Advice for guardians of pets who are lost: Where to turn to and how to prevent losing your pets.
We ask our community to please always have a collar and tag on their pets, and more importantly to also microchip their pets. Microchipping is always the best identifier, and honestly, the only sure way a lost pet will find their way back home from a shelter. At Monadnock Humane Society, we always scan strays to determine ownership as the first course of action. When un-microchipped, the animal will be processed into our system and be shown on our social media as a stray animal. Please follow MHS on Facebook if you wish to see (and share) all lost pets throughout our community. Click here to access Facebook now. We also advise that you view or post lost pets on our lost pets website – Ten Thousand Eyes, located here. We check this list daily. You can also post flyers in your neighborhood and community forums. Please consider signing up as a Volunteer on Ten Thousand Eyes and help us safety reunite pets with their families!
Too often do strays come to MHS and are never reclaimed. During 2022, 197 adult cats came in as strays, and yet only 42 (21%) of them were reclaimed by their families. Thankfully dogs are much luckier and out of the 140 stray dogs brought in, 119 (85%) were reclaimed…the majority within a couple of days. We also ask that you contact us – your local premier animal shelter, when your pet goes missing. These three options listed above are really your best bet at being reunited with a beloved furry family member. Back in October a cat named Iris was reunited with her family, after going missing nine years ago, all thanks to her being microchipped.
We offer microchip clinics at MHS every Wednesday, from 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM. You can make sure your pet will always find their way home for as little as $20. For more information please click here.
For concerned citizens, unsure on whether an animal is stray or not? Please read on.
Our Animal Shelter Manager, Ashley Okola gives the following advice about stray cats: To all the good samaritans, we would also like to ask you to please make certain the cat is indeed stray before bringing them to MHS. If a cat shows up on your property, and the cat is a healthy weight, their coat looks clean, and with no visible wounds or hair loss, we ask that you leave them be. It is advised that you do not feed the cat, which entices the animal to stick around. If the cat is out and about walking around, then they will likely make their way back home. Finders can check with neighbors, post on their town’s social media page, or check in with local authorities to see if anyone knows who the cat may belong to.
Beth Doyle, MHS Humane Agent has further great advice about stray dogs: Loose dogs should be contained by the finder if SAFELY possible, then the local Police Department and Humane Society should be contacted to see if anyone has reported the dog missing. It is also not a bad idea to check with neighbors just to be sure the dog has not just accidentally left their yard. If the finder or PD are not sure of the owner, then the dog should be brought here or to the governing PD or animal control. If unable to safely secure the dog, attempting to take a photo is the next best thing.
In both cases, please view or post lost pets on our lost pets website located here https://www.tenthousandeyes.com/
Lastly, please take a moment to learn more about the microchipping procedure and why we think this is always the best solution for ensuring pets make their way safely back home. Visit our website for a microchip Q&A – Click here for more information now.
