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I FOUND

A STRAY PET

Taking the stray animal to a shelter

The Idaho Humane Society (IHS) is authorized to accept stray animals from the public that are found within the following communities only: Boise, Meridian, Kuna, Eagle, and the unincorporated areas of Ada County. These are the communities that have vested the Idaho Humane Society with the legal authority to accept stray animals from their jurisdictions and have also provided the IHS with funding to provide this resource for its citizens. Garden City and Star provide their own stray sheltering services and no stray animals found in these communities are accepted at IHS.

Please bring the stray animal(s) to our Dorman Campus located at 4775 W Dorman Street, Boise, Idaho 83705-or- call 208-475-0854 to speak with our Lost/Found staff. It is against the law to keep a lost pet without reporting it to the Idaho Humane Society.

**Exception, if you found a kitten, please check out our guide of what to do.
WHAT TO DO IF YOU FIND KITTENS OUTDOORS
Similarly, no stray animals found outside of Ada County are accepted at IHS. It is a basic responsibility of every community to provide sufficient funding and facilities for the care and keeping of stray animals. Since owners search for their lost pet in their local area, individuals should take strays to their local animal control services as it offers owners the best chance of finding their pet. The Idaho Humane Society does routinely transfer to its facilities animals that have been legally relinquished to shelters in other communities and animals from such communities that have been held the legally required hold period and have not been reclaimed by owners. These animals are accepted on a case by case basis from communities throughout Idaho and make up an increasing percentage of all the pets the IHS saves each year.

We hold stray dogs for 5 days while we attempt to locate an owner. On the sixth day, the dog becomes the property of the Idaho Humane Society. Because of the high volume of cats we receive, there is no holding period for cats. When a cat arrives with identification or a microchip, we will hold the cat for 3 days while we attempt to locate an owner.

If you found the stray in another city, you will need to contact that county’s animal control municipality or shelter for your area:
Cities in or near Ada County:

Garden City:
Animal Control and Shelter
301 E 50th Street, Garden City, ID 83714
208-472-2950

City of Middleton:
Conrad Strays (Cat rescue)
208-585-9665

City of Star:
Animal Control
Ada County Sheriff Dispatch
208-377-6790

Shelter Services through
City of Star Veterinary Clinic
208-286-0440

Counties near Ada County:

Boise County:
Boise County Sheriff
Animal Control
208-392-4411

Canyon County:
Animal Control and Shelter
West Valley Humane Society
5801 Graye Ln, Caldwell, ID 83607
208-455-5920

Elmore County:
Animal Control and Shelter
Mountain Home Animal Shelter
295 NW Elmcrest St.
Mountain Home, ID 83647
208-587-2111

Gem County:
Animal Shelter
Pet Adoption League of Gem County Idaho
1526 North Washington Avenue, Emmett, ID 83617
208-365-1359

Animal Control
For information regarding Animal Control such as loose livestock, animal abuse concerns, etc. occurring within the City of Emmett and Gem County, please contact Gem County Sheriff’s Dispatch at 208-365-3521.

Valley County:
Animal Shelter
MCPAWS Regional Animal Shelter
208-634-3647

Animal Care and Control is located:

4775 W Dorman Street, Boise, Idaho 83705. We’re open daily between 8am and 6pm, closed major holidays.

Idaho Law with Regard to Found Pets

Any time a lost pet is found, the individual is essentially finding ‘property’ under the eyes of law as defined by Idaho Statute: TITLE 55, CHAPTER 4.

More importantly, local city ordinances add additional requirements to Idaho State law that must be followed. For example, in the City of Boise, the ordinance specifically states that all found animals must be immediately relinquished to the Idaho Humane Society.

1. Authority To Impound Animals At Large; Policy: An Authorized Officer, or individual citizen may seize any domestic animal at large within the City for impoundment. All animals seized must be immediately relinquished to a Humane Officer or delivered to the Animal Shelter for impoundment. (If pets are not turned over, the penalty is a misdemeanor).

Per Idaho State law, if an individual were to keep a pet, they could face potential civil lawsuits years down the road, if they did not follow the guidelines posted in Title 55, Chapter 4 of Idaho State Code, in addition to local ordinances, when keeping a lost pet.