On August 18, 2021, the private dog daycare and boarding facility Pet Camp published on its website an interview of San Francisco Animal Care & Control’s Executive Director, Virginia Donohue. (Ms. Donohue and her husband also happen to own Pet Camp.)

Pet Camp: What should we do if we find a stray dog?

Donohue: “If you’re able to get it in your vehicle, bring it over here and we will match the dog up with its owner.”

Website: “Call SFACC’s general line to see if we have a matching Lost [Dog] Report…If we don’t, we will take a Found [Dog] Report over the phone.”

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Pet Camp: What should we do if we find a stray cat?

Donohue: “If the cat’s injured, not eating or in distress in some way, give the cat to us.”

Website: “If the cat is sick or injured…please contact SFACC Dispatch…for further assistance…If the cat is in danger (such as busy intersection or coyotes) and urgent action is necessary, safely confine the cat if safe to do so or call SFACC Dispatch…for assistance…If the cat is not in danger or sick/injured, do not bring the cat indoors; leave him in place. You may provide food/water support.” [Note: In at least one case, an ACC clerk told the Good Samaritan to return a stray cat to the middle of a busy intersection.]

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Pet Camp: Do you need to surrender a stray animal to SF ACC?

Donohue: “The best thing to do is to bring the stray animal here because this is where people are trained to look for their lost pet.”

Website: “Most cats you see outdoors are not in need of intervention and should be left where they are…[the finder should] help reunite a possibly lost or abandoned cat…it might be a neighbor’s cat on a stroll…If the cat is wearing a collar and appears dirty, sick, or injured, please call our front desk for further assistance…[and] post a found cat alert on [social media].”

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THE COMMON EXPERIENCE OF MOST GOOD SAMARITANS WHO TRY TO BRING STRAY ANIMALS TO ACC IS WHAT THE SHELTER PUBLICIZES ON ITS WEBSITE, NOT WHAT THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR SAID. RARELY, A SYMPATHETIC CLERK MAY ARBITRARILY IGNORE ACC POLICY AND LET A STRAY CAT INTO THE SHELTER, BUT THAT IS THE EXCEPTION, NOT THE RULE. IF IT WERE THE RULE THERE WOULD BE NO NEED FOR THIS PETITION.