Stray dogs hard to find

Loose dogs are hard to find, especially in the summer.

According to Brenda Sanchez, spokesperson for the Los Angeles County Animal Care and Control, dogs running free in Thousand Oaks in the summertime often hide in shady places during the day and are difficult to catch until they come out for food or water.

If someone wants to report a stray dog, that call is appreciated.

"We need the public to be our eyes," Sanchez said.

A response to a report of a stray dog occurs when the person on duty has time to circle the neighborhood and look for it in between other calls, she said.

A first-priority call is when a dog is injured. A stray dog is a lower priority, according to Sanchez.

There are 13,382 licensed dogs in Thousand Oaks, she said. Six or seven animal control officers patrol 10 cities and unincorporated areas during various shifts seven days a week, 24 hours a day. At night one or two are on duty, during daytime up to four, Sanchez said.

The cities they cover include Calabasas, Agoura Hills, Canoga Park, Hidden Hills, Malibu, Thousand Oaks, Topanga Canyon, Westlake Village and Woodland Hills.

During May and part of June, 64 stray dogs were brought to the Agoura Animal Shelter from the streets of Thousand Oaks.

"The key is the community helping us and letting us know the problematic areas," Sanchez said.

- Nancy Needham