• Email Buddy & Belle

• Teachers' Corner
• Parents' Corner
• Your Pet's Corner

• Learn About Animals
  • Am I the pet for you?
  • Are you ready for a pet?
  • Animals in all seasons
  • Identifying your pet
  • Pet overpopulation
  • Animal neglect/cruelty
  • Be a responsible pet owner
  • Wild Animals
• Fun Zone
  • How to be a dog buddy
  • Downloads/Activity sheets
  • Cool links
• How You Can Help!
  • Birthday parties
  • Humane Heroes
  • Raise Money for Animals
  • Come to an event
• All About the OHS
  • General FAQs
  • School Projects
  • Meet our staff
  • Meet our dog volunteers
  • Animal careers
  • Animals for adoption

 

Lost and Found Customer Service Representative

Our OHS staff answers frequently asked questions:

WHAT IS A TYPICAL DAY LIKE IN YOUR JOB?

It's my responsibility to check each animal that arrives at the OHS for identification in order to locate the owner. Using a hand-held scanner, I scan the animal to see if it has a microchip. I check the ears and sides for a tattoo which consists of a combination of numbers and letters that can be traced back to an owner. I also trace any tags that are on the dog or cat's collar.
 
If I'm able to find any sort of identification, I try to trace it back to the owner and make contact with him or her.

I also verify that the animal has been booked into our system with the correct colour, age and gender, and take the animal's picture.

I respond to all e-mails and phone calls from people who have either lost their pet, or found someone else's pet. I get all the information I need and then generate a Lost or Found Report to print out and put in a binder. We use these forms when matching up animals with their owners.

When people come to the OHS to look for their lost pet in person, I show them through the shelter to the rooms where their pet might be. If they don't find their pet, I give advice on other ways to search, including putting up signs in their neighbourhood and placing an ad in the newspaper.

WHY DID YOU GET INVOLVED IN THIS TYPE OF WORK?

I have always wanted to work with animals and this job can be very challenging. You get to work with dogs and cats, wildlife, reptiles, small pets like rabbits and hamsters, and the occasional pot-bellied pig!  I like that we never know what kind of animal will come through the door next.

WHAT SKILLS AND TRAINING DO YOU NEED?

Besides a secondary school diploma, any animal-related experience or courses are beneficial.  I took the Veterinary Assistant Program at Algonquin College and that provided a good background. You need to feel comfortable handling all types of animals to do this job. You also need to be organized, be computer literate and have an investigative mind. I am often called the OHS's "pet detective" because of the work I do to solve lost pet mysteries.

WHAT IS THE HARDEST PART OF YOUR JOB?

The hardest part is tracking down the owners of animals who have gone to the effort to identify their pets, but have not kept their contact information current. If the owners have moved or re-homed their pet to a new family without updating the information, it's very difficult to actually locate an owner. I have used many different ways to track down the person, but it isn't always easy.  Remember: always keep your pet's information current, and put an ID tag on your pet! You never know when they will wander away and you want to make sure that if they do get lost, they have a good chance of returning home to you.

WHAT'S THE MOST REWARDING PART OF YOUR JOB?

Reuniting an owner with their lost pet is absolutely the best part of my job. When a lost and scared pet sees their owner come through our doors and gets all excited, that is the BEST feeling! There is nothing more rewarding than that.

DO YOU HAVE ANY ADVICE FOR KIDS WHO WOULD LIKE TO DO THIS TYPE OF JOB WHEN THEY GET OLDER?

Read as much as you can about different types of animals and get to know the characteristics of different dog breeds. We get a lot of mixed breed dogs at the OHS, so it's always helpful to know what two breeds the animal is mixed with based on what type of ears, tail, head shape, size, or coat type the animal has. When you have this information, you can more accurately describe an animal, and therefore, you have a better chance of reuniting the animal with its owners.

DO YOU HAVE ANY PETS?

I have two small dogs. Montana is a dog volunteer at the OHS. She is an 11-year-old Pomeranian mix. Kokoroo is a 10-year-old Yorkshire Terrier. I also have two neutered male cats named Wiley and Wilson. They are now 11 years old.  Plus I have three chinchillas named Manuel, Pablo and Lucia.