Lost and Found Pet Match-ups

Did you ever wish you could help reunite strays with owners? There are several ways to help even if your time is limited. Here are some of those options:

If you Found an Animal

Please follow these steps:

• Call the Shelter at 442-1660 and file a "found pet" report with us or email us at lchsadmin@mt.net. If you leave a message on the shelter answering machine, be sure and tell us how to reach you. Speak slowly and clearly. Many reports are left without names or phone numbers on the machine after hours, thus we have no way to facilitate a match up.

• Do not "wait a few days to see if it finds its way home". The pet may be killed or injured if you leave it outside. Call us first. The owner may be sitting by the phone this moment just waiting for your call. Please do not hang up without leaving a found report if we don't know the owner at the time of your call. Our next phone call at the shelter may be just that person. If you do not leave a report we won't know how to contact you.

• Decide what to do with the stray. There are several options. You may keep the animal at your house, while we look for the owner. You may call the city or county animal control officer during working hours to pick the animal up and take it to the shelter. You may also take the animal to the shelter yourself during working hours. If it is after hours, you may call the city police to meet you at the shelter and they will impound the animal for you. If you surrender the animal, be sure and give a very specific location where it was found.

• If you keep the animal with you, the next step is to call the Independent Record at 447-4000 and ask for the Classified Department or fax your lost report to the IR at 447-4052. They will run a free 3 day ad. Calls received before 3pm are printed in the next day's paper. Please read the lost and found section in the IR every day in case the owner has placed a lost report.
  You may also place a free ad in the Adit: call 443-3690.

• Found pet postings at the Mini-Marts, telephone poles, and mailboxes closest to the location the animal was lost are quite successful.

• Please call us the resolution as it occurs. We like to know when you returned the pet, lost the pet, placed the pet, or kept it yourself. This helps us keep our files current. The answering machine is available after hours at the shelter for this purpose or you may email us at lchsadmin@mt.net.

Good luck. If we can be of further assistance, please call us at 442-1660.

Lewis & Clark Humane Society
2112 E. Custer Avenue • P.O. Box 4455 • Helena, Montana 59604 • Phone: (406) 442-1660 • Fax: (406) 457-9446
Copyright 2008-2009. All rights reserved. Site design by Element L Design