAC encourages pet owners to do their part to help prevent pets from becoming homeless by following the tips in this article.
For more information about the Humane Society of Adams County, please visit adamscountyanimals.org or their Facebook page at Humane Society of Adams County, Inc.
