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M: Closed T: 12:00-6:00 W: 12:00-6:00 Th: Closed F: 12:00-6:00 S: 12:00-5:00 Su: 12:00-5:00 |
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.::If You Have Lost An Animal::.
Heartland Humane Society is the impoundment facility for Benton County, the City of Corvallis, and the only shelter taking stray cats from Linn County. If you have lost a pet in Benton County or a cat in Linn County we should be your first stop.
LOST REPORTSPlease submit a Lost Report to us as soon as you realize your pet is missing. This can be done by email (adopt@heartlandhumane.org), in person (398 SW Twin Oaks Circle) or over the phone (541-757-9000). If you have lost a pet on a day the shelter is closed (Mondays and Thursdays) or after hours, please leave a message with as much information as possible and be sure to include your PHONE NUMBER.
A Lost Report includes the following information:
We also suggest you file lost reports with animals shelters in neighboring communities (see Helpful Phone Numbers).
ONLY YOU KNOWIt is important that YOU physically visit the shelter regularly (every three days or so)! Only you can properly identify your lost pet. Be sure to check all animal areas, and ask a staff member to escort you to see animals that are out of the public view. Animals without identification are held for a minimum of three days, so come frequently.
WHEN VISITING THE SHELTERCheck the Found Animals binder which contains records of animals that members of the public have recently found and have elected to keep in their homes. If you find a report that may be your animal, you may call the finding party from the shelter. It is worth calling on found reports that may seem like an unlikely match, as descriptions may be vague and animals can travel long distances. PLEASE DO NOT REMOVE any found reports from the binder, as they may not be for your animal.
If you do not find a matching report in the Found Animals binder, fill out a lost report. If you have filed a Lost Report by email or over the phone, check to make sure it is accurate. Be very specific with your descriptions. Include length of hair, coat color, distinctive markings, anything that may distinguish your pet from others. Attach a photo of the animal to your lost report.
Lost and Found Records are kept for 90 days. If your pet has not been located during that period, please call us and we will keep the record active.
BEYOND THE LOST REPORTMany lost pets do not end up at the shelter. There are many important steps you can take to get your pet home.
ADVERTISEHang large, colorful posters at major intersections within a 2-3 mile radius from where the animal was lost. If the animal did not go missing from home, but from another area, poster the entire route between where the pet went missing and where you live. Also, if you have moved recently, poster the entire route from your new home to your old home. It is actually very common for animals to travel long distances trying to get to a familiar place. Put posters up at all local veterinary offices, shopping centers etc. Give flyers to neighbors. Adding a Reward can be helpful. Include a photo of the animals on the poster, and your phone number. For safety purposes do not give your address or full name on the poster.
NEWSPAPERSFile a lost report with your local paper (see Helpful Phone Numbers) and check the FOUND reports in the paper daily.
LOCAL VETERINARY OFFICESIn addition to hanging posters, call and speak to the receptionist. Ask if they have received any animals matching your pet's description. Make sure you contact the Animal Emergency and Critical Care Center (see Helpful Phone Numbers) in Corvallis.
WALKSearch your neighborhood every day, especially in the early morning and evening when cats are most active. Call your pet's name. Be sure to stop often, be quiet, and listen! Bring a flashlight for those dark places where an animal may hide.
SEARCH THOUROUGHLYYour pet might be on your own property! Cats especially can get stuck in the most peculiar places. A lot of cats get stuck in garages, sheds, crawl spaces, ... Think creatively, your lost pet probably did!
LURE HIM/HER HOMEFamiliar smells can be helpful. Put something that smells like you on your porch or somewhere the lost pet may smell it. You can put food out, but remember, it may attract uninvited guests such as raccoons and skunks. OTHER AGENCIESIf you live in Philomath, Adair Village, Monroe or other outlying communities, contact your local law enforcement agencies, non-emergency number and file a report.
To conduct a thorough search, also contact Animal Control and Animal Welfare agencies in neighboring counties (see Helpful Phone Numbers).
WHEN YOU FIND YOUR ANIMALPlease take down all posters you have hung. To keep the community interested in helping, it is important that only true "lost" flyers are posted. Also, call Heartland and let us know that we can remove your lost report. This allows us to more efficiently and effectively help others find their pets.
If your animal escaped from your yard, check your fence thoroughly. Repair any holes and don't forget to look up, did your pet find a way to climb over?
If your pet wasn't wearing a collar and tag before, consider yourself lucky that your pet was returned and immediately purchase a properly fitting collar with identification tags. Additionally, please consider permanent identification such as a tattoo or a microchip. Please speak to your veterinarian about these humane, life-saving options.
If your animal is not spayed/neutered, have it done immediately. This will curb your animal's desire to roam and will prevent the birth of unwanted animals.
OUR WEBSITEStray animals arrive at our shelter daily. Because of the volume of animals coming through the doors, because many pets look alike and because we do not want to encourage unethical people claiming other peoples' lost pets as their own, we have opted not to place stray animals on our website. Please read all the other details on this page, to find out the best ways to locate your lost pet.
HELPFUL CONTACT INFO
.::So You've Found Someone's Pet::.
Heartland Humane Society is the impoundment facility for Benton County, the City of Corvallis, and the only shelter taking stray cats from Linn County. If you have found a pet in Benton County or a cat in Linn County contacting us should be your first step.
Regardless of whether you hope to keep the pet or not, you must take appropriate steps to locate the original owner. This will prevent "property" disputes in the future if you do decide to keep the animal, and will give the pet the best opportunity to find his original owner whether you bring him to the shelter, or keep him at your home during your search.
KEEP THE PET SAFEConfine the pet in a safe environment. Give him fresh water and bedding. Do not provide cow's milk, it can cause diarrhea. Keep the animal away from children and other pets if you are unsure of the temperament and health of the animal. Misplaced and hungry animals may be easily startled, defensive or aggressive in an unfamiliar environment. If the animal seems hungry, give it a bowl of pet food. If you have no pet food, consider bland items such as cooked white rice and yogurt for dogs and chicken broth or tuna fish for a cat.
SECURE MEDICAL CARE IF NEEDEDIf the animal seems to need veterinary care, take it to your local vet. After hours emergency care can be received at Animal Emergency and Critical Care Center on 3rd Street, in Corvallis. Please Note: Veterinarians DO NOT provide free care for stray animals. BE PREPARED to pay for any treatment or prescribed medication. If you cannot take on this responsibility, and the pet requires immediate care, you can bring the pet to Heartland Humane Society, 398 SW Twin Oaks Circle. On closed days, staff will be in the building until approximately 3 pm; please knock on the side doors.
CHECK WITH NEIGHBORSMost lost animals are actually close to home. Go door-to-door in the early evening and be on the lookout for people canvassing the area looking for an animal. Check with neighborhood children, as they are often outside playing and can be a valuable resource in location the pet's owner.
FILE A FOUND REPORTIf you found the pet in Benton County, fill out a Found Report by emailing, calling or coming to Heartland Humane Society. If you found the pet in another municipality, please fill out a Found Report at the appropriate agency (see Helpful Contact Information). A Found Report includes the following information:
MICROCHIP SCANNINGIt is crucial that you take the pet to a local veterinarian or Heartland Humane Society to have it scanned for a Microchip. Microchips are a form of permanent identification implanted under the animals skin. You will not know that the animal is chipped, but it might be. Heartland has a true Universal Scanner, meaning we can detect all types of chips.
LOST REPORTSWhile at Heartland having the pet scanned, please check the LOST REPORT BINDER. If you find a report that is a potential match, you can use our phone to contact the previous owner.
ADVERTISEHang large, colorful posters at major intersections within a 2-3 mile radius from where the animal was found. Put posters up at all local veterinary offices, shopping centers etc. Give flyers to neighbors. For safety purposes do not give your address or full name on the poster. For the safety of the animal, leave at least one crucial piece of information off of the flyers, such as gender.
USE CAUTIONWhen people contact you about the pet, have them describe the pet to you! Make them include the crucial detail you have omitted from your advertising. Make sure dates and locations match. Not everyone is ethical in the means they use to obtain animals, some of which may end up in research facilities. If you feel unsure, ask that they supply you copies of photographs or veterinary records. And, of course, meet them in a public place and make sure you have a friend or family member with you.
NEWSPAPERSYou can file a found report for FREE. Again, leave out a few crucial details. Don't forget to check the lost reports in the paper, as well. (See Helpful Contact Information)
IF YOU ARE UNABLE TO FIND THE PET'S FAMILYIf you are not interested in keeping the animal, or trying to find him a new home, you can bring the animal to the shelter for placement. While we cannot guarantee placement, every adoptable animal is given a fair chance at finding a new home. Animals who are extremely ill, injured or who have a history of aggressive behavior may not be put up for adoption. Please call ahead if you plan to bring us an animal. In order to best serve the animals, we request that animals are not brought to the shelter during the first hour we are open, or during the last hour before closing. For your convenience we are open Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday, Noon - 6 pm and Saturday and Sunday, Noon - 5 pm.
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