What To Do If You Find A Dog

[Grace Erick]

Hi,

I think some people don't know what to do if they find a dog. I'm suprised to even hear some dog savvy people not think to bring the dog to a humane society or their vet to see if the dog has a microchip. Then I would call the humane society nearest to me to see if someone is looking for their dog. I don't know, maybe Amber or someone else might know if people can call them and leave their info and dog's description if their dog is brought in.

Post flyers right on your block and in your immediate vacinity in any store that will let you and petstores that dedicate boards just for this purpose. I have found and returned 4 dogs so far and they all lived within a block of where I live. Two had tags and two didn't. I brought the two around the blocks where I live until I found someone say they recognized the dogs and new what home they belonged to. Some people don't walk their dogs and even neighbors might not see what they look like.

My neighbor did not know I had my chi for one year. My dog doesn't bark in the yard, but I leave my yard door open in good weather so she can hear my parrot bark. I walk my dog in a park and not around the block, so no one would know the lost dog was mine.

Offer the dog water.

If it's a purebred dog or close to it, there may be non kill rescues that will take the dog, so you don't have to feel like you are sending the dog to be euthanized. There may be some non kill regular rescues too if you can find them and they have room. Try a non kill rescue that is far away, because they will try and have someone come get the dog or try to have you meet them part way which is why some rescues are called "rescue and transport".

Try not to put a dog in a kill rescue. Sometimes a dog isn't even lost, but allowed to wander or just got out by accident, so you also have to be sure you are not taking someones dog that will eventually go home. I found a chi near my house. He growled at me and ran away. I don't know if he's lost or just hanging around. My neighbor said he goes in his yard with is big lab to hang out. He's seen him for one month. The dog doesn't look skinny enough to be lost a month unless someone is feeding him outside.

Bye, Grace

[Luciann]

Grace,

I have to admit you are right a lot of people have no clue what to do with lost pets. It is sad that some owners just allow their dogs to roam freely in neighborhoods.

Thanks for the advice so that those who don't know will know what to do with one.

[Grace Erick]

Hi Luci,

I wrote some ideas, but if someone has any to add, they certainly can. I've been lucky where I was able to return the dogs immediately or later in the day. Some dogs have no collar or tags.

Then there are people for various reasons, they cannot hold onto a dog until the owner if found, if it is found. I did call the vet's number on the one dog's tag and they offered to keep the dog until the owners came home, but I was home, so I kept him. It ended up making Capri ill and she had what I believe was a stomach upset from the whole thing. She didn't eat all day, then whined later like she was in pain. I brought her to the vet who found nothing, then when I got her home, she was fine.

You really want to distance your pet from a new animal if your pet does not have all it's shots, because a strange cat or dog can get your dog or other pets sick.

Bye, Grace

[Page Fever]

We found a male pit bull who we actually hid for a day, because of the situation. Where I live in Portland, Oregon, there are so many problems with pit bull fighting. Even a member of our own basketball team, the Blazers, was accused (and I think eventually arrested for) of having fighting pit bulls. When we found ours, he had skin issues and rashes that we thought looked like bite marks -- it wasn't clear right away. He was unneutered and we didn't have a clue about his temperment. So we brought him in and kept him in our foster dog "isolation ward" for a day to assess him more.

As it turns out, the skin issues were just flea allergies. And he has a sweet, submissive, friendly temperment. We did report him to Animal Control (because it's the law) but other than that, we have not done anything except to check the Lost Dog ads every day. I walk him through the neighborhood every day, but if someone confronted me and said he was their dog, I would just tell them to call Animal Control and get him back through that avenue, and then walk away. I want to obey the law, I just don't want to make it easy on someone. There are people who would rather give up the dog than pay the $50 impoundment fee, and why should I try to help someone like that?

If he wasn't a pit bull, and if we lived in a better neighborhood, I would probably do things differently, but for this specific situation I think I'm doing the right thing. I do feel that everything is just a little bit different when pit bulls are involved.

[Luciann]

Page you are so correct. Pitts have gotten a massive case of bad press and bad owners. Rotts have the same problem.

Grace,

you are so right about seperating your pets from the "newbie" not only can they have disease but, parasites as well. In my case i would also have to worry about two little dogs being upset of the stranger in the house. i have outside tie outs so if neccessary i could keep it outside. In the town i live in we have to pay to take an animal to animal shelter (they call it a donation, but it is not a donation if you HAVE to pay) which is why alot of people don't turn in strays.

i understand that a lot of shelters survive on donations only but if someone cannot pay to turn in a stray then that dog is the one suffering. But i cannot think of any other suggestions for someone who finds a lost animal.

[Page Fever]

Very ironically, our landlord has told us that the unfinished basement (where new strays go) was used by a former renter for dogfighting. I'm glad we can use it for a better purpose.

[Page Fever]

That is very strange that you are made to pay to bring in a stray animal to the animal shelter. It is Animal Control's duty to take strays. You already pay them your tax dollars.

Our Humane Society (non-profit, not government funded at all) asks for money if they take in an owner-released pet, but they don't take in strays -- they refer them to Animal Control. Our emergency vet hospital asks for a "donation" if you bring in and release an injured stray, but it is not required.

[Andre Mendizabal]

Its a great post!!!! i've found and returned several dogs too... some of them were pets and some were strays... but anyway, the best thing to do (if you can't dogsit for a couple of days) is contact a no-kill shelter and have them take over... they will manage to give shelter, food and water to the lost pup and try to find their owners, if there aren't any owners found, they will look for good forever homes for the lost fellows!!!!
When I found dogs I posted flyers but also had an ad in the newspaper saying I've found a dog with xxx characteristics and if it belonged to somebody to call me... they, of course, had to answer a lot of questions just to be sure they were, in fact, their owners... I also lost a dog once and I offered a reward for whomever had found him, It showed up a week after he escaped from my house in a house of a family that lived around 10 miles away from us :shock: Poor thing did a lot of walking!!!!!
;)

[Frances Grady]

well i can add my experience with stray dogs i have found three stray dogs since ive lived in my apartment complex which has been one yr as of now. ill tell you about the most resent stray i came across i was outside with my dog off leash and then a chocolate lab came prancing by and my dog took off after this dog which ran to the complex's baseball feild where a bunch of kids were hanging out i got a hold of my dog and went to pet the chocolate lab then the kids said this dog had been following them all day and they took it home but thier parents said they could not keep her, so would i keep her i said sure so the dog would not follow me so i asaked the kids to bring her to my house and they did i kept her for a few hours then this chocolate lab female started to growl at my dog who was trying to get her to play so then i got uneasy with this dog and thought they might fight so i called my humane society and reported this stray dog which had resently weaned puppies i kept her away from my dog for the next few days noone claimed her then when i was walking her on leash i kid said that her is hershey, she got loose a couple of days ago so i took her to her apartment where her owners lost her they were graetful but i said next time they might not be soo lucky i alwasy pick up stray dogs if they are friendly cuz they may pose a threat to other animals or people or get hit by a car i say its better to pick up the stray then leave it to wander maybe the owners will get a reality check and not let thier dogs run loose unattended!!

[Grace Erick]

Hi,

I don't know if there is a difference in termonology between humane societies and the a.s.p.c.a. The a.s.p.c.a. is a gov't run org and will euthanize pets. I saw a chihuahua listed on an a.s.p.c.a. site for my area and called to say an all chi breed rescue may take him, but they said he was taken already.

At first I asked if it was a non kill shelter and she said yes, but pitbulls are euthanized where they try to hold onto the others longer. It's very sad! I have never heard anything yet about pitbulls being an aggressive dog by nature, so I don't know if they are naturally like that or people make them that way. It's time to euthanize some owners and not their pets!!!!

Bye, Grace

[Andre Mendizabal]

Grace, it seems pitbulls were actually breed to be aggressive dogs, however, this behavior is not present unless its encouraged. That means, it all depends on how you raise the dog, if you raise it to be aggressive it can actually be a very dangerous dog, but if you raise it properly, well socialized and able to be around people and other pets it can be a great loving wonderful pet. However, people are still paranoid about this breed, I know in the US there are States that actually ban the right of having a pitbull as a pet. Here, if the dog attacks somebody, it has to be euthanized. Its terrible, very sad, specially knowing that the answer to the "pitbull problem" its in our own hands as pet owners. :mad:

[Page Fever]

In general, Humane Societies are non-profit, private organizations. They vary as to their own policies pit bulls, euthanasia, etc. Animal Control is a government organization, funded by tax dollars.

I heard the difference once described as "Animal Control protects people from animals. Humane Societies protect animals from people."

[Grace Erick]

Hi Page,

Thanks for your explaination, how true!

Andre, I couldn't believe that pitbulls were outright dangerous without prompting from people. Thanks for explaining it to me. I figured as much. It's a little like chihuahuas, if they are socialized, they will lick your face until they wear your nose off. If they are left without much social contact, they become.....tiny maniacs, lol:) I know that is not quite the same thing, but it shows how a personal can really influence how a dog turns out.

Bye, Grace