Dogs and cats escape.  It’s a fact.  Animals arriving at the Laramie Animal Shelter as strays are put through a rigorous process to make every effort to identify an owner and return those animals to their happy homes.

This process often starts in the field.  If an Animal Control Officer picks up an animal, it is checked for visible identification (tags or printing on the collar).  It’s then scanned to see if an identifying microchip is in place.  Our officers will check any tags as well as any microchip information while still in the field with the pet.  Especially during COVID 19, we are making every effort to return pets DIRECTLY home, without a stop at the Laramie Animal Shelter.  If the animal has no identification, then it is safely transported to the shelter where it will be well cared for.

Animals arriving at the shelter via a finder undergo the same process.  They are checked for visible identification and then immediately scanned for an identifying microchip. 

All stray animals that can’t be immediately returned home are advertised in the Laramie Boomerang classified advertisements.  They are also posted immediately on our website at www.adoptapet.com/laramie-animal-shelter.  We also compare any incoming animals to an extensive database of lost pet reports and local Facebook postings for lost pets.  We are keen to make every effort to identify an owner so they can be notified that their furry family member is in our care. 

Animals that arrive at the shelter as strays are held for a legally mandated five-day period.  This is set forth in city ordinance.  That five-day period gives an owner ample time to miss their pet and contact our facility about redemption. 

If an owner cannot be identified and the pet is not redeemed by the end of that five-day period, then it becomes the property of the city of Laramie and in the vast majority of cases it is placed up for adoption.  Animals available for adoption at the Laramie Animal Shelter can stay and be available for adoption for as long as they are socially and physically healthy and for as long as the facility has space to house them.  

If you have a dog or cat companion in your life, make sure they have identification on. Consider microchipping your pet.  If your pet goes missing, contact us right away.  The sooner we can send an owned Fido or Fluffy home, the more space we have at the shelter for homeless animals that truly need a place to live while they look for a new furever home.  Every cage and kennel counts.  Help us help adoptable animals by keeping your furry companions home safe and having them identified in the event they escape.  A homeless pet will thank you!