 At the Santa Cruz County Animal Shelter, we see about 5,000 pets come through our shelter every year. Most of them are lost, strays. Many of them are reunited with their families, but far from all of them are. Our stray-hold period is four days, plus the day the animal comes in. After that, we must look for another home for that pet. If your pet is lost, act immediately. Do not assume that they will come home on their own, or that someone will bring them home. First, carefully check your whole home, inside and outside, and your yard. The cared pets often hide and hunker down very nearby. Next, walk your neighborhood, looking for your pet, and requesting your neighbors check their yards and their garages as well. Then come to the shelter and check for your pet. Create a lost pet report, leave a lost pet poster with a picture on our lost pet board. We post pictures online of all found pets in the care of the shelter, and record a found pet message nightly. But visiting the shelter every day or two is safest. Post an ad on Craigslist, flyers in your neighborhood, visit local vet clinics, and let your postal worker know your pet is missing. They have a unique way of seeing your neighborhood that might be of help. Be proactive. Make sure your pets have proper, current, legible identification. For cats and dogs, that includes microchip ID and an ID tag with contact information on their collars. For dogs over four months old, a county license is required as well. The shelter does microchipping for only $15. Remember, we live in earthquake, fire, and flood areas. Make sure your pets have identification to help them get home to you if they are lost.