Found A Stray?

At some time or other, most of us have found a stray dog that we really wanted to help. Of course, how can we stand by when a helpless dog is roaming the street, tired, hungry and sometimes sick. If you are one of the hundreds of people who find a stray dog, here is some advise to help you with what to do.

If a stray dog seems friendly and eager to approach you, be cautious. In a stressful situation, some dogs can initially act cordial, then become fearful or aggressive once you try to reach for it. Don’t corner the dog and if it starts to growl, back up with raised hackles, bear its teeth or snap at you, back off and call animal control for help. Well meaning people, especially dog lovers, have been bitten by a dog that is stressed out. If you are concerned about what will happen to the dog once it goes to the shelter, go to the shelter and give the shelter personnel your personal information and get the animal control number. Should the dog not find its owner, you can later step in and rescue it.

We get phone calls daily from well meaning people who find dogs and don’t want to take them to an animal shelter. Although this is seemingly compassionate, it may actually be a disservice to the dog and its owner. A dog that looks underfed, mangy and sick may actually be someone’s dog. There have been hundreds of cases where a dog has been missing for months, only to be reunited with its owners. If someone is looking for their dog, you don’t want to be the one that actually prevents them from finding it. If you decide to keep it or try to re-home it yourself, you may be doing just that.

If there are no tags on the dog, it may be possible that the dog has been microchipped. Since there are several companies that make microchips, not all scanners are capable of reading every microchip. Local veterinarians usually have only a scanner that is compatible with the type of microchip that they use. Animal shelters on the other hand, usually have a "universal" scanner that can read most brands of microchips. Take the dog the nearest shelter and have it scanned. If there is a microchip, hopefully it has been registered and the owner can be contacted.

Check The Lost Dog List At Your Local Animal Shelter

Most shelters have files or notebooks for lost and found dogs. Check the Lost Dog Book to see if the dog’s owner has made a posting. Owners are usually provided an entire page to describe their dog. Often there is even a space for them to post a picture. If you think you have located the owner, call right away. Be sure to have the people describe the dog to you in detail. If there is an obvious mark or distinguishing characteristic, make sure that you don’t give them this detail. Let them give it to you. This way, you will know if it is really their dog. If it is, have them come to the shelter to get the dog. Don’t take the dog to them.

If you are unable to locate the dog’s owner, post the dog in the Found Dog Book or list. Indicate the location and date that you found the dog. Go to as many shelters as possible, especially in neighboring cities and do the same. Most local newspapers offer free ads in their classified sections for posting found dogs. Websites such as Petfinder.org, Petshelter.org, and Craigslist.com also offer free classified services for posting found dogs.

Continue To Take a Pro Active Stand In Finding The Dog’s Owner

In addition to doing the above, plaster "found dog" signs all over the area where you found the dog. Take a great picture of the dog (if you can) and paste it to flyers. Be sure to give accurate information about the dog, again holding back on some distinguishing feature to make sure the person correctly identifies their dog. Believe it or not, there are people who actually meet a dog and are convinced it is theirs, even when it is missing some distinguishable feature. Desperate to find their dog, they forget or overlook something. Hours or days later, they discover that the dog that they have brought home is not their dog at all!

While You are Looking for The Dog’s Owner

In the days that you are searching for your stray dog’s owner, you may have decided to keep the dog at your house rather than surrendering it to the animal shelter. Take all necessary precautions especially if you have other pets or small children. We suggest that you keep the stray dog separate from your other pets if at all possible to insure that it does not infect them should it be carrying a communicable disease. Never ever leave a stray dog alone in a room with a young child! Even if the dog seems extremely easy going and friendly you just never can tell.

If you decide to take the dog into your home as a "foster dog" be aware that each city has different regulations about how long a dog is considered a stray. Check with your local animal shelter and be sure that you know this information. You cannot spay/neuter or re-home a dog until the stray period is up. It’s against the law.

If you decide to take the dog to the animal shelter and are willing to foster the dog if its owner does not come forward, be sure to track the dog’s progress by getting his/her animal control number and cage number. Make sure that the shelter has your name in their computer so as to notify you if the dog is going to be euthanized. If this comes to pass and you are willing to foster the dog, we will try to help you re-home the dog. Contact Smiley Dog Rescue with the dog’s information and let us know that you will foster it. We will try to help you evaluate the dog’s temperament to determine if it is eligible to become a "Smiley Dog". If so the dog will become part of our program and we will take the responsibility for it as long as you are willing to foster it. If we do not feel the dog is a good candidate for our program we will let you know why. At that point, you can decide if you want to find a home via our Owner Assistance Program or pursue other rescue groups.