It’s Always Good To Have A Plan
Lost Dog Flyer
About a month ago I stepped out of my back door to throw out the trash. There standing in the drizzle was a large dog. I could not have been more surprised. You see, my back yard is totally enclosed. This was not a small dog either it was pretty big! He or she stood there looking and me and I stood there looking back. I’m sure I would have greeted Martians about the same. Well, I took a deep breath and proceeded to the trash can, first things first. It didn’t run at me or bark, just stood. I was on my way to take a walk before this sighting so I got my jacket and umbrella and proceeded to walk while I thought this out.
I have to say that I love dogs and have been waiting for the time to be right when we can get one. That day was not the day! Having said that, in my mind I’d envisioned getting a small dog; say between 12 and 14 pounds. Here was a big dog and how the heck did it get in my backyard? When I got back to the house I went out to the back yard thinking maybe I had seen a vision but no, there it was. Again, no aggression, but ever the hostess I went into the garage and filled a bucket with water and set out some of my cat’s dry food. It was raining off and on that day and as the song goes, “It never rains in California”, wrong, it was that day! I left the garage door open so it could go in and stay dry.
I was obsessed by the question of how this big dog got into the yard. I checked all around the fencing and found not possible way. No digging, no broken bricks etc. So now what do I do? I have a senior cat inside and I know nothing about this dog that while not aggressive wasn’t particularly friendly either, actually was pretty shy.
I did some investigation and developed a plan of action. It came down to the following four steps:
1. If this was my dog I would want someone help find its way home. Step One is to Find the Owner. This not only moral but a legal obligation. Does it have a collar or tags? In my case, no. As much as I hate to say it, you legally must take it to a shelter. If you’re saying “NO WAY!” hang on I have some other options. Keep in mind that if you had lost your dog one of the first places you would go looking would be the shelter. The dog may not have a collar or tags and look a little shabby but that does not mean it didn’t get away from a loving home. The dog may also have a microchip.
2. If you just can not bring yourself to go the shelter route, you can:
• Go around the neighborhood and ask if someone’s dog has gotten out.
• Put up flyers in the neighborhood over a wide range. Remember dogs can travel far.
• Place ads in the newspapers they need to run over a 10-day period. You may find papers willing to do that for no cost or low cost. There’s a great book that has been out for some times called Sherlock Bones that gives directions on how to do this and other methods as well.
3. You’ve been unable to find the owner what then? Because we certainly can’t keep all the strays you see, keeping it may not be the answer, so you’ll need to find a home for it. If the dog seems to be in good shape and socialized that’s good. If not you may need to get it some training and take care of medical issues such as spaying and neutering if necessary. In our store we have some books on training that has a lot of helpful information. People are more apt to adopt if going in there aren’t any problems. The main point is to get him or her adoptable.
4. Next you need to show the dog to potential owners. There are lots of adoption shows run by rescue groups who if contacted would probably let you come and show the dog. The people who come are looking for a pet to rescue. You may even want to place an ad in the newspaper saying you’re looking for a home. There is even a local TV station here in Los Angeles that features dogs and cats for adoption. Put up a flyer with a picture at veterinarians offices or even on websites. Ask your friends and neighbors do they or do they know anyone who wants a dog. Of course you’ll want to make sure that it’s going to a good home, screen potential owners very carefully. The following websites have some great information on just how to do that:
• http://www.petrescue.com/library/find-adopter.htm
• http://www.petrescue.com/dog-phone-screen.pdf
• http://www.petrescue.com/adoption/library-form1.pdf
It may take a while before you find a home so don’t get discouraged. You’ll be rewarded by a wonderful feeling of the good deed you’ve done.
If you live in the Los Angeles area please go to http://www.petorphans.org and you’ll find a wealth of valuable information such as phone numbers, rescue groups and websites. Even if you’re outside the area there is lots of information there that you might find helpful.
My story had a happy ending. I put two and two together, canvassed the neighborhood and found the dog’s owner; my neighbor next door. The best we could conclude is that he had climbed up on some tables near the fence and jumped over. For such a large dog it’s a wonder that he didn’t break a leg or worse. I didn’t have to go further than Step 1 but I was prepared!
Your New Friend is Counting on You!
Photo by jaqian Released under Creative Commons
January 10th, 2011 - 1:35 pm
Gday, I was looking only at that page using my Blackberry and this is very much somewhat weird. Guessed you’d would like to know. It is a excellent post nevertheless, wouldnt mess that up.