Operation Protect Livestock

About the Program

Operation Protect Livestock is a free Sheriff's Office and Animal Services effort to quickly notify livestock owners when their animal property breaks free from their fenced fields and wanders into roadways.

How it Works

Livestock owners provide the Sheriff's Office 911 Center with emergency contact information. When livestock is discovered wandering in roadways or onto the land of another, the 911 Center can search for the address and immediately attempt to reach the livestock owner, any time of the day or night.

Horses Crossing Road

Enrolling in the Program

Citizens can enroll by email, and enrollment should include the following information: 

  • Owner Name
  • Street Address
  • Home Phone
  • Emergency Contact Phone Number (for when away from home)
  • Livestock Location
  • Notes about your livestock

How Does this Program Help You?

By quickly notifying the livestock owner, the animals can be safely returned.

Helpful Resources

Privacy

The Loudoun County Sheriff's Office values your privacy. We will attach your emergency contact phone numbers to your address in the Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) system (the 911 Computer) to be accessed by 911 Dispatchers. The Sheriff's Office will protect furnished information to the extent it can be protected from release under the limitations of the provisions of the Virginia Freedom of Information Act (§2.2-3700).

Developing the Program

Over the years, the Loudoun County Sheriff's Office and the Department of Animal Services have received phone calls indicating that livestock has broken free and are at-large in a particular location. When the Sheriff's Office or Animal Services arrive, the goal is to secure the animals and notify the owner immediately.

Often, however, the owners are not home. By participating in this program and providing emergency contact information, the 911 Center can attempt to contact you while units are en route and provide needed information for the field units while they are on scene. The goal is to safely secure the livestock before any possible injuries occur to the animal(s).

Please visit the Loudoun Animal Services page for more information on receiving aid for livestock during a crisis.