Downriver Animal Control Department is operated as a division of the Wyandotte & Southgate Police Departments and works in conjunction with Pound Pals and volunteers of P.A.W.S. to provide the citizens of Wyandotte with animal care services. Animal Control adopts domesticated cats and dogs as long as are not vicious or in a state of poor health. Friendly animals are spayed/neutered and available for adoption during our weekend and evening adoption hours.

Downriver Animal Control would like to remind you that all owners of dogs, cats or ferrets in the City of Wyandotte are required to register for an Animal License. Applications for an animal license are available for download below, at the Police Department, Department of Public Service or Office of the Clerk. Upon receipt of this application, you will be issued a tag which will be used to identify your pet in the event it becomes lost.

How to Contact UsPic-Depts-WyandotteAnimalPound

The Downriver Animal Shelter is located at 14300 Reaume Parkway, Southgate Michigan 48192 and may be reached by calling 734-246-1328.  Click here for the Animal Shelter website.

Our hours of operation vary, as our officer is frequently out on patrol. If you should find an animal, you may contact animal control to pick up the animal. Domesticated animals will be picked up by our department. Requests after 5:00 pm may be directed to the Wyandotte Police Department non emergency number at 734-324-4405.

Traps are available to capture non-domesticated animals. Please contact the Downriver Animal Control at 734-246-1328 or 734-324-4405 (after 5:00) to obtain a trap. Once the animal is successfully trapped, you must contact Animal Control, once again, to pick up the animal.

Pets For Adoption

Summer means more stray animals! If your dog or cat is missing, please contact the Wyandotte Animal Shelter at 246-1328, or visit the shelter at 14300 Reaume Parkway, Southgate Michigan 48192. If you are looking for a new pet we have some great cats and dogs waiting for you. Summer also means baby bunnies - if you find them in your yard, please leave them be! They have a better chance at surviving if left in the nest, as their mother will return to feed them at night. View our adoptable animals atwww.wyandotteanimalcontrol.petfinder.com

Adoption hours are as follows:
Monday - 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm
Tuesday - 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm
Friday - 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm
Saturday - 10:00 am to 2:00 pm
Sunday - closed on Sundays

RAT PREVENTION INFORMATION

Yard maintenance is the biggest factor that will reduce the presence of rats. Residents should do the following to help with the reduction/elimination of rats:

  • Remove brush/compost piles
  • Remove wood piles/boards
  • Keep grass cut and remove tall weeds
  • Firewood must be at least 18 inches off the ground
  • Pick-up after your pets (dog feces is the #1 source of food for rats in the winter)
  • Fruit trees and gardens, pick up fallen/rotten fruit and vegetation
  • Bird/squirrel feeding-keep to a minimum and sweep up daily after animals have eaten, do not allow it to sit out all day and over night

If you see a rat call the City at 734-324-4550.

COYOTE INFORMATION

We have received inquiries about coyotes in Wyandotte.  While the Police Department/Animal Control does not have “jurisdiction” over coyotes or other wildlife, we have researched this issue and worked with the Department of Natural Resources to assist residents.  We offer the following information for your review.  

Coyote Facts

Coyotes are generally timid and shy animals that tend to steer clear of any potential danger and thus, pose little threat to humans. While there has been no documented injuries to humans from coyotes in Michigan, some western states have reported coyote attacks on human beings. Bites from snakes, rodents, and domestic dogs are a far greater possibility than coyote bites, according to public health authorities. However, coyotes that are fed become accustomed to people and present a human safety risk. People should NEVER intentionally feed or attempt to tame coyotes. It is in the best interest of both coyotes and humans if coyotes retain their instinctive fear of people. The following important points can help minimize potential conflicts with coyotes:

  • Never approach or touch a coyote
  • Never intentionally feed a coyote
  • Eliminate all outside food sources, especially pet foods
  • Put garbage out the morning of pickup day
  • Clear out wood and brush piles; they are good habitats for mice and rats which may attract coyotes
  • Accompany your pets outside, especially at dawn and dusk 
  • Never leave your pets, especially small dogs, unattended outside
  • Always have garbage closed and contained.
  • Fruit on the ground in the summer attracts rodents then attracts coyotes. Pick up fruit when it falls off the trees.
  • Don’t leave any pet food outside; bird seed can also attract coyotes.

 Ways to Protect Yourself if you come in contact with a coyote

Hazing is a method that uses deterrents to move an animal out of an area or discourages an undesirable behavior or activity. Hazing can help maintain coyotes’ fear of humans and deter them from neighborhood spaces such as backyards and playgrounds.

Ways to Haze a coyote away include:

  • Yell and wave your arms while approaching the coyote.
  • Using noisemakers- your voice, whistles, air horns, banging on pots and pans.
  • Use projectiles ex: sticks, small rocks, tennis balls.
  • Make yourself as big and tall as possible. If you have a jacket on you can take it off and wave it around.
  • Always remember that coyotes are more scared of you then you are of them.
  • Never run from a coyote.
  • It typically takes at least two times to make the coyote go away for good.

 Protecting Your Pet

Closely supervise your dog, do not leave small dogs unattended in your yard.
Walk your dog on a leash at all times & stay close to high pedestrian traffic areas.
Avoid dense brushy areas or paths near abandoned properties.
If you notice a coyote when walking your dog, keep your dog as close to you as possible and move towards an active area.
Never encourage or allow your dog to interact or “play” with coyotes.

Why not just relocate them?

Relocating is rarely effective for any species and particularly so for a coyote. Chicago conducted a study and relocated 12 nuisance coyotes and monitored their movements and fates. Their findings concluded that NONE of the 12 relocated coyotes stayed in the spot that they were relocated to. Within 48 hours each of them traveled back in the general direction of their origin. The DNR also notes that any attempt to eliminate coyotes would likely result in repopulation in a very short amount of time, as others would move into the now vacant area with more available food sources.

Removal

Any landowner owner wishing to remove coyotes from their property may contact a licensed nuisance animal control company. If a coyote presents an immediate danger, the resident should contact the Wyandotte Police Department by calling 911. Beyond emergency situations, the Police Department is not involved in trapping or otherwise handling coyotes.


DNR Coyote Facts Brochure