Found Dog

[peachyteen]

(I'm not sure if this is in the right spot, if there's a better spot for it, you can move it)

My boyfriends mom came home today with a dog that she found wandering around and he has no collar on. He's a total sweet heart, I stuck my hand out to him so he could sniff me, but instead he just licked me and he's wagging his tail and trying to cuddle.

On to my question: what should we do? He seems lost, not a stray as he listens to commands (sit, stay, shake). I was wondering what the laws in the US/Washington state are around finding a lost dog, do we need to contact animal control? a shelter? the police? the local vet? I was already thinking we should post a (not too descriptive) Craigslist ad, but I don't know what else should be done.

I was also wondering if you guys think it would be alright to give him a bath? He is quite stinky and petting him leaves oil on you. I think it would be good to wash him off but I was wondering what you guys thought.

 

[Soecara]

Have you checked inside its ears for any tattoos? In my country it is standard practise to tattoo inside of the ear when the dog is desexed or microchipped (though some vets will allow you to opt out of the tattoo for microchipping). You could post a nondescript ad on craigslist where you state you found a x size dog in roughly x area and that people can contact you if they have lost a dog, you can then ask for a photograph of the dog or ask them to describe a distinguishing feature of the dog to prove they are the owner. You can also check on facebook on any pet pages in your area, some places even have a lost and found page for the area where people can post up if they had lost or found a pet, or if there is a dog obedience club you can contact them to ask if any of their members have lost a dog.

You could contact a vet and ask what to do, some vets will scan the animal to check for a microchip for you. In my area if a dog is found you can either keep the dog on your property until an owner is found, or you can contact a local rescue and they can take them in and look for the owner, or you can contact the local animal control and the dog will be taken to the pound, but if the dog is put into the pound and no owner comes forward within 2 weeks to 2 months depending on how crowded they are at the time they will either be euthanized or turned over to a local rescue.

If you chose to bath him you should be careful what shampoo you use if you chose to use shampoo as you don't know if he has any allergies or skin conditions. If you use a sensitive skin shampoo for dogs it should be fine even if the dog has allergies or a skin condition.

 

[Saylavi]

Agreed on taking him to the vet to scan for a microchip, and putting out some sort of "found" message, posters, newspaper, online, whatever. Also see if the vet wouldn't call any previous customers with that breed to make sure it isn't theirs. Say it's a collie, and the vet only knows of 2 other male collies in the area...

 

[peachyteen]

I posted a listing on Craigslist (all I said was the area, that he is a gold/yellow color, and he comes up to about the knee) and I will call one of the vets in the area tomorrow morning (they closed a little while ago and are the only vet open on Sundays). we will probably just wash him with water, just to try and get rid of some of the smell.

 

[peachyteen]

This is the puppers (dog, he's pretty old), we are calling him Marsh/Marshall/Marshmallow for now. We gave him a little bath. He doesn't have any spots that hurt him, but he does limp with his back left leg, and he carries that leg a little bit. He also don't have any tattoos on the inside of his ear.

My boyfriends parents are seeing how calm their dog (Hank) is around Marsh and I think they are are considering keeping Marsh if he doesn't get claimed because Hank is never calm.

 

[Comely Guineas]

Try your best to find his owners, they may be very distraught without him. Call the vets, pounds, shelters etc in your area asking if anyone has been looking for him. Check online to see if anyone has posted any missing ads.

 

[peachyteen]

Try your best to find his owners, they may be very distraught without him. Call the vets, pounds, shelters etc in your area asking if anyone has been looking for him. Check online to see if anyone has posted any missing ads.

We will, of course. As great as it would to have him around, it would be better for him to be with his family. I will call as many places as possible asap (with it being Sunday tomorrow and presidents day on Monday, some calls will need to wait until Tuesday)

 

[Soecara]

I found these pages after a quick google search that you might find helpful,
https://www.kingcounty.gov/depts/regional-animal-services/lost-and-found/FOUND.aspx
https://www.kingcounty.gov/services...elter/LostFound/lost-my-pet/lost-animals.aspx

 

[pinky]

@peachyteen, Bless you for taking in this poor baby. What you did for him is exactly what rescuing is all about..

 

[sallyvh]

Thanks for taking him in and giving him a safe, warm place while you look for his family!

This is always my advice when someone finds a dog/cat and they are willing to keep it at their house while looking for the animal's owners:

- Take him to a vet to have him scanned for a microchip. Most vets do this for no charge.
-Call your local animal control/any local shelter that deals with strays to file a found report. Let them know you want to keep him at your home but make sure they have an accurate description and your contact info in case anyone comes looking for a dog matching him.
-frequently walk the dog in the area he was found. Most dogs have a sense of where their home is and he may lead you back to where he lived.
-post a found ad on helping lost pets, Craigslist and it wouldn't hurt to put up found flyers in the area.

Goodluck!

 

[Tobias2189]

Please visit www.petfbi.org