SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Owners who have to retrieve their lost pets from Front Street Animal Shelter will no longer have to pay fees for the rest of the year.
Front Street Animal Shelter is waiving all fees to increase its return to owner rate. They say that nationally, fewer than one out of three dogs and one out of 10 cats are claimed.
The shelter says 44% of its animals were given back, but they believe they could do better.
The new program begins just before the Fourth of July begins. They recommend for those who lost their pets to post pets pages on Facebook, Craigslist or Nextdoor while hanging large posters in the area.
Bradshaw Animal Shelter told ABC10 they normally see an uptick in animal intake following the Fourth of July because of fireworks. Pets run away from home, break out of yards, jump fences and end up lost until they are brought to the shelter.
People could also check animal shelter websites a few weeks after the met is reported missing because it often takes a while for the pet to be found.
Friends of Front Street, a nonprofit organization, is covering the costs.
"Our hope is that by getting more animals back to their original homes, additional space at the shelter will be created, animals will experience less stress and disease transmission, and resources can be used for those animals who truly have nowhere else to go," said Friends of Front Street President Jim Houpt.
Front Street Animal Shelter is not providing this program to suspected abuse or criminal neglect of a pet.
