This post comes after receiving an email from a very distraught pet owner, who learned that Berger Blanc does not keep files on lost pets for more than 30 days. This is an odd practice, since I think most are well aware that pets can be lost much longer. Furthermore, she learned there are no details kept on animals that came in, whether they were euthanized or sold! It’s very important to be aware of this when searching for a lost pet. Be sure that you have an active file, (if you have one at all, as my understanding is that they don’t open files on lost cats at present!?). More importantly, go to check in person as often as you can, as having a file is not a guarantee that you’ll be notified that your pet is there either.

This being the case, it’s important that if you find a lost animal, you realize that the likelihood that it will be reunited with it’s family if brought to Berger Blanc is hampered by the fact that there’s a good chance that they don’t have a record that it was lost, and furthermore, it likely won’t be kept long enough for the owner to have a real chance to check! This is especially the case with a cat that could have been lost for months! Add on to this that they’re far away from many of the neighbourhoods they serve, and that they don’t publish their strays, and the difficulties become obvious.

Also, if an animal needs medical help, please don’t think that there will be any major interventions taken by a city shelter. (This would be true of any pound.)

So what should you do if you’ve found a stray? Ideally, if it doesn’t have a tag, you should check with a vet if it’s microchipped. If it’s not, then check for posters and listings, and also list it yourself. The SPCA will also publish it on their strays page. Try to do everything to get it back home, and if you can, keep it with you until you do! (Also, be sure that he’s claimed by his real owner.) This all might be inconvenient, but would be a very honorable thing to do! Realize too, that a cat could have been lost for a very long time! If you’re not able to keep it with you, or can’t find it’s owner, then try to find a no kill shelter. And if your intention is to bring it directly to the Berger Blanc, then honestly I believe you should just leave it where it is if it’s not in danger!

I think it would be a great service if those going to Berger Blanc would keep an eye out for each others pets when there, (I know some already do), since it is too far away for many people to visit regularly! If you check for others, they might check for you! And please keep collars and tags on your pets, and/or microchip, to be sure they have the best chance of getting home!

cat-lost-Lasalle

It seems that every time I walk my dog, I come across a poster for a lost pet. I also know that there’s an entire secteur of the population, who might not consider using the net as a tool. And from time to time I get people submitting found pets that they’re certain that they saw a poster for, but can no longer find the ad. I know I always have some kind of camera on me, so I’ll start to take photos too!

So…I invite you to send me photos of posters you come across, and I’ll list it in a photo gallery. There will only be a few simple guidelines.

  • I would need the district and street where you took the photo.
  • The information on the  photo has to be legible,
  • It shouldn’t be listed on the site already, either as a photo, or a post.
  • If the pet is later submited to the site for posting, the photo will be removed, (to avoid duplication).

That’s it! I’ll make another page of poster photos, so that you might be lucky enough to find your lost or found pet there! Of course, I won’t be able to follow up on whether the info is still valid, so I’ll likely just leave them up for a set time. And if by chance you know what their status is, please let me know!

There is a warning being put out for pet owners in the the area of N.D.G. It’s believed someone has been putting out antifreeze to poison skunks in the area. It’s recommended that you keep your pets inside! It’s also advised to bring your own water when taking your dogs to area parks. There is a report on the CTV news website : http://montreal.ctv.ca/

Very disturbing, please keep your pets safe!

I received an email today that I thought I should share. To lose a pet is already distressing, so to find that it’s been a victim of violence is unimaginable. If you’re from this area, or know anyone who resides there, I think it’s important not only that you keep an eye on your pets, but that the person responsible for the crime be caught. This is the notice, translated from French :

We are the Canine Center of St. Barthelemy, and are acting as temporary Animal Control for the city of St-Barthélemy. This weekend, we had a case of animal cruelty and I think it is important to expose this situation. The dog a male Mastiff cross, was shot on the Bel-Autumn street in St-Barthélemy. The dog’s owner had notified the municipality of his disappearance, and we were looking for him. The dog was found wounded in a ditch at the height of address 1700. The person who enacted this crime, did not bother to finish the deed. Quite the contrary, it had been dumped by tractor near the home of its owners. A nice message from the barbarian who lives in our community. I think it is important that people who live on this street be advised to protect their dogs against the person who could act again. So if you are a citizen of St-Barthélemy, pass this message. This could be your dog, my dog. The law prohibits the use of firearms in this manner. If you have any information on this crime, it would be important to contact us at 450-885-3587 and ask for Rene or Julie, we’ll put you in contact with the detective from la Sureté du Québec, who is investigating this issue. As for the dog, it has been seen by a veterinarian. We wish him a speedy recovery. And please, give this message to as many people as possible.

original source : http://elevagecanin-st-barthelemy.com/pages/controleur-canin.php

I’ve joined facebook in order to help enlarge the Petluck network and publicize the lost pets. The resource is there so why not use it!

To make things easier I’ve added a link to the original post on each of the sidebar thumbnails. Now if you click through the slideshow and are looking for details they’ll be easier to find. All the animals presently listed as lost or found on the blog can be found there. (When they’re reunited they’re removed to give priority to the still missing.)

I’ve added a new link on the side. Part of my morning routine, after I’ve fed my pets, is to go to this site and feed the shelter animals. It costs nothing and the cumulative effect is amazing. Between July and December of 2008 they raised 33.5 million bowls of food just from visitors clicking on their site. That’s on top of the 6.3 million from purchases.

You can also go there from here :

The Animal Rescue Site

Just a note to mention that I’ve added a few new links to some rescues that visitors might not be familiar with. They don’t have lost and found listings necessarily, although on occasion they might put up a courtesy listing, and they are good to know about as often people who find lost animals will contact them.

If at all possible, and in the interest of speeding up submissions, bilingual submissions are much appreciated! I understand if you’re not able but any help is appreciated. I believe the site will be a smashing success. I started it in the hopes of making a difference, and I love a great idea; it’s strength being also that its target is local. But in the meantime it’s a project borne of love and there’s no money in the budget for a translator! Hopefully I’ll transition it to fully bilingual in the future. Think of your submissions as you would the poster you might put up!

Thanks!

ps: Please give me about a day max to get your ads up.

I’m hoping to provide a good tool for reuniting lost and found pets with their owners. Send the information on the pet you’ve lost or found to petluckblog[at] gmail[dot] com with a picture (jpeg) if possible and any details, and I’ll publish it for you here. I’ll need, of course, the closest address to place it on the map. (If possible, a postal code works really well!)

I also wanted to provide information on useful links where you might also think about listing. As well as putting up posters and checking shelters there are many places to list and not everyone’s familiar with them all. Please feel free to send me any useful links that I might miss. You’ll find them on the tips and links page. I’m hoping that the site will stay as up to date as possible, and that even when you’re posters are down and listings dropped down further on the classifieds sites, your pet will stay on the map till you’re hopefully reunited.

The only thing I ask in return for this service is that you keep me informed if you find your pet, or if you found the home of the animal you took in. It’s important that the blog be as up to date as possible, for it to be most effective. And besides, I’d love to know how things turned out, as would many of my readers!

IMPORTANT : On the links page I have included those to city shelters. The Montreal SPCA has a blog where they post their strays, including pets being held by the people who found them. A.M.R. also has a page for their strays. Berger Blanc, unfortunately, does not publish their strays, and the user submitted lost and found page is closed at the moment. In any case, it’s very important to physically go and check the shelters. Animals are often only kept for 3-5 days depending on their age, condition, and time of year, and if unclaimed they are then either euthanized or put up for adoption. For various reasons your pet might not end up at the shelter serving your area, so check all. It’s not enough to call them. Even if your pet has tags, this doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll be notified. It’s best to act as though your pet didn’t have any identification when conducting your search. Also take note, Berger Blanc does not have a microchip scanner. And please realize it could be many months before your pet shows up !