Introduction
When you find a dog in the street, you may be overwhelmed on what to do at the very beginning stage. Finding a dog running indiscriminately at the park or at the busy roadside, can be identified as a found dog. Thus, It’s essential to know the steps for a found dog to securely return to one’s residence without harm or trouble.
Every year, millions of dogs lose their owners in the United States alone. Many of them meet with families quickly, only when the passerby who found him and took the steps properly. In this guide, you’ll know exactly what to do – when you found a dog, from securely conducting with the animal to returning it to the real owner.
Step 1: Ensure the Dog’s Immediate Safety
When you find a dog without its owner, you must ensure its safety to seek their owner at a nearby location, take caution steps, and be calm first. If you don’t find an owner at a nearby location, address potential medical emergencies to prevent them from becoming more frightened or injured. The first 24 hours is very critical as many lost dogs are found within a mile of their home.
What to Do For Immediate Safety?
Most importantly, if you find the dog at night, what steps should you take to secure it? Here are steps to ensure dogs safety:
- Start searching its owner within 1-2 miles radius of where the dog was last seen.
- Check spot on the dog, sit on the ground, avoid direct eye contact, and call gently.
- Identify injured areas to provide first aid care (if possible)
- Call the emergency veterinary hospital (if found wounded)
- Wiping bodies with a clean cloth, try best to avoid germs, or influenza
What to Do if Found at Night?
Most importantly, if you find the dog at night, take necessary steps should you take to secure it. Maintain a high-stress situation including shift, strong actions to ensure dog’s safety and prevent them from running into danger, such as traffic. The primary goal is to secure the dog without chasing it, or keeping out of fear can make a friendly situation.
Look at the dogs Safety requirement When found at night:
- The first hour is very critical, use a strong flashlight to spot them
- The dog may frighten at night, let secure them to come out of hiding
- Keep an eye at the dog and report the missing to local shelter and police
- If safe, leave a gate or garage door cracked open with food inside
- Attract the dog into a fence yard, garage or your car (if possible)
Step 2: Check for Identification
After finding a lost dog, check for physical tags, scan for a collar at neck. Most of the dogs found within 0.13 miles or 700 feet from their home.
Checking a found dog identification is essential to return to its owner fast. If you have a found dog, take the step with cautions and follow these steps:
- Check the collar and physical tags to check phone numbers, address tags
- Scan QR mark at collar for free even at late night (If found)
- Check collar for phone number, and call to dog owner (If found)
- Detect a modern bite tag to scan the dogs location
- Check inside the dog’s ears, thigh, or belly for tattoos as permanent marks.
- Knock at neighbors to see if anyone recognizes the dog.
Step 3: Scan for a Microchip
After finding a lost dog, scan for a microchip, which is the most effective way to identify the dog owner. Microchips are rice-sized, non-GPS, RFID chips usually located between shoulder blades.
Get the dog scanned for free:
- Check microchip (digital ID) and scanned by a professional
- Some Petco Pet Care Centers can scan for chips
- In some areas, go to local police, there may have scanners
- Some social human societies have 24/7 exterior kiosk to scan dog
- Record the number, if chip is detected, write down numerical number
- Go to AAHA Universal pet Microchip Lookup website to check registry for owner identification
- Contact Manufacturer: Call the chip manufacturer (like, HomeAgain, AKC Reunite)
- Verify Ownership to return the dog
Step 4: Use Online & Community Resources
Online & community is fast source of finding your lost dogs or return dog to the owner. Choose reliable online resources to post lost or found dog information.
- Post on social media (local & found groups) or local online community.
- Also, utilize facebook free groups “Lost & Found Pets” section or community news.
- Use specialized website related pet lost or found website like PawMaw.
If you’re searching for a reliable lost or found pet site, you can use free resources to help reunite pets with their owners. You can report a lost or found dog on a trusted pet search platform and access helpful tools designed to spread the word quickly.
- Get found or lost dogs free listing free listing opportunity
- Send Free alerts to your local or related areas instantly
- Create free or found dogs flayer free within build-in facility
- Reach at more people in your areas
- Promote lost or found dogs information, and get quick results.
- Make a simple flyer to put on telephone poles in that specific neighborhood.
Step 5: Temporary Care While Searching for the Owner
Provide temporary for a found dog to balance immediate safety needs within active efforts. If you provide a safe place for the dog, keep it in a separate place and secure environment.
Temporary care before found dog owner:
- If you bring lost dog at home, keep into safe room
- Provide water carefully if dog severely stressed or injured
- If you hold the 48 hours, avoid putting dog into high-stress shelter
- Maintain a clear distance for the found dogs to prevent transmission of diseases, parasites, or potential aggression.
- Don’t overfeed or look at nourishment food suitable for the dog
- Use leash for outdoor breaks, even in the fence yard.
Conclusion
Bring the found dogs into a local dog shelter, animal house, if you don’t find enough facilities at your house. Ensuring an immediate safety place, providing safe food, and vet care can avoid the dog’s health issues. Take several steps to identify the dog’s right owner, and search at your local community through online resources like groups, pet sites, or online alerts.
