Help Animal Services Keep Strays Off the Streets

Nothing makes an Irving Animal Services officer happier than reuniting a lost pet with its owner.

Lost pets with no identification can wander for quite some time, risking injury or worse.

To ensure more pets are returned to their families quickly and without incident, Irving Animal Services (IAS) launched a campaign called S.O.S.: "Strays Off the Streets."

Irving Animal Services field officer finds stray dog on the street.
Irving Animal Services field officer returns stray cat to happy owner.

Pet owners reclaimed only 37 percent of stray dogs and 1 percent of stray cats brought to the Irving Animal Care Campus in 2015.

In 2015, more than 4,000 stray cats and dogs were picked up by or brought to IAS, 1,000 of which were found dead or injured. Owners reclaimed only 37 percent of dogs and 1 percent of cats brought to the shelter.

When a stray animal is picked up by Animal Services, officers immediately check for an ID tag and scan for a microchip. Animals with an ID tag and/or microchip are often returned to their owners without ever setting foot in the Irving Animal Care Campus - keeping pets safe and off the streets.