PHOENIX — Maricopa County Animal Care and Control are expecting to see an influx of pets brought in after Fourth of July celebrations.
Kim Powell, spokesperson for MCACC said they prepared for more walk-ins this weekend but noted they are at full capacity.
MCACC comfortably holds 640 animals and as of the morning of July 5, they were at over 800.
For this reason, Powell recommends trying to find the owner before bringing a pet into their facility.
"Chances are they're not very far from home when you find them," Powell said. "So if you can post on social media, post on next door, post flyers up, if you can and file that found pet report on our website and get the dog back to its owner before ever bringing it here, we would greatly appreciate it."
Powell said a runaway pet can happen to anyone even if it's never happened before and recommends filing a report with them if a pet is missing.
"Maybe it's a dog that has never ran away from fireworks before, but as dogs get older, the frequency of the fireworks change in their ears, or at least it can," Powell explained. "Don't let your guard down this year, because you just never know it can happen to anybody."
Powell said those brought into the shelter without any form of identification are held a minimum of 72 hours before they are put up for adoption and if they do have some identifying piece, they are held a minimum of five days before being put up for adoption.
"We want people to make sure their dogs are wearing their collars with their ID tags," Powell said. "If you don't have an ID tag, that's okay. You can write your phone number in Sharpie on the inside of their collar even that will help."
What to do if you find a dog:
- According to Maricopa County, if a dog is lost and has a county tag, people are asked to call 602-506-PETS and follow prompts to get the owner's contact information.
- Found dogs can also be reported online here.
What to do if you've lost your pet:
- Report your lost pet with MCACC
- Visit one of the MCACC locations to see if someone has turned in your pet
*Maricopa County does not impound stray cats but they can be reported to MCACC.
Powell cautioned to be on alert when looking for lost pets online.
"Sometimes someone may claim that they have someone's missing pet, but then ask for some form of payment before they relinquish the dog to you, make sure that you see that dog in person before you do anything like that," Powell said
Powell said police can always be contacted if there's any suspected activity and also recommended verifying if someone claims to be the owner of a lost pet.
"If you find a pet, you post online and someone's planning to be their owner, make sure they have proof of ownership, Powell said. "Maybe it's a vet bill, maybe it's a bunch of pictures on their phone, but some people will claim that it's it's theirs, but really it's not."
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