This is a wrenching scenario for all who care about animals. Once
you've seen the dog (or cat), it's too late to avert your eyes and
drive on, even if you wanted to. After all, what if your own dog or
cat were standing there? So, before you pull over, good Samaritan
that you are, here are some guidelines for assisting animals safely
and effectively.
Be ready to rescue. If you know in your heart that you're a rescuer,
why not equip yourself to do the best possible job? Here are some
things to have in your car at all times: Phone; phone numbers of
local animal control, a shelter, and a 24-hour emergency veterinary
clinic; cat carrier or cardboard box; collars and strong leashes for
dogs; heavy blanket; water bowls and water; strong-smelling foods,
such as canned tuna or dried liver; and an animal first-aid kit.
Think about your safety first. You cannot help an animal if you
become injured yourself in the process. Look in your rear-view mirror
before braking, signal your intentions, pull your car completely off
the road, turn off the ignition, set the parking brake, and put on
your hazard lights. If you have emergency flares, prepare to use
them.
Consider the safety of the animal. A strange, frightened, and
possibly sick or injured animal may behave unpredictably. A sudden
move on your part, even the opening of your car door, may spook him,
causing him to bolt, possibly right onto the highway. If the animal
looks or acts threatening, or if for any reason you feel uneasy about
the situation, remain in your car.
If possible, restrain the animal. Create a barrier or use a carrier,
leash, piece of cloth, or length of rope to keep the animal from
leaving the area. Signal approaching vehicles to slow down if you
cannot confine the animal, or divert traffic around him if he appears
to be injured and is still on the roadway.
Use caution when approaching the animal. Should you succeed in
getting close enough to capture him, you stand a good chance of being
scratched or bitten. Even a small animal can inflict a painful wound,
and if you are bitten by a cat or dog whose vaccination status is
unknown, you will be advised to undergo preventive treatment for
rabies.
When approaching the animal, speak calmly to reassure him. Make sure
he can see you at all times as you approach, and perhaps entice him
to come to you by offering a strong-smelling food such as canned tuna
or dried liver. Try to lure an animal into your car with food, close
the door, and wait for help. But do this only if you are certain
someone will come to get the animal very soon. In most cases it is
not a good idea to attempt to drive somewhere with a strange dog
unrestrained in your car; he may become frantic or aggressive
once you're in the car with him. Cats may do the same, as well as
lodge themselves under the car seat, from which extracting them can
be dangerous.
If you're not able to safely restrain the animal, call the local
police or animal control agency. Do so whether or not the animal is
injured, and whether or not he appears to be a stray or to be owned
(meaning he is wearing an identification tag or flea collar or has
recently been groomed). If you have a phone in your car, call the
local animal care and control agency (in rural areas, call the police
or sheriff) and report the situation. Leave your phone or beeper
number with the dispatcher and try to get an estimate of how long it
may take someone to respond. If possible, stay on the scene to keep
an eye on the dog or cat until help arrives.
Make sure you report to authorities precisely where the animal is.
For example, say "one mile north of Livingston on Highway 101"
or "between markers 65 and 66 on the New York State Thruway." If you
are able to transport the animal, take him to the nearest animal
shelter. Or, if you plan to keep the animal in the event no owner is
found, notify animal control that you have the animal or that you
have taken him to a veterinary hospital for treatment.
You usually can place a free "found" ad in your local newspaper. Keep
a copy of the ID to prove your good intentions should any question
arise later. To check on any relevant laws in your state, county, or
town, contact your local animal control agency, humane society, or
SPCA. Many times, the dog or cat you find along the highway will turn
out to be unowned, unwanted, and unclaimed.
Even so, the person finding the stray dog or cat does not
automatically become the owner or keepe -- as in "finders keepers" --
until he has satisfied certain state and/or local requirements. In
almost every state, the animal is not "owned" by the finder until the
holding period for strays (as specified by state or local laws) has
expired and the finder has made an attempt to reunite the animal with
his original owner and/or has taken steps -- obtaining vaccinations,
license, collar and identification tag -- to prove he is
now the owner.
Don't assume you are dealing with an irresponsible owner. Good
Samaritans who have never lost a cherished companion animal may
conclude that the owner of the found dog or cat callously abandoned
him or, at the very least, neglected to keep him safely confined at
home. But accidents can happen to anyone. The frantic owner may be
looking everywhere for their beloved pet.
Understand the limitations of animal care and control agencies. Once
you have taken the initiative, time, and trouble to rescue a dog or
cat along the highway, you may be surprised to find that the rest of
the pet care community may not necessarily rush forward to do what
you see as its part. For, instance, you may take a badly injured
stray dog to animal control, only to learn that the agency is unable
to provide expensive surgery to treat the dog's injuries and, to
relieve him from his suffering, euthanizes him instead.
A cat with relatively minor injuries may be kept for only the
mandated stray holding period and then euthanized. Virtually all
animal control facilities have severe budgetary or space limitations
and must make painful decisions on how best to allocate their
inadequate resources.
Before you take an injured animal to a private veterinary hospital
for treatment, be willing to assume financial responsibility for the
animal before treatment begins. Good care is not cheap, and many
veterinarians have many Samaritans in their waiting rooms every year.
Anyone who is committed to trying to save injured stray animals
should discuss these issues in advance with the veterinarian.
Fortunately, some states have laws that allow the veterinarian to
collect from a fund for treating unowned injured animals who have
been presented to them by animal control or a good Samaritan. If
you're uncertain about whether or not to assist or keep an animal you
see alongside the highway, here's a final word of advice: First,
think of what you would want the finder of your animal to do if he
happened to find him injured and his collar missing. You'd want him
to take your pet to a veterinarian, and you'd want him to try to find
you. At the same time, be reasonable about how much you can afford to
do for that animal if no owner shows up. Are you willing to add him
to your household? And will you be willing to return him to his
original home if the owner turns up after you've started to form an
attachment? Thinking these issues through in advance may stand you in
good stead the next time you see that wrenching sight at the side of
a road.
Article shared by APG and "YES" you may cross post this to other groups.
Article from Animal Advocacy
Posted on SHARE Yahoo group Jan. 17, 2005