At least twice a month I get calls from friends and clients to ask my advice on what to do with the stray dog they found wandering in their neighborhood. An article in this month’s Dog Fancy inspired me to share my own experience reuniting strays with their owners.
Ahead of all the following suggestions is the obvious but sometimes overlooked need to be careful approaching a strange dog. Don’t count on a wag to mean the dog is friendly, but watch all the body language. If you have to chase the dog, it’s safer to call animal control and give them the location you last saw the dog.
If the dog comes to you in a friendly posture and you can get a leash on it, here are some steps to find its owner.
- If you don’t have a spare leash handy, you can make a temporary leash out of a belt, a piece of rope or anything similar.
- Once leashed, walk the dog around the neighborhood. Most dogs have not strayed far from home. Either the dog will show you where he lives, or knocking on doors could produce a neighbor who recognizes him. This method often brings quick success.
- If that doesn’t work, take the dog home and snap some digital photos to make into a poster. If you don’t have a digital camera, make a poster anyway, using clip art of the outline or silhouette of a dog. Date the poster; put your phone number on it; and add a general description of the dog, including overall color and approximate size. Withhold some marking or other piece of identifying information so that the caller can prove to you they are the owner. Post the flyers all around the neighborhood within a 5-10 block radius.
- If you find the owner through your poster, please go back and remove them from wherever you’ve tacked them up.
- While waiting for a response to the posters, check the internet websites that help reconnect lost pets with their owners. Here are some of them: www.pets911.com, www.FidoFinder.com; www.found-pets.org; www.lostandpound.com; www.missingpetpartnership.com.
- Call local shelters and rescue organizations to find out if the owners have reported their dog lost.
- Don’t be afraid to take the dog to an animal control agency. That is the local place owners will call looking for their dog. Ask if the shelter will allow you to reclaim the dog after the stray hold period if you choose to, so that you can ensure it won’t be euthanized if the owner doesn’t come forward.
- If all else fails, contact an animal communicator for help learning where the dog came from.
- Give yourself a pat on the back for making one family’s day, and possibly saving a dog’s life!
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