I found a pet
If you find a pet, we can help!
- While we realize that most people think that bringing a lost pet to a shelter is the best thing to do, in actuality, it may harm the pet’s chances of finding his/her family again. The ASPCA reports that only 6% of dog owners and 2% of cat owners found their lost pets at a shelter, but more than half of them found their lost pets in the neighborhoods where they lived. If you cannot keep the pet in your home, please contact your police department to find out who your animal control provider is, or contact us or another shelter/rescue.
- Check for a tag or other identification markers. If the pet does not have tags, you can take it to your local veterinary clinic to have a microchip checked.
- If the cat you’ve found has a tipped ear, please return the cat to the place where you found it. A tipped ear typically means that the cat is an outdoor community cat, has been spayed/neutered, and has a person caring for her/him.
- Please use this form to report that you’ve found a pet. If you cannot complete this form, please call us at 610-373-8830 instead. We also recommend contacting other shelters in the area. They are:
- Call your local police department. For Municipalities with an animal control contract with the ARL, you can call 610-373-8830 for further instructions.
- If the pet does not have any identification tags, take him/her to a shelter, police department or local veterinarian to have him/her scanned for a microchip.
- Make flyers and post them around the area where you found the pet. Knock on doors. Many times lost pets are only a few blocks from home.
- Post the found pet on Petco Love Lost, Finding Rover, as well as the popular Facebook groups Berks Dog Search and Berks County Cat Search. Many people also use their local neighborhood Nextdoor site to find pets or report lost ones.
Wildlife
The ARL does not have a license to intake any type of wildlife. Click here to view wildlife resources in the area.