Try to contact the owner if the dog is wearing a collar and identification tag. Take the dog to a vet so it can be scanned for a microchip if the dog has no tag or you can't contact the owner. Otherwise, contact us.
- The information on the microchip will help us contact the owner and return the dog to them.
- If the dog doesn't have a microchip or registration, or if the owner can't be contacted, a ranger will take the dog to the Sutherland Shire Animal Shelter.
If you find a lost cat
As cats are allowed to roam free, it isn't possible to be sure whether they are lost or a stray. If a stray cat has been around your place for a while and you are concerned about it or you want to adopt the animal, check if the cat has a microchip by taking it to the vet or contact us.
It's important to be aware of the laws that determine when you are legally allowed to remove or seize a cat.
The vet or a ranger will advise you about the cat's ownership, and then the process outlined above for dogs will apply. If relevant, you can discuss adopting the cat with the ranger or the pound.
Stray animals
Vets may accept a stray animal and will then contact us to impound the animal. Please note that vets are not obliged to accept an animal unless it is injured.
Impounded dogs and cats are kept at the shelter for 14 days if they are microchipped and 7 days if they are not. This gives owners a chance to come forward. If the animal is not claimed within these time periods it is then made available for adoption.
If you have found a stray cat or dog, it’s more than likely that there is an owner searching for them. Here are some tips to give the animal the best chance of being reunited with their owner.
Contain the dog or cat with care
Always be cautious when approaching strange animals. If the stray cat or dog appears friendly, please contain them as soon as possible. This will keep them safe from traffic and other dangers. Make sure to approach stray animals slowly and cautiously while speaking in a calm, gentle voice. Food is one way to coax a frightened animal into approaching you. Dogs should be secured using a leash or contained in a fenced yard while cats should be placed in a cat carrier or secure, well ventilated, box and placed in a small room in the house.
Contact your local council
If the stray cat or dog is behaving aggressively, if you are unsure about the animal, cannot approach them safely, or they run away, contact your council. Councils operate outside normal business hours and should be contacted even if it is a weekend or public holiday. You can find your local council here. The Home also has a list of the council’s within the Greater Melbourne region and the pounds and shelters servicing them. This list can be found here.
Check for ID
Once you have contained the stray dog or cat, check to see if the animal is wearing an ID tag. If they are, contact the owner immediately to let them know you have their pet. If you are unable to immediately reach the owner, you can wait a few hours for the owner to call you back. Remember to notify your closest animal shelter in case the owner calls or goes there to search for the pet.
If you can’t hold the pet or the animal doesn’t have an ID tag, either take them to your local animal shelter, or contact your council to arrange to have the animal picked up. Shelter staff can scan the animal for a microchip and if the animal is chipped and the owners contact details are up to date we will be able to contact the owner to let them know their pet has been handed into the shelter.
The most important thing to remember if you find a lost pet is to take the steps needed to reunite them with their owner. You don’t know if they have an owner searching desperately for them.
Each year we reunite many lost pets with their owners through our lost and found service. If you have lost or found a stray pet we encourage you to call one of our hospitals so we can check our registry for you. We record both lost pets and found pets so that pets can be reunited with their owners as soon as possible. We also encourage pet owners to Microchip their pets (see below). Here's a few things you can do if your pet is lost..
Search your neighbourhood
Walk or drive through your neighbourhood several times a day, especially early in the morning and at dusk. Ask neighbours and their children to keep a look out.
Contact local rangers and animal shelters including...
- Your local city council ranger and surrounding councils
- RSPCA - 9209 9300
- Cat Haven - 9381 1644
- Shenton Park Animal Refuge - 9381 8166
We encourage you to regularly visit these shelters as colours and breeds are open to personal interpretation and some can easily be confused.
Put up eye catching posters
Distribute flyers with a picture of your pet in as many public places you can think of: for example, grocery stores, churches, schools, pet stores, animal groomers, etc. Also consider letterbox dropping a smaller version to local households. Cats often seek shelter in backyard garden sheds and unknown to residents become trapped or locked in. So it is a good idea to ask owners to check locked sheds if your cat is missing.
Download your poster template here.
Place an advert in the Paper
Place an ad in the lost and found column of local newspapers. Since many papers allow people to put "found" ads for free, check newspapers daily in case someone is trying to find you!
Check all veterinary clinics
If your pet was injured he or she may have been taken to a nearby veterinarian or animal hospital before being taken to an animal shelter. Vetwest Animal Hospitals keep a central online registry of all lost and found pets reported to us. If you have lost or found a stray pet we encourage you to call one of our hospitals who will check our registry for you, and add any found pets. You only need to make one phone call to a Vetwest Animal Hospital and we will post a message on our online intranet so all hospitals can view your details.
Websites which may help you to locate your missing pet
You can also post an ad on these websites. Check them regularly in case someone has seen your pet.
Don't give up!
Continue to search for your pet even when there is little hope. Some animals who have been lost for months have been reunited with their owners.
Have you found a lost pet?
What to do if you find a pet without an identification tag
- Take the lost pet to a local veterinarian and ask them to scan for a microchip. If a microchip is found they will contact the national registry who will provide them with the owners details so they can be contacted.
- Notify the surrounding veterinarians as most practices will keep a log of lost and found pets.
- Notify the surrounding local councils
- Place notices in and around the area where you found the lost pet
- Advertise in the lost and found section of your local paper (this is a free service in most papers), on Gumtree, Facebook and All Creatures Lost and Found website.
- Often the best place for a lost pet to be is at a shire refuge, this is because it is one of the first places owners will look for a lost pet. If you keep the lost pet at home for a week or so, some owners may give up their search effort and will never be reunited with their lost pet.
Re-homing found pets
We do not re-home dogs directly from Vetwest Animal Hospitals, as in all likelihood the pet already belongs to someone else who may be very distressed and trying to track them.
If team members or clients would like to adopt the dog, they must do this through the pound, after it has spent the required amount of time there.
Council Law
Any unclaimed stray animal must be held for the legal time by the local authority before being re-homed or the animal is considered stolen property.
- No identification - held and advertised by the local authority for 72 hours
- Identification and attempts to locate owners - held and advertised by the local authority for 7 days
Following this holding period, the animal can be legally bought from the local authority or their re-homing organisation and is now the legal property of the new owner.
(NOTE: less than 3% of animals taken to pounds are euthanased. Euthanasia is a last resort for injured or behaviourally unacceptable animals ONLY).
Microchipping is a permanent form of identification for your pet. Inserting a microchip is like a vaccination, it only takes a few seconds. The procedure is very safe and your pet will feel little pain. Once done, your pet's details, and your contact address and phone numbers are entered on a national database.
What happens if your pet strays?
If your pet is ever lost, a ranger or veterinarian anywhere in Australia can scan your pet for the microchip and access your contact details.The only way that you may not become reunited with your lost pet is if you don't contact the register when you have changed your address or contact phone numbers.
If you change address or telephone number It is your responsibility to contact the Australasian Animal Registry and update your contact details. They can be contacted on (02) 9704 1450 or 1800 025 461. You can also visit their website on www.aar.org.au
Why aren't pet tags sufficient identification?
Collars can fall off or be removed and details on pet tags can fade or become outdated. Ownership of your pet can be challenged if your pet has been stolen and then later recovered. Microchipping is the only way you can prove ownership of your pet.
How do I have my pet microchipped?
Microchips are inserted at Veterinary clinics. Please contact us for more detail on prices.