PRC SPCA helped dozens of lost pets reunite with their families
Published 8:50 am Friday, June 3, 2022
- This loving female black Shepard with an unknown name was surrendered to the PRC SPCA on June 1. She is a stray looking for her family, if anyone knows where her home is they are urged to contact the Pearl River County SPCA. Photo by David Thornton Jr.
The Pearl River County SPCA is home to cats and dogs who are looking for a forever home, but it’s also a place for reuniting lost pets with their families.
Since the start of 2022, the shelter has reunited 79 lost dogs and 6 lost cats with their families. Over the 28 days in February, the shelter returned 18 pets to their respective families.
How the shelter reunites a lost pet is fairly easy. First, any pet brought in to the shelter is scanned for a microchip to make it easier to contact the owner. Shelter staff also look for any kind of ID on the pet’s collar, such as a phone number. If none of those options work, the shelter will post a photo of the pet on their website’s lost pets page. Anyone looking for a lost pet should start their search at the SPCA’s lost pet page, or the social media pages.
“We also put ‘Lost pets of Picayune’ and ‘Lost pets of Pearl River County’ on Facebook so we get the picture out there in every way we can,” said SPCA Spokesperson Maria Diamond.
When coming to the shelter to look for a lost pet, they are encouraged to bring a picture of the lost pet to better identify it. If the owner comes to reclaim a pet, a picture, veterinarian records, or something that identifies the pet as theirs should be presented. The shelter will hold a lost pet for five working days before putting it up for adoption.
Diamond also shared some ways to prevent a pet from becoming lost, such as putting some form of ID on their pets. Examples include a microchip or a collar with contact information printed on a small medallion. There is a leash law in Picayune so keeping dogs on a leash is important to avoid preventing a citation and losing a dog if it decides to run away.
If a pet does become lost, Diamond suggests posting pictures of the pet around town and on social media. Diamond says talking to local kids who play in the neighborhood might help locate a lost pet because they see things adults may not.
If a family is missing a cat, try putting their litter boxes out with food and water to see if they return.
Diamond said a microchip is the best option because even without a collar the pet is always carrying a form of identification and every shelter has a microchip scanner. If the pet was adopted from the PRC SPCA it already has a microchip.
