Local Pet Owners Heed July 4 Warnings: Dublin Shelter

DUBLIN, CA — July 5 is one of the busiest days of the year for animal shelters. Many pets, particularly dogs, become frightened and run away from the sounds of fireworks, and shelters receive a much higher than typical number of incoming strays in the days following the celebrations, officials report. But as of noon Friday, the East County Animal Shelter in Dublin is in pretty good shape. According to the shelter, only two dogs were found in the night-drop, and one has already gone home.

Not every area, however, has been so lucky. Reports are coming out that some shelters are overwhelmed with lost pets. If you had a pet go missing this week, or you've found someone else's lost pet, contact your local animal services agency as soon as possible, to file a lost or found pet report, officials are urging. Often this can be done over the phone, but it is always recommended that you also visit the shelter in person when searching for your own missing pet, according to officials.

East County Animal Shelter in Dublin serves all of unincorporated Alameda County, as well as the cities of Dublin, Pleasanton and Livermore. The shelter is located at 4595 Gleason Drive in Dublin, and is open to the public every day from 10:30 a.m. until 5:30 p.m. The shelter can be reached by phone at 925-803-7040 beginning at 9 a.m.

If you've found a pet in unincorporated Alameda County, or the city of Dublin, that you need to have picked up, contact Animal Services dispatch at 510-667-7763. If you've found a pet in the cities of Livermore or Pleasanton, it can be brought to the shelter, but call 925-371-4848 (for Livermore) or 925-931-5100 (for Pleasanton) if you need to have it picked up.

It can also be helpful to hang lost/found pet flyers in your neighborhood, and to post lost or found pets to social media sites; however these things should be done in addition to, not in lieu of contacting your local animal shelter, officials said.

Need help but live outside of the local shelter's service area? Here are some other local animal services agencies to try:
*City of Alameda Animal Shelter 510-337-8565
*City of Berkeley Animal Shelter 510-981-6600
*City of Hayward Animal Shelter 510-293-7200
*City of Oakland Animal Shelter 510-535-5603
*City of Piedmont Animal Shelter 510-420-3006
*City of Tracy Animal Shelter 209-831-6364
*City of San Leandro Animal Control 510-577-3206
*Tri Cities Animal Shelter 510-790-6640
(Serving Fremont, Newark, and Union City)
*Contra Costa County Animal Services 925-335-8300
*San Joaquin County Animal Services 209-937-8274