If you see a dog out on the road, please call MCACC at 602-506-PETS. A dog-at-large will be picked up by one of our Animal Care Officers and taken to one of our facilities (only in the cities we contract with. See our Field Enforcement section for a complete list). If you have an after-hours emergency, call your local police department.

All stray dogs need to be brought to MCACC so we can return the animal to their home. You can call MCACC at 602-506-PETS and an Animal Control Officer will pick up the dog. You can also visit www.pets911.com. This web site acts as a local lost and found in the Valley. You can search to see if anyone has posted a notice about a lost pet. You can also post a notice saying that you have found a pet.

MCACC does not pick up stray cats unless they have bitten someone. If you have been bitten by a cat, you must report it by calling 602-506-PETS. We will ask you a few questions to find out more about the cat. You can bring a stray, tame cat yourself to our East or West Valley Animal Care Centers.

Once a stray dog or cat enters our Center, he/she is held for a minimum of 72 hours in the hope of finding the owner. If the dog is wearing a current Maricopa County license (or the cat has an id tag) we will attempt to contact the owner and hold the animal for up to five days (three days for an expired County license).Once the holding period is up, the animal's health and temperament are evaluated to determine eligibility for adoption. Once an animal is deemed adoptable, there is no set time period that he/she is held for adoption. The time frame is based solely upon the availability of space at our Center and the continued health and temperament of the animal.

If you see a wild cat or one that acts skittish around humans, that is a feral cat. Feral cats were born on the street and have had no human contact. They may be alone or part of a group - a colony. MCACC advocates the Trap, Neuter, and Return of Feral cats. For more information, see our section on Feral Cats.

If you are interested in adopting a stray that you turned in, please contact us at 602-506-PETS within 24 hours of the time the animal came to our Center. You can pre-adopt the animal after the 72-hour holding period ends. After our clinic performs the spay/neuter surgery, they will contact you to pick up your new pet. If we do not hear from you, we will not hold the animal and he/she will be evaluated for adoption status.