City May Post Photos of Missing Pets on Web Site

Los Angeles pet owners whose dogs or cats wander off may soon be able to turn to the Internet for help finding their beloved runaways.

Councilman Joel Wachs introduced a motion Tuesday to put photographs of lost pets online.

The images would be posted on the Department of Animal Regulation’s Web site.

The department currently posts lists of lost and stray animals in each of its six animal shelters.

The listings are also shown on the city’s public television channel several times a week, Wachs said.

Last year, the city was forced to euthanize almost 60,000 animals in its overcrowded shelters, according to department statistics.

Most of the time, these animals are strays, but occasionally the city euthanizes a pet before it can be reclaimed by the owner.

In a 1997 hearing before the state Senate, tearful pet owners recounted how their pets were put to sleep before they were able to retrieve them.

“In today’s technological world, the city can do more to reunite lost animals with their owners,” Wachs said in his motion.