NMHP Forum - Finding lost dogs 101
Question from Amber:
I have been on both sides of this fence (the finder and the loser).
There a couple of things I have always wondered. Currently I live
downtown in a medium/large city. We are always seeing loose dogs. If
at all possible I pick the dog up, look for tags on the collar with a
phone number. If there is no home phone or address hopefully there is
a veterinary tag and I call the vet to find the owner. If there is
neither, we take the dog to the local humane society to be scanned
for a chip. If he doesn't have one we have to decide whether to leave
him there or take him home.
2) When I stop to pick up a stray, sometimes they are skittish. When they are, I am afraid I will scare them directly into traffic. So, I often just give up and call the animal-police. Is there a fool-proof way to entice these strays into the safety of my car?
3) For future reference: If I find a dog and instead of taking him to
the humane society, and keep him at my home trying to find the owner
(inform the humane society that I have the dog, put an ad in the
paper and put up fliers...), after what period of time can I consider
the dog mine to keep or give to a friend? Our humane society told us
one month and the owners appeared after 6 weeks (without any proof
the dog was theirs). They never looked in the paper or checked with
the humane society. This became an ugly situation and we still refer
to him as our "stolen dog." Thanks for this forum!
Answer from Kat:
It is great that you take the dog to the shelter once you have
exhausted other means. One of the biggest reasons why found dogs are
never reunited with their owners is because of the fear of
euthanasia. Rescuers who find dogs are afraid that the shelter will
euthanize the dog (which, of course, they may if it is unclaimed) or
that the shelter will force them to leave the dog there.
Or sometimes, they just simply resent shelters so much that they
figure they will do a better job of finding a "better home" for the
dog.
In missing persons and found persons cases (when you find a wandering
child or an Alzheimer's patient) we have a central clearinghouse
system that results in the recovery of the majority of people who are
reported missing - it is called 9-1-1. And because people who find a
wandering child will call 9-1-1 and people who lose a child will call
the same location, the chance of a happy reunion when a child wanders
away is high (abducted children are an entirely different story!).
Sadly, in the case of lost dogs, the first place where the pet owner
is searching for their beloved lost dog (the local shelter) is
typically the last place that it will be taken. Of course, whether
or not the owner searches that shelter immediately (or at all)
depends on various factors - not the least of which is the level of
the HAB or Human Animal Bond.
If everyone would do just what you described - if they would take the
dog to the local shelter and have it scanned for a chip and then file
a found dog report with the shelter if they decide to foster the dog
temporarily, more lost dogs would be reunited with their families.
And rescue groups would have more room for the truly unwanted dogs -
the owner surrender cases and cases of lost, stray dogs that had
schmuck owners who had a weak (or no) Human Animal Bond that would
have otherwise motivated them to get the dog back home. The problem
is that when you find a loose dog, it is hard to judge whether or not
the dog is a pampered, beloved dog with a family who loves it or if
it is a mangy pet tied up in the back yard. Looks (physical
condition and behavior) can be deceiving!
In response to your questions:
(1) I would always attempt to intervene and capture the dog.
Never assume the dog is on its way home because it might have been
lost for three days and is just waiting for someone to intervene!
But you might attach a leash to the dog, give the command "Go Home!"
and see if the dog will lead you anywhere. Ask people (knock on
doors if you need to) in the area if they know who owns the dog. And
if you remove the dog from the area, post giant florescent poster
board that says "FOUND DOG" at the spot where you picked the dog up
as well as at the nearest major intersection in that area. Be sure
to check the local paper for a LOST DOG ad but understand that you
might have picked this dog up within hours of its escape and the
classified ad might not appear for up to four days!
(2) Through my seminars, I encourage would-be rescuers to
use "Calming Signals" (a method pioneered by behaviorist Turid
Rugaas) and to learn how to approach a stray animal within the
different "Animal Approach Zones" (Awareness Zone, Alert Zone, and
Action Zone). Sometimes odiferous food will work, but for the most
part these dogs are so freaked out by the experience of displacement
that they will NOT respond to food. Many of them will even run from
their own OWNERS! We highly encourage the use of what we
call "Magnet Dogs" which are dogs that love to PLAY with other dogs
and will give off play signals to panicked, xenophobic dogs. We
harness these dogs, attach them to a 30-foot lead, and then allow
them to attract and distract the dog which would normally avoid us.
As the dogs are sniffing each other, we easy a Snappy Snare around
the stray dog's neck and capture the dog. We have had a really good
success rate with this Magnet Dog / Snappy Snare approach. If you
have access to a dog that is dog-friendly, then I suggest that you
keep a 30-foot lead and a Snappy Snare in the back of your car at all
times. You can purchase Snappy Snares from ACES at www.animal-
care.com.
(3) Your third question is hard to answer. If my dog escaped while
in a roll over car accident during a cross country trip and no one at
the accident scene realized (or cared) that my dog had been ejected
from my car during the accident, I would want to know that once I
regained consciousness and was discharged from the hospital a month
later that I was still entitled to get my dog back. But the sad fact
is that dog owners only have 72-hours (in most cases) to claim their
dog from the custody of the local shelter. If the dog is not claimed
by that deadline, then it becomes the property of the shelter and
they legally can decide what is best for the dog. If they adopt the
dog out to a new family, they have no legal obligation to return that
dog to the original owner. Let me answer your question with another
question: If you became very attached to this dog, but one year later
you discovered that this was actually a missing guide dog that
escaped on family camping trip into the mountains (a case I actually
handled - and the dog was never found) would you feel obligated to
return him or her? If it were me, any stray that I rescued I would
be willing to return to the original owner even years later if they
approached ME (when they saw the dog) and indicated they had lost the
dog and if there was a clear indication that they had a strong Human
Animal Bond with the dog. If they seem like people who love and care
for the dog, I'd be willing to give the dog back because if it were
my little Whippet mix Kody, I would keep searching for her, and I
would fight to get her back, even up to 10 years after her
dsappearance!
All NMHP messages are available at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NMHP/
Posted on SHARE Yahoo group June 7, 2005