Resources

Got a problem? There’s a resource for that.

Animal Control Lost & Found Disaster Preparedness Wildlife Bloomingtails Transport Program

The Potter League is the animal resource for Newport County and beyond, and offers a variety of services and outreach programs to the community.

Animal Control

See a stray? Make the call.

If you have a situation involving an animal, please call your local animal control officer. Local animal control agencies exist to protect and assist with many animal issues facing the public, from stray dogs to wild animals on private property. If you find a stray animal and animal control is unable to assist, we accept stray animals from Newport, Middletown, and Portsmouth during regular business hours. There is no fee to bring a verified stray animal to the Potter League.

Reporting Cruelty & Neglect

As a rule, failure to provide adequate food, water, and shelter or the use of physical force sufficient to leave a mark or otherwise cause injury constitutes cruelty to animals according to most state laws. If you believe an animal is being mistreated, contact your local animal control officer. Your actions may not only help the animal, but also identify a person in need of help. Intervention can prevent escalation of abuse. Find Your Local Animal Control

Lost & Found

Find a lost loved one.

The Potter League for Animals serves as the housing facility for the animal control departments of Newport, Middletown and Portsmouth. Strays found by concerned citizens, police officers and animal control officers are brought to the Potter League. The Potter League keeps a computerized listing of all animals reported missing for 30 days, and we regularly check this list against incoming animals.

Animals wearing identification like an engraved tag or microchipped animals have a much higher chance of finding their way back to their original owners. We encourage everyone to have ID on your animals at all times and remember to replace collars after baths.

Losing your favorite furry friend can be a scary and heartbreaking time. Quick action and personal involvement are key components in the recovery of recovering your lost pet. Check our steps below to help you find your lost pet quick!

  • Submit a Lost Pet Report.
  • Ask family, friends, and neighbors to help you search for your pet as soon as you realize your pet is missing. Be sure to check around your yard and under your deck, sheds and then the surrounding neighbor’s property.
  • Quietly walk and drive around the area. If your dog is missing take a leash, a bag of food (the smellier the better) as bait. Favorite toys are good, especially if the dog goes absolutely bonkers when he/she sees it. Talk briefly with anyone you see; ask if they saw your pet. Do not wait to see if your pet will return on his or her own! The sooner you start, the greater the chance that your pet will be returned uninjured.
  • For a lost indoor-only or timid cat, think like a cat and look at every hiding spot possible in your yard and your close neighbors. Lost cats will remain hidden and quiet. Search your house and yard immediately. Lost cats tend to remain hidden and very quiet and a lot of times right around the house.
  • Walk, bike, drive, or jog through your neighborhood every day and more than once to look for your missing pet.
  • Place clothing, toys, litter box, and other items familiar to your pet outside in your yard where she/he might smell them.
  • Put flyers around the neighborhood or area where your pet was last seen. Include a photo and description of your pet, your phone number, and when your pet disappeared. Make sure you have voicemail set up to take any messages. You can download our Lost Pet Poster template. We don’t suggest putting their name on the flyer.
  • Most pets are recovered within a 3-mile circle of their home. Draw a 3-mile circle around the spot you lost your pet or his or her last known sighting. If they are not being pursued they will find food/water/shelter within this circumference. Use our Lost Pet Contact List Template & Lost Pets Sightings Form to help track businesses and contacts within that radius.
  • Contact your local animal control agency, animal shelters and police stations. File a lost pet report and ask where your animal will be taken if it’s picked up by one of these agencies.
  • If your pet is microchipped, contact the microchip company and have them put a “lost or stolen” alert on the pet’s microchip so that if it is scanned by a shelter or veterinarian, they will know that a concerned owner is looking for that pet.
  • Use online resources. Post your lost pet online at www.helpinglostpets.com, Craigslist and Nextdoor.com (or on the Nextdoor app), and on social media sites. Check those sites continuously for found pets.
  • Don’t give up! Some pets have been reunited with their families after a year or longer when their families continued efforts to find them.
File An Online Report Search Pet Via Facial Recognition Download printer-friendly version of our lost report
View Found Animals

Disaster Preparedness

Your best defense against the worst.

As a responsible pet owner, it is critical to prepare for emergency situations. Hurricanes, floods, winter storms, and house fires can occur without advance warning and force you to evacuate your home. Here are several common sense measures to improve your preparedness:

  • Keep your pets vaccinations current and your paperwork easily accessible
  • Be sure to have a collar with proper identification and a rabies tag
  • Make sure your pet has been spayed or neutered
  • Make a list, including phone numbers, of potential refuges for you and your pet including shelters, veterinary clinics, friends and relatives
  • Make a list of pet-friendly hotels/motels
  • Keep a crate around in case you need to evacuate
  • Prepare an emergency pet care kit including minimum of 3-5 days (ideally two weeks) of food, water/food bowls, cat litter and litter box, leash, medications, first aid kit and cleaning supplies
  • Make sure your pets are wearing up to date ID tags and keep current photos with you should you and your pet get separated
  • NEVER leave a pet outside under any circumstances

Download our Pet Preparedness Checklist Here.

Visit RI DEM’s Disaster Resource Page

Wildlife

Don’t be afraid. Be informed.

Peaceful coexistence between man and coyote is possible. The Potter League encourages a healthy respect for these animals and all wildlife. Here are guidelines for avoiding conflicts:

  • The simplest thing we can do to protect our pets from wildlife is to keep them indoors. Always supervise animals when out of doors even in daylight hours – especially small dogs.
  • Never leave pet food outside.
  • Don’t feed coyotes or attempt to “tame” them by offering free food.
  • Keep a sturdy fence around your vegetable garden and pick the vegetable and fruit from any trees as soon as it ripens.
  • Keep trash cans inside sheds or garages until disposal day. All outdoor containers, including composting piles, should have tamper-proof lids.
  • Clean up bird feeder areas.
  • And spay and neuter your dog. Coyotes are attracted to, and can mate with, unsterilized pet dogs. Also vaccinate your pets.

 

Explore coyote-themed Potter League presentations Call the Coyote Information line

Bloomgingtails

A little something for everybody.

Shop our new online merch shop here!

Did you know we have a retail shop called BloomingTails located in our shelter lobby? It is packed with pet toys, leashes, collars, books, treats, and so much more. We offer Potter League logo merchandise including apparel, leashes, collars, and stuffed toys. Stop by during shelter hours to see our adoptable animals and shop, too.

  • Merchandise returns are accepted within 30 days with sales receipt.
  • Merchandise must be in new, resalable condition to be eligible for refund.
  • Refunds are to be processed in same form of payment as original sale.
  • Sales are final for purchases of gift certificates, donated or clearance sale items.
  • Please contact manufacturer for warranty or service claims.

Transport Program

A ride to a second chance.

The Potter League’s Fetching Friends Transport Program is a life-saving program for animals transported to our shelter from other parts of the country where extreme pet overpopulation and high euthanasia rates are the norm. We have been actively transporting dogs and puppies since 1996, and each year we are encouraged by the well-socialized and friendly dogs that arrive and the fabulous adopters that take them home. While the majority of animals we bring into the shelter are dogs, Fetching Friends also saves cats from overpopulated shelters or hoarding cases.

Find Your Local Animal Control

Middletown 401.846.1144 Portsmouth 401.683.0300 Newport 401.847.1306 Tiverton 401.625.6277 Little Compton 401.635.2311 Rhode Island Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RISPCA) 401.438.8150 Coyote Information Line 401.300.HOWL (4695) Wildlife Hotline 401.294.6363 Department of Environmental Management (DEM) 401.222.3070

Contact For More Information

The Potter League has several educational presentations available for school age children and adults on this topic. Contact our Humane Educator, Eleanor Hanson EleanorH@PotterLeague.org or 401-846-0592 ext. 120 for details.

Coyote Information Hotline

Concerned about coyotes in your neighborhood? Call the Coyote Information Line at 401-300-HOWL(4695) to speak with a knowledgeable wildlife expert. Individuals concerned about immediate safety issues should call their local police department.