by Nancy E. Hassel, LIPetPlace.com
Found a lost dog…Now what?
If you see a loose dog, for most pet lovers our first instinct is to stop and see if we can help get the dog back to its owner and back home. Does the dog have a collar with ID tags and a number to call to reunite the pet with its family? Many times a dog gets loose with no visible ID, and no way to immediately get it back home.
Very recently a there was a sad story about a lost dog on Fox Five found in Nassau County. When a good samaritan saw the dog loose in the road, he wanted to help the dog out of harms way and get the dog back to its owners. So the man stopped and coaxed the dog to him and brought him home. He and his fiancé decided to post the dog in the Pets section of Craigslist.com, and with in a few hours the “owner” contacted them claiming it was her dog. They met the next day in a shopping center nearby so she could pick up ‘her’ dog. A couple hours after the dog was reunited with the supposed owner, the real owner contacted them about the dog. It turns out the real owner only lived five houses away from where the dog was picked up. So unfortunately the dog was given to someone who is not the real owner.
What you can do if you do find a loose dog with no ID:
- If you find a dog in a neighborhood, first and foremost, knock on some doors, it could be the dog was only a house or so away. (Which was the case here, the dog was only 5 houses away). This also goes hand in hand in getting to know your neighbors, and their pets.
- If the dog has no collar or tags, call or go to your local town animal shelter – the dog may be microchipped and most shelters have scanners to see if the dog has a chip and can help relocating the dog. If you are leaving the dog at the shelter as a stray, town animal shelters by law have to hold for a period of time (usually seven days) before the dog can be placed for adoption. This will also give the owner a chance to look to see if there dog is in the local town shelter.
- If the animal shelter is closed, go to your nearest veterinarian office, many vet offices also have scanners.
- If you do post the dog to a community pet section of a website like craigslist or if you post to Facebook – make sure the person claiming the dog is theirs has proof i.e. clear photo’s of the dog, medical records, can identify markings on the dog, maybe a scar from a past injury, if the dog is spayed or neutered or other information that the person can just tell from a picture. (I would ask these questions over the phone before reuniting).
- Watch the dog’s body language during the reuniting – the dog on the video didn’t look overly excited to see its ‘owner’ it almost seemed like it didn’t really know her. The majority of dogs are so happy, excited, and ecstatic to see their owners again, even after just 5 minutes apart – so watch for that. Over excitement is not a tell “tail” sign that the dog is theirs, but could help the rescuers spotting a fraud if the dog is acting shy or scared of the person claiming it is their dog.
- Does the dog respond to the name? The horrible person in the video stealing the dog called the dog “baby” and anyone can call a dog baby.
To prevent the above from happening, dog owners can follow these tips:
- Have a collar or harness with ID tags on your dog at all times, with updated contact information. (Do not use a training collar for this purpose – a flat buckle collar is best.)
- Have your dog licensed with the state (dog licenses are required by state law and can be acquired at your local town clerk’s office), this is another form of ID and easy for town shelters to identify the dog and its owner.
- Does your dog escape, climb over or under your fence? Be sure you have a secure yard if you know your dog is an escape artist. Always check to see if your gate is securely closed, and teach your kids this as well.
- If your dog is an escape artist and known for getting out, be sure to get the dog microchipped.
- Is your dog spayed or neutered? Dogs that are not “fixed” tend to want to get out and mate – so another good reason for spaying and neutering your pets.
- Does your dog know where he or she lives? This may sound really silly, but if you never walk your dog, and it’s only a house dog or dog that only goes in your yard, the neighborhood could be a whole new big world for your dog to explore, easily get lost, not recognize anything and if you never walk your dog – how does your dog know which house is theirs? (People who walk their dogs on a regular basis know that their dog could lead them right back home!)
- Get to know your neighbors! If you know your neighbor has a German Shepherd and you see a loose German Shepherd in your neighborhood, chances are it is their dog.
We are hoping that the woman in the video tape is found comes forward and the dog Lilly is reunited with its owner very soon. If you know who the person who stole the dog is, call Crime Stoppers at 800-244-8477.
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