Nov 30, 2015
“Helping an animal is a Good Samaritan thing to do and can help the community at large,” says Nordstrom. “You can hopefully help the animal find its way back to its home or be rehomed to a good and loving family.”
The number one time of year pets are lost is during the 4th of July celebrations, when they get scared by the sound of fireworks and take off. The second time of year is during storms, when pets may get out due to broken fences or leave their yard because they were scared by the wind.
If you see a lost animal, Nordstrom says you should try to contain it if it’s safe to do so. The first thing you should do is check for tags. If there are no tags, you can call the City of Bakersfield Animal Care Center or Kern County Animal Services, depending on where you reside. You can take the animal to the Bakersfield SPCA or certain local veterinarians to see if the animal is microchipped. If the animal has a microchip, contacting the family is the next step.
If there is no microchip, you can either submit the dog or cat to the shelter or file a “lost report” with the local shelter and keep it in your back yard. The shelter will keep the animal for 96 hours in a holding kennel where families can come to look for lost pets. After that time frame, it is put in the adoption area where it hopefully finds a new forever family. If the animal isn’t altered, the shelter will spay or neuter it before going into the adoption area. This means a delay of 10-14 days until adoption can occur.
If you decide to keep the dog in your backyard, you must do your due diligence to find the owner. Post pictures of the animal on Craigslist, Next Door app, or Facebook lost pet pages. The Bakersfield Californian will run a lost pet ad at no charge. You can also make flyers to place around the area where the pet was found. As long as you have made all attempts to find the owner, you can rehome or keep the animal after 14 days.
For more information, please visit www.bakersfieldspca.org.
