It is easy to take a stray dog home and offer it food and shelter for a night. But there are several steps that need to be taken to most effectively reunite that animal with his or her rightful owner.
Of course, consider personal safety and the safety of the pet above all else when attempting to rescue an animal.
Calling Local Animal Services
According to the Humane Society, it is legally required to turn found pets over to local authorities where they can be claimed. “One of the primary reasons why lost dogs are not reunited with their families is that the animal shelter is the first location where dog owners search for their lost dogs but it is typically the last location where found dogs are taken (due to the fear that the dog will be euthanized).”
Of course, the easiest thing for a good Samaritan to do is to call the local animal control facility or animal shelter. The authorities will retrieve the animal and hold it to be claimed by the family for a set period of time. This step ensures that the person reporting the animal does not have any financial liability for the pet
Checking for Identification
In addition to collars and tags, pets can be identified via tattoos located in their ears or inner leg, or by microchip. Veterinary clinics and animal shelters have scanners to read the subdermal microchips and draw a database number and file related to the pet and the family who lost it. If there is a rabies tag on the pet’s collar, local animal control will also be able to research the ownership information.
Checking the Neighborhood
If at all possible, on the same day the pet is found, try to walk door to door in the neighborhood where it was located.
- If possible to take the pet from door to door, this can be the most effective way to locate the animal’s home. Knock on doors and ask passerby whether they know the animal and where it might belong.
- By placing a dog on a long leash and saying “Go Home!” it is possible that the dog could know where it lives.
- Check the area for “Lost Dog” posters
It is not a good idea to release the animal to anyone until it is absolutely certain that the rightful owners have been located.
Campaigning with “Found Pet” Posters, Notices, Fliers and Ads
Bold, visible posters should be tacked up in at least a 1-mile radius from where the animal was found. Include contact information and only the most general of identifying information on these posters. (See “Protecting the Pet from Theft" for more.)
Example: FOUND DOG: Black and White Dog Found at intersection of Main Street and Elizabeth Lane on March 16. Please call 555-555-1212
In addition to telephone poles in the neighborhood or area where the pet was found, there are several other places where fliers and notices should be posted, including:
- Local shelters
- Local veterinary clinics
- Local pet shops and national pet stores in the area (PetSmart and PETCO have bulletin boards designated for this purpose).
- Area Rescue Groups
- Area public buildings, such as the library or post office
Classified ads with similar text should be placed in local newspapers, organization newsletters, community email lists and websites like CraigsList. When trying to get the word out, it is a good idea to remember that this pet may have escaped from the home of someone elderly, who may not leave the house much, and may not have access to the internet.
Watching for “Lost Pet” Notices
If the owner is elderly, out of town, or was visiting from out of town, it is possible they may not have a chance to post listings. Someone without the means to post posters or otherwise advertise their lost pet may still miss their beloved companion!
Regularly check “lost and found” advertisements in all of the locations where you’ve advertised, as well as lost pet websites, community forums, and local newspapers.
According to Missing Pet Partnership, it is a good idea to call any potentially matching ads, even if they include incorrect descriptions. Some owners may not know the correct breed of the animal.
Protecting the Pet from Theft
It is a good idea to be somewhat vague in “Found Pet” advertisements and fliers to protect the animal from theft. When someone calls asking about the pet, ask that individual to describe the animal.
Do not answer any questions a claimant might ask about the description of the animal. Instead, try to encourage the claimant to describe the missing pet to you. One way to do this is to ask open-ended questions such as “Did the dog have a collar?” rather than “What color is her collar?” and allow the claimant to provide the details surrounding the animal’s true breed, description and markings.
It is also a good idea to ask the claimant to bring photographs of the pet with them when they meet you to claim the animal. Tangible evidence that the animal belongs to that individual will help assure everyone involved that the pet has found its rightful home.
Keeping the Pet Long Term
Each state has a designated “holding period” that is required by law before foster families can adopt a stray pet or claim them. Legally speaking, if the found pet has been reported as found to the local authorities, and a reasonable effort has been made to find the animal’s proper owner, then after the holding period, it is acceptable for the foster family to adopt the found pet.
By accepting responsibility for the veterinary costs and cost of care of an animal, and by performing the due diligence listed above, it is legal to claim ownership of the animal.
However, families will need to be aware that it may still be possible for the pet’s original owner to contact them and claim the pet even an attachment may be forming with the animal in the new household.
Alicia King - Alicia King has been writing for Suite 101 since June of 2007. For over a year, she was the Featured Writer for the Suite section about ...
