When you find a lost pet

As we get our morning started here at Have a Heart Humane Society, the first visitor we have is a sweet young woman who just found a stray little dog. She wants to have the pup scanned for a microchip, which we do immediately, but there’s no microchip! We start scrambling to find a temporary foster home, and until we find one we will house her here at the shop in one of our pens. Very cute dog, surely someone is looking for her!

Of course, we will need to hold her for the mandatory two weeks to give her owners time to look for her and claim her. All dogs who eventually become adopted through rescues also need to be brought up to date on medical things, such as spay/neuter and a current rabies vaccine. Our organization also insists on a microchip.

If you find a lost pet, you really need to notify the Kern County Animal control, also. Many people who find lost pets say they don’t want to call because they don’t want the animal to end up at the shelter, or the “pound.” As long as the animal is being cared for and efforts are being made to find the owners, the county animal control will not come up to Tehachapi to take away the animal. But if the owner of the missing pet does call down there to check on him/her, the information will be available. We want the citizens of the Tehachapi area to know that they are doing a great job in helping the lost and found animals in our community! In fact, we seem to be the part of Kern County that generates the least number of calls to animal control, because our citizens care and do so much to help the critters. Kudos, Tehachapi!

Another way you can be of help to our pet-loving community is to offer your home and your animal expertise to rescues, such as Have A Heart, to give a temporary family experience to dogs and cats who will be going to their permanent and “furever” homes. The foster experience and the family love these dogs and cats receive makes them so much more well adjusted than a shelter dog or cat, and helps their transition into adoption so much easier. Ask any of our foster families, they’ll tell you it’s a labor of love and you receive as much as you give. When you see your little (or big) foster critter fit right into their new family, it’s thanks to you, and although it’s bittersweet sometimes, you are the one that makes it possible to continue to save these sweet animals of all ages. Call us at (661) 822-LOVE!