LA Animal Services Announces Shelter-at-Home Program

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

LA Animal Services Media Contact: Justin Khosrowabadi, (213) 482-9551 or justin.khosrowabadi@lacity.org

LA Animal Services Announces Shelter-at-Home Program

Caring community members may now provide temporary home care for lost or stray companion animals they find and report to us.

Los Angeles, October 8, 2019 – Los Angeles Animal Services is proud to announce the City’s new Shelter-at-Home program, which will allow community members to provide home care for found dogs and cats instead of bringing them into one of our Animal Services Centers.

There are times when community members find dogs and cats in their neighborhoods and recognize them as their neighbor’s pet and return them home safely. Other times, however, they do not know where the pet lives and would like to provide temporary home care until the owner can be found. Within the first four hours of finding the animal, they must notify the closest LA Animal Services Center, as well as send us two or more pictures, and have the pet scanned for a microchip.

“Statistically, lost pets are often easier found the closer they are to home,” said Brenda Barnette, General Manager of LA Animal Services. “With Shelter-at-Home, communities can come together to help bring four-legged family members back home by utilizing social media, and posting flyers nearby.”

Shelter-at-Home will aim to:

Give lost animals home care, and medical care if appropriate.

Keep animals out of the shelter system, and provide much needed life-saving space.

Work with residents who are concerned or refuse to turn in animals to the shelter for fear the animal will not be claimed or placed.

Expand LA Animal Services’ foster program and increase community involvement in helping find animals’ owners, and meanwhile, allowing animals to be held in less stressful environments.

To learn more about the program, please click here to review Ordinance No. 186287, which amends Section 53.09 of Article 3, Chapter 5 of the Los Angeles Municipal Code to allow temporary home care for a lost or stray dog or cat.

For more details on the program, please visit https://www.laanimalservices.com/found-pet/

Los Angeles Department of Animal Services is one of the largest municipal shelter systems in the United States with six services centers serving approximately 60,000 animals annually and responding to 20,000 emergency calls involving an animal or person in danger. LA Animal Services promotes and protects the health, safety and welfare of animals and people.

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