Urgent: I just picked up a stray dog with a collar but no tags

[James3shin]

I was driving home from work around 11pm when I see this dog roaming the street near my house. The dog is VERY skinny, has a collar on, but NO TAGS?! WTF?! I just got in from walking around my neighborhood, judging by the clock, I've been walking for 2+ hours throughout my neighborhood trying to find a lead. I asked a person that was coming home from work if they recognized the dog and apparently he's from my neighborhood and is a frequent wanderer. I also ended up knocking on two random peoples doors at midnight like some freak...SIGH. I'm now back home, and put the stray dog in my backyard as quarantine. The dog is whining in my backyard to come inside, but I don't want him near my dog in fear of any conditions the stray may have. Animal Control around me is closed/"leave a message", I think I'm going to walk him tomorrow morning before work to find the owner. Any suggestions?

 

[1sikbITCH]

Congratulations on your new dog. You'll probably take far better care of it than his last owner all things considered.

 

[dahunan]

any chance it might have a microchip?

Feed it and give it water asap

make sure it can't get out of your yard too

Can you keep it for a couple days? Most animal control put the animals to their death after 3 days.. Got Dumb Friends League in your area?

*Probably doesn't have owners... or did and they abandoned it.. **If you find the owner.. be sure to put him/her in your backyard for about 5 days with no food

 

[James3shin]

I have no idea if the stray is chipped. I gave him water and now he's staring at me through my back door and barking. Earlier, I tried to feed it kibble but it apparently does not like the brand. Funny, for a dog that's so thin, I thought he would have ate it up. I'm going to give the dog some sliced turkey before I go to sleep.

 

[villageidiot111]

I picked up a stray once. I called the non emergency number for the cops, they picked him up about an hour later and took him to a shelter or something.

 

[Fullmetal Chocobo]

Originally posted by: James3shin
I have no idea if the stray is chipped. I gave him water and now he's staring at me through my back door and barking. Earlier, I tried to feed it kibble but it apparently does not like the brand. Funny, for a dog that's so thin, I thought he would have ate it up. I'm going to give the dog some sliced turkey before I go to sleep.

I see your training is coming along well. Best thing to do would call animal control and see if there is a local no-kill shelter.

 

[Gothgar]

Originally posted by: villageidiot111
I picked up a stray once. I called the non emergency number for the cops, they picked him up about an hour later and put him to sleep.

fixed

 

[DrPizza]

Originally posted by: James3shin
I have no idea if the stray is chipped. I gave him water and now he's staring at me through my back door and barking. Earlier, I tried to feed it kibble but it apparently does not like the brand. Funny, for a dog that's so thin, I thought he would have ate it up. I'm going to give the dog some sliced turkey before I go to sleep.

Some dogs are naturally thin. If you found one of my 3 dogs out wandering, you'd swear that we were starving her to death. She has all the food she wants available to her 24/7 plus gets tons of table scraps, etc. Just a very active dog who doesn't put on weight. We've had her tested multiple times for worms, etc.

Anyway, if it's a "frequent wanderer" in the neighborhood, it might just be a good escape artist. (we used to take our dogs to kennels when we went on vacation; all but one of the kennels said not to bring her back because they didn't want the liability for her escaping. At one, she scaled a 6 foot indoor fence, opened the door to their office, and proceeded to steal and eat a box of dog treats - as I expect several of the "it's always the owner's fault" types to enter the thread, I'm merely pointing out that sometimes even professional dog handlers have problems with particular dogs.) If your local shelter isn't a no-kill shelter, then just let her go to find her own way back home. She probably will. Otherwise, take her to the shelter and put a free "found" ad in the local paper.

 

[imported_Champ]

Take a couple pics and post them around the neighborhood then check to see if its chipped...they just wave something over its back and see (any vet should be able too) and either find a no kill shelter or keep it for a couple days and see if anything comes up

 

[Perknose]

Originally posted by: dahunan
Most animal control put the animals to their death after 3 days..

In hard-pressed areas at hard-pressed times of the year (think kittens in Spring), this can be true, but the facts on the ground vary wildly.

The humane society's national minimum standard is 5 days, but the minimum can vary from 3 days to 7 days to 120 days to attempted "no kill" policies.

Beyond that, for pets which are deemed more likely to be adopted, most shelters and their employees will go to heroic lengths to keep a pet alive until an adoptee is found or the owner is located.

Additionally, for all of you saying, "find a no-kill" shelter, cool, that's a noble sentiment, but there simply aren't as many of them in as many parts of our country as you may like to think.

In the main, these are privately run and financed, and often relatively small, anyway.

 

[MartyMcFly3]

Originally posted by: villageidiot111
I picked up a stray once. I called the non emergency number for the cops, they picked him up about an hour later and took him to a shelter or something.

This.

 

[James3shin]

I fed the dog some more turkey this morning and took him back out in hopes of finding his owner, no luck. The dog is so nice and friendly but I just can't take care of him with my Tasmanian devil of a dog in the house as well. I asked other walkers, dog owners, if they recognized or were at least familiar with the guy to no avail. I called my local SPCA to come and pick the guy up. I also think he needs some veterinary attention, there looks to be some abscesses on his hind legs and his right ear is swollen x 2.

 

[James3shin]

DrPizza, the dog does seem to be athletic or a very avid walker/runner, the guy loves to cruise the neighborhood. I would let the dog go, but he won't leave now. He slipped out of my backyard as I was opening my fence door but he just hung around for me to put the leash on him and walk him. The guy is trained very well, and understands heel, sit, stay, come, the whole nine. Also, with what looks to be physical ailments, I want the SPCA to look at him and make sure he's ok.

 

[Turin39789]

Originally posted by: dahunan
any chance it might have a microchip?

Feed it and give it water asap

make sure it can't get out of your yard too

Can you keep it for a couple days? Most animal control put the animals to their death after 3 days.. Got Dumb Friends League in your area?

*Probably doesn't have owners... or did and they abandoned it.. **If you find the owner.. be sure to put him/her in your backyard for about 5 days with no food

3 freaking days? Where do you guys live? Our local shelter/humane society(I volunteer there) is a no kill, unless the dog has a bad temperament and can't be adopted out. So as long as they don't attack humans, they go up for adoption and stay there until they find a home. I know that some shelters can't afford to do this, but 3 days seems like a crazy short time, looking around I can't find hard numbers but it might be possible. I assumed even the bad shelters would give them a few weeks.

We have to fight against this perception sometimes, people will post craigslist ads trying to get rid of dogs to anyone instead of taking them to the shelter where the dog can get some vet care and get screened for a new owner because of course we kill every other dog for fun. Only takes a phone call.

 

[Capt Caveman]

Originally posted by: Turin39789

Originally posted by: dahunan
any chance it might have a microchip?

Feed it and give it water asap

make sure it can't get out of your yard too

Can you keep it for a couple days? Most animal control put the animals to their death after 3 days.. Got Dumb Friends League in your area?

*Probably doesn't have owners... or did and they abandoned it.. **If you find the owner.. be sure to put him/her in your backyard for about 5 days with no food

3 freaking days? Where do you guys live? Our local shelter/humane society(I volunteer there) is a no kill, unless the dog has a bad temperament and can't be adopted out. So as long as they don't attack humans, they go up for adoption and stay there until they find a home. I know that some shelters can't afford to do this, but 3 days seems like a crazy short time, looking around I can't find hard numbers but it might be possible. I assumed even the bad shelters would give them a few weeks.

We have to fight against this perception sometimes, people will post craigslist ads trying to get rid of dogs to anyone instead of taking them to the shelter where the dog can get some vet care and get screened for a new owner because of course we kill every other dog for fun. Only takes a phone call.

It varies where you live. Down south, most dogs are kept only 3-5 days before they are thrown into a gas chamber. Overpopulation is a huge issue down there. I got one of my dogs from a rescue group in MA that drives down to GA every month to grab as many dogs that they can that are on death row.

 

[maziwanka]

Originally posted by: 1sikbITCH
Congratulations on your new dog. You'll probably take far better care of it than his last owner all things considered.

yea. i'd take the guy to the vet and make sure things are fine. if i felt he'd been abused or whatnot, i wouldn't be able to give him up. feed him too. if he's fine, you can see how social he is. obviously, i wouldn't automatically let him inside the house and assume things will go well.

 

[Scarpozzi]

Originally posted by: maziwanka

Originally posted by: 1sikbITCH
Congratulations on your new dog. You'll probably take far better care of it than his last owner all things considered.

yea. i'd take the guy to the vet and make sure things are fine. if i felt he'd been abused or whatnot, i wouldn't be able to give him up. feed him too. if he's fine, you can see how social he is. obviously, i wouldn't automatically let him inside the house and assume things will go well.

Most vets can scan for chips too.

 

[Modelworks]

What you are doing for that dog is probably the best life he has had in a while !
Hopefully the spca can locate a good home for him.

Its a shame but the shelters here in NC only keep the dogs for mostly 4 days if they are true strays which I was told was described as thin, uncared for, no collar, obvious neglect. The ones that look like they have been cared for and maybe just got out, get priority. Its a problem of food and medical care cost.

If you see dog food or cat food on sale somewhere really cheap buy some, even if it is a small bag, and drop it off at your local shelter. Or give $5 a month to your local shelter. It can give a stray a few more days to live.

I'm not allowed pets at the apartment where I live. But I love cats. Since I moved in two years ago there was this stray cat that stayed around my back glass doors. He was all bones, scraggly. I first fed him some cooked ground beef on a paper plate. I watched him eat. The poor thing was so hungry he not only ate the meat, he ate the plate the grease had soaked into.

Since then he is a bit fat. He lives in the woods behind my apartment and is still a bit on the wild side. But definitely looking better.

 

[TallBill]

By the way, that was not urgent.