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Found An Animal

What to do with a found animal?

When pets wander off or stray away from home it can be very stressful for both the animals and their families. By understanding what to do when an animal is found and reacting quickly and appropriately, you can help create a smooth reunion!
In North Carolina, stray animals must be taken to the county shelter. Sending all stray animals to one known location helps families to reunite more quickly with their pets.
The Caldwell County Animal Shelter is located at 180 Government Way SW in Lenoir and is open Monday-Wednesday from 10 am to 4:45 pm and Thursday-Friday 9 am to 4:45 pm. Contact them at (828) 572-4535.
The Caldwell County Animal Shelter maintains a 72-hour minimum stray hold for animals without identification, and a 10-day stray hold for animals with identification or a microchip.

What to do with a stray:

First and foremost, all stray animals must be reported to the county shelter in which they were found.

Here is how you can help when you find a stray pet:

If the animal is friendly and responds to you, look for ID tags or a microchip tag on the animal’s collar. Then you can contact their caretaker to make a plan to safely return the animal to its owner.
If you can’t approach or safely contain the animal, please call Animal Services and give them detailed information about the animal in need so they can assist. Caldwell County Animal Control Services: 828-572-4535

If there is no contact information on the animal:

Take the animal to your county’s animal shelter. In the Caldwell area, this is the Caldwell County Animal Shelter. They will gather useful information about where and when the animal was found as well as check lost reports to see if the family is already searching for their pet.
If the shelter is closed, take the pet home and contact the Caldwell County Animal Shelter right away by phone, or email a Found Report. Please provide a detailed account of the animal and the specific location you found it as well as valid contact information for you. Including a picture of the animal is also very helpful! When you get home, give the found animal a safe place away from children or other pets and offer them water and appropriate food if available. Often animals will not eat when they are highly stressed, so don’t be alarmed if they refuse food or treats.
Bring the animal to a nearby vet office or animal shelter to have them scan the animal for a microchip. If no chip is present, either take the animal directly to the Caldwell County Animal Shelter or take them home with you and contact the county shelter immediately.
After the county shelter has been notified, you can network and help reunite the pet with their family:
Put up flyers in the neighborhood where the animal was found. You can also put flyers up at nearby vet offices, shelters, pet food and supply stores, or any other nearby businesses with community bulletin boards.
Post on social networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter, Pawboost, or other community sites. Ask friends to share it in hopes of the message reaching the pet’s family.
Run a FOUND ad in the local newspaper and check the lost ads.
Please remember to follow up with the county shelter and with the posts, flyers, and ads once the pet has been reunited with their family!
An animal can end up as a stray in many different ways. We all need to do our best to practice compassion when dealing with animals and our fellow community members. Please remember that animals can escape from even the most loving and responsible family.

Did you find stray kittens?

Wait! Their mother may be nearby waiting for you to leave. If the kittens look healthy — meaning they are clean, warm, and have rounded bellies — wait 6-8 hours to see if mom comes back. If the mother does not return, and/or if the kittens do not look healthy, contact your local county animal control.

If the kittens are healthy and the mother returns, search out a cat rescue to help. Look on Facebook for a resource near you or ask your local pet store or cat café for the cat rescue they work with. FCR does not work with felines at this time.

Waggin' Tail Resale & Marketplace

220 Joyceton Church Road
Lenoir, NC 28645
+18285724822

Foothills Canine Rescue

P.O. Box 2746
Lenoir, NC 28645
+18283947490

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  • Fosters should work with a foster dog as they would any new pet in the home. Basic commands, such as: sit, down, stay; house, leash and crate training; socialization with people and other pets. Crate-training is highly encouraged and FCR will provide one, if needed.

  • Fosters are encouraged to network with each other to cover vacations and emergency care for their foster dogs and to give the Foster Coordinator ample notice of such needs.

  • Fosters should be enthusiastic about getting their foster dog adopted as soon as possible.

  • Fosters are asked to provide food for their foster dogs as part of their volunteer commitment. FCR can provide this if the foster is unable to.

  • Updated pictures every two weeks following intake. Two or three good pics is sufficient.

  • Biographical information upon getting to know your foster, and then as you notice additional changes in behaviors/habits, send us that information.

  • Fosters will bring their foster dog to events as scheduled by the Adoption Events Coordinator.

  • Fosters are encouraged to “SHARE” posts about their adoptable foster dogs on Facebook and other social media to spread the word. They may personalize a note with their “SHARE” and send updated pictures directly to FCR to make original posts.

  • Fosters are also encouraged to like, comment, and share posts about all of our adoptable dogs from FB and other social media sites.

  • FCR will provide veterinary services for all foster dogs, including the monthly maintenance of heartworm, & tick & flea prevention as needed.

  • If the dog isn’t altered upon foster intake, the foster agrees to keep the dog away from intact members of the opposite sex and will bring the dog to the requested facility when the time has come to have their foster dog spayed/neutered.
At Foothills Canine Rescue, we work to save the lives of as many dogs as possible. Each year, because of supporters like you, we are able to positively impact hundreds of dogs. We never euthanize a dog due to space or length of stay. We use euthanasia as a compassionate, end-of-life decision when a dog is suffering from a severe medical or behavioral condition and with the recommendation of our attending veterinarian. At FCR, we make decisions based on what is best for the dogs in our care, and for the safety of our community. To us, No-Kill means that we do our absolute best to ensure a live outcome.