stray dog

[johnbjohn]

We have found a stray dog, it looks very undernourished and in need of a wash we have fed and washed it, please can someone tell me what we should do next, the kids have fallen for it and i think would like to keep it.

[B00]

you really should phone your local dog warden. It could be a much loved pet that's gone AWOL.

[shaneystar2]

Hmmm.....if it was undernourished and dirty I can't imagine it was much loved and wouldn't be left to stray However, I would report it just in case it is someones lost pet. .If no one comes forward to claim it and you do decide to keep it then get it checked by the vet to make sure it's OK. You never know ..it could have been dumped or left to roam for any number of reasons.

[meltoadhall]

if you take it to any shelter or vet they should have a scanner to see if its been chipped.
we got our cat back last year after she went missing for 6 months and she was skinny and undernourished. but only because someone managed to catch her and get her scanned - she was 15 miles away !!!!!!
hope it works out ok though.

[kita1]

At some point you will have to take it to the vet, for vaccinations and a health check. If the vet scans it and finds it belongs to someone then you have problems.

Better to find out now before you get too attached to it (kids included).

Also you do not know its history or why it is straying, it may have some long term illness that the owners could not or did not want to pay for. Maybe it has temperament problems that will emerge later when it gets settled in.

Far better to hand it to the local warden now than let your kids get attached and finding out it has cancer or something and you cannot keep it. If it is a stray then the warden will allow you to have it back, but they will make sure that it is OK medically etc. first.

If it turns out to have a loving owner (who could be missing it desperately, it may have even been stolen and then abandoned!) then you can visit the local rescue centre and find a dog suitable for you and your family, there are loads of dogs out there in desperate need of a good loving home.

Good Luck, which ever way it goes you did the correct thing in picking it up!

[funkylad20]

Inform the local Police, put add in local press (usually free), call local shelters (as if someone had lost a dog this is where they would go).

Other than that, good luck! I found a stray years ago, best dog I ever had

[sue11]

A couple of years ago, my parents were walking their dog in the local forest and had gone a bit off the beaten path. Suddenly this dog popped it's head up from the centre of a clump of bushes. My parents got the dog out and after looking all around for any owners, took the dog home. Their dog immediately made friends with the dog and it would have been so easy to attempt to keep it, but they contacted the police station. The dog's owners had left their details with them and were frantic for their dogs safety. The dog had run off, lost sight of them and obviously thought the best place to be found was out of site in the centre of the clump of bushes in the middle of the forest!
The owners came round to my parents to pick up their dog and the obvious love and relief on their faces was a joy to see. So you never know if the owners are out there and pining!

[mindbox]

Hello, i see alot of dogs that suffer due to mans wickedness. If you are bonding with your dog then keep it, the amount of stray dogs i have picked up and phoned up the owners to be greeted by " oh has it got out again" and to a much idle person "oh do i really have to come out and get it". If you have a good home keep it, so much to the loving owner that loved is dog so much that he decided to get is beloved pet, microchipped as well as a name tag [poor fool].

[britta]

I also found a dog 12 years ago and still have her.
I placed adverts in papers, contacted the police and vets but no one came forward. She was very destructive, and can still be now, but she settled in with my other dogs.
You MUST try to find this dogs previous owners. He/she may have someone desperate to find him/her. You do not say what type of dog. There is a very good website called
www.doglost.co.uk. They are very good at locating lost dogs and owners.
I know someone who got back a Norfolk Terrier after it had been missing for 18 months. The owners never gave up hope and eventually found him. PLEASE try to find the previous owners in case they are desperate. Sorry to say that again but you never know. The dog may be a much loved member of someones family.

[hope28]

For now, get it to the Vets for a checkup and find out if he/she's been chipped.

Second, find out if the ex-owners really want it back or did they really let it go plus if you can find out if they really are animal lovers or just one of those who takes in pets as Christmas gifts only and throw them away the next.

If they really miss and love the dog, let it go back and explain to your children beforehand what you are planning to do...they should understand.

If nobody comes to claim it, it was always yours to keep and am sure would be a very lucky dog indeed.