What to do when you find a stray

A few days ago, a woman stopped me outside the shelter and asked me if I was an employee. She was clearly upset and sounded like she needed help urgently. On the verge of hysterics, she told me she had found a dog in the street and she needed help immediately. I grabbed two of the shelter’s veterinary technicians, expecting them to need to provide emergency care to this poor dog. Just as we started to leave the building to follow this woman to her car, her daughter showed up at the door, holding onto the collar of a happy, friendly dog who was not only unhurt but perfectly happy to be out and about. Despite the woman’s panicking and my overactive imagination, the dog did not need veterinary care, it just needed a leash!

Admittedly, my first thought was, “Calm down! It’s just a stray dog- it’s no big deal!” The more I thought about it, though, the more I realized that, while stray dogs may be an everyday occurrence for us at the shelter, many people have no experience finding a stray dog so, when it happens, they’re not sure what to do next. If you should encounter a stray dog, keep in mind the following.

Be careful

Remember that the dog does not know you and may not do well with strangers. On top of that, it is likely very frightened. Only intervene if the situation is safe. Do not put yourself in danger or try to soothe a frightened or aggressive animal. A common mistake people make is they try to stick their hand out to a dog that is fearful of them. While it’s definitely best to let a curious dog sniff you first, sticking your hand out to a fearful dog may cause them to respond aggressively. Remember – you do not know that dog’s history and do not want to risk him biting you out of fear.

If it’s not safe…

If the dog is not openly friendly, call the local police and report the dog’s exact location. Most towns have Animal Control Officers that will respond to calls about stray animals. If possible, stay with the dog until the police arrive.

If it is safe…

If you’re able to get the dog in your car, drive to the police station. It’s important to bring the dog to the police station of the town where you found the animal, not to your own local police station. If the town has an Animal Control Officer, they will take the dog from you and, if not, another officer will help you. Be sure to provide the police with your contact information, anything behavior related you noticed about the dog, and a clear description of where you found the dog.

Why the police station?

Typically, when someone loses their pet, the first place they call to report the missing animal is their local police station, not the animal shelter. If the police have not received any reports of a missing dog, they will transport it to a holding facility, which is not always the animal shelter, where it will stay on a mandatory stray hold for seven days. After that time, if the dog is not reclaimed, it becomes available for adoption.

Helpful tips:

• Even if the dog you find is wearing a collar, it may not like being leashed. It’s easier, and safer, to make a slip lead. Simply pull the hook part of the leash through the handle to make a loop and put the loop over the dog’s head. Slip leads are easier to take on and off than regular leashes and are often less threatening for fearful dogs that may not want you grabbing at their collar behind their necks.
• If you’re simply transporting a dog from point A to point B, don’t offer him any food. You never know what allergies a dog may have. In the end, offering food may be more hurtful than it is helpful.
• If a dog is with you for a longer period of time and you do end up offering it food, make sure you do not provide him with too much food all at once. It’s easy to over feed an animal when we’re concerned they are hungry, but eating too much food at once will only make the dog sick.
• Does the dog have I.D.? Unless you know the owner, don’t try to bring the dog directly to the owner yourself. It is better for the police to arrange for the owner to pick up their dog than it is for you, a total stranger, to show up at their house.
• Still have questions? Never hesitate to call the police or animal shelter to ask questions and find out what you should do next. Either place can help you.

Alaina Goodnough is the Promotions Coordinator at Cocheco Valley Humane Society in Dover, NH. She lives in Sanford, ME with two parrots, a cat, and two dachshunds. She can be reached at CVHS at devassist@cvhsonline.org.To learn more about Cocheco Valley Humane Society, go to www.cvhsonline.org or call 603-749-5322.