CITY AND COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO

Animal Care & Control

Animal Care and Control ServicesAnimal Care and Control ServicesBy Lauren Melton, Molly Alsnauer, Jesse Flores,

Nicole Sanchez, Clara Saavedra, and Anthony Ruiz

˙ In San Francisco, A.C.C. is a place

to take stray animals. Stray

animals are animals who are lost

or don’t have homes.

˙ It is run by the city and county.

˙ The animal shelter is at

1200 15th Street at Harrison Street,

phone # 415-554-6364 and web

site at http://www.ci.sf.ca.us/acc.

˙ The shelter takes care of its animals 24 hours a day, 365

days a year.

˙ It is open for people seven days a week from 12:00PM to

5:30PM (and 7:00PM on Wednesdays).

˙ They are closed on holidays except for emergencies, but

they always take lost pets.

What They Do:F The animal shelter takes any animal.

F They try to fi nd homes for all the animals

except for the ones that are too wild.

F When they can’t fi nd homes for the

animals they have to “put them to

sleep” (kill them) but they don’t

want to.

F They give food and check-ups to all of their animals.

F They give shots to all of their animals so the animals don’t

get sick.

F The animals are spayed or neutered before they are ad-

opted so they can’t have babies.

F A.C.C. takes good care of their animals.

F If there is a dead animal on your block, call A.C.C. and they

will come and take it away.

What They Have:© They have a pet lost and found

room so if your pet is lost go to

A.C.C.

© They have booklets for people

about how to take care of their

pets.

© They have rooms and cages for their animals.

© They have a grooming (pet cleaning) room for their animals.

© They have a special room for pit bulls (a kind of dog)

because they get so many.

© They have a special room for small animals who don’t have

homes and are waiting to be adopted. Some of the

animals they have are rats, hamsters, guinea pigs, birds,

rabbits, and lizards.

Safety Around Cats and DogsSafety Around Cats and DogsBy Corey Carlson, Jairo Lara, Orion Macario, Devin LeGall,

and David Li

Why is safety important?F All dogs know how to bite, even if no

one teaches them.

F Children get bitten by

dogs more than adults

do.

F All ages of people should learn how to handle animals.

How to be safe around animals:➊ Learn their feelings:

Fear

F Dogs: When a dog is afraid, it may roll over. Then it

puts its tail between its legs.

0 Cats: A cat will crouch with its butt lifted and its tail

straight up. Its fur might stick up.

Anger

F Dogs: A dog will show its teeth. It might growl. It may

put its head down and its ears back.

0Cats: A cat may put its back up. It

will hiss or give a low growl. The cat’s

fur may also be sticking up.

Happiness/Playfulness

F Dogs: A dog will jump up and down,

wag its tail, and have a happy face

(its ears are up and forward).

0 Cats: A cat’s fur is fl at and it

purrs. It may roll on its back

and let you pet it.

When a cat or dog

feels like this or is

in the happy

position,

feel free

to play its

favorite

game.

➋ Learn how to behave around cats and dogs:

F Everyone should ask the person with the dog or its walker

before petting it.

F Only if the person says it’s O.K., fi rst let the dog sniff the

back of your hand. Then pet the dog gently and slowly.

F Do not move fast or run away from a strange dog.

F Never mess with a dog or cat that is eating,

sleeping, or taking care of its babies.

F If you stare into a strange cat or

dog’s eyes it may think that you

are challenging it.

F If you are standing or

walking and you come

across a strange dog,

stand still like a statue and do not move until the dog goes

away.

F If you are playing on the ground and you see a strange

dog, curl up into a ball and don’t make any noises or

movements.

What Pets NeedWhat Pets NeedBy Daniel Velasquez, Belinda Hu, Donna Dadoy,

Latanya Williams, Andrea Berrios, and Raymond Glover

ß Pets need a warm

home or place to

live.

ß They need fresh

food and water

every day.

ß Brush your dog

or cat so it will be

clean.

ß Dogs and cats need to be spayed or neutered so they can

be healthy and cannot have babies.

ß Pets are safer inside but sometimes they need fresh air

(except fi sh).

ß Pets need to get used to people to be good around them.

ß Sometimes pets need to be around other pets or else

they’ll be bored.

ß They need somebody

who gives them T.L.C.

ß What T.L.C. means:

T.L.C. stands for tender,

loving care. That is

something you have to

give your pet every day.

Your pet is not like a toy

that you

can treat however you want.

It is a part of your family.

Your pet needs lots of love

and care. To show that you

love it, you can play with it. But

what it needs most are hugs and kisses. It needs you, so

take good care of your pet. Show your pet you love it!

Spaying and NeuteringSpaying and NeuteringBy Angel Hu, Daniel Soibelman, Elina Ansary,

Josephine Kwok, Mairtín Steinkamp, and David Sandoval

Questions:Q: What do spaying and neutering

mean?

A: Spaying is an operation that

stops a girl pet from having

babies and neutering stops

a boy pet from helping give

babies. “Fixing” and “al-

tering” are other words for

spaying or neutering.

Q: What is pet overpopulation?

A: Pet overpopulation is another way of saying that there are

too many animals and there aren’t homes for all of them.

Q: What are a male and a female?

A: A male is a boy animal, and a female is a girl animal.

Q: Why are spaying and neutering important?

A: They help stop pet overpopulation.

The Benefits:ƒ Spaying and neutering stop diseases and problems.

ƒ Neutering makes a male not as wild.

ƒ Spaying a female makes her calmer.

ƒ Fixing your pet doesn’t change its style, or make it fat

or lazy.

ƒ Spaying and neutering help stop pet overpopulation.

The Facts:§ A good person doesn’t let his/her pet have babies.

§ Even if you fi nd homes for your pet’s babies, you are still

helping pet overpopulation.

§ It’s better to have a female pet spayed

before she has had babies.

§ If you want a cat or a dog, it is

better to adopt a grown-up one

than a baby because it will be

harder for the grown-up pet to fi nd a home.

Lost PetsLost PetsBy Luis Prada, Erick Colmenares, Marilyn Agbulos,

and Christian Reyes

0 Just in case you lose

your pet, put your

phone number on the

collar.

0 If you lose your pet,

stay calm.

0 To look for your pet,

go with a grown-up you

know.

0 Drive slowly around the

neighborhood with a

grown-up.

0 Call or whistle for your pet.

0 If you still can’t fi nd your pet, you can put up posters with

your phone number. Also put your information about the

pet’s breed, age, color, size, and home.

0 Call the ACC’s hotline for lost

pets at 567-8738.

0 If you lose your pet, you can go

to the ACC to look for it.

Artwork and writing of this booklet was created in the Fall of 1999 by the students in Tawnya Dudash’s 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade class at

San Francisco Community Alternative School.We decided to use “it” for pets because even though real pets are males

and females, we don’t know if your pet is a “he” or “she.” Also we thought “he or she” would get confusing after a while.

Design & Layout by Denise Angelina Debrunner.

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