1. Report your missing pet to us, as well as other animal rescue groups or shelters and the vets in your area. Leave a detailed description of your pet and your contact details. If you don't have a photo, be as descriptive as possible and include anything that can differentiate your pet from another.

2. Send a message to our Facebook Page administrator (facebook.com/awspe) with a full description of your pet, a photo and your contact number in order for us to share your missing pet on our page. We can also recommend Facebook groups where you can post the details of your missing pet.

3. Print flyers to put up in public places and to hand out to your neighbours, or arrange a search party.

4. Visit our shelter and other animal shelters once you are aware that your pet is missing, and often thereafter. A collar and ID tag may be lost and unless your pet is microchipped only you and you alone can 100% accurately identify your pet. Your cat or dog could well fit the description of another stray.

5. Do not give up after a few days, keep searching!

6. Keep in touch with the shelters and vets that you have contacted and inform them if you have found your pet. If you have posted on social media please update your post when you have found your pet - it helps those of us who are checking social media groups and pages for possible matches.

1. Inform us as well as other animal rescue groups or shelters and the vets in your area that you have found a missing pet.

2. Take the pet to be scanned for a microchip at your vet or bring the pet to us where we will also scan the pet and advertise that he/she has been found.

3. Send a message to our Facebook Page administrator (facebook.com/awspe) with a full description of the pet, a photo and your contact number in order for us to share on our page. We can also recommend Facebook groups where you can post the details of the pet that you have found.

4. When a potential owner comes forward, ensure that ownership is authenticated. Ask for a photo of the pet and compare the two. An owner can also tell you about specific markings on the pet. Take down the details of the person who is claiming their pet - name, address and phone number.

5. Keep in touch with the shelters and vets that you have contacted and inform them if the pet has been claimed or taken to another shelter for safekeeping. If you have posted on social media please update your post when the pet has been claimed - it helps those of us who are checking social media groups and pages for possible matches.

We strive to take the best care of your pet while he/she is in our care. To do so, our vet sees each animal in our intake hospitals daily and checks for the presence of a microchip. Our vet will also administer medication when necessary and may have to deworm and vaccinate a pet before he/she has been claimed. The veterinary costs (if any) incurred will be for your account.

To claim your pet from AWS PE, please bring along proof of ownership in the form of a vet card and recent photograph(s). There is a standard R150 claiming fee per pet to cover administration costs.

Our inspectors collect the majority of incoming stray pets from various veterinary clinics throughout the city on a regular basis. Regrettably, pet owners are requested to pay an additional R150 fee per day that their pet has stayed at the shelter. This daily fee is used to cover your pet's stay (food and care costs) at our shelter.

A standard call-out fee of R220 will apply to receive pets after hours.

You have the option to microchip your pet at our Shelter at a cost of R220.