Yesterday my friend Christy in Arizona called asking for advice about a stray puppy she had found. Turns out the poor little guy literally collapsed in front of their house.
One Rough Pup
Apparently the pup’s had a rough go of it. Christy said he looked like he’d either been in a fight, was beaten up (by something other than a dog), or both. Before he collapsed he’d thrown up rice and beans. She also said he was skinny as all get out and might have been on the lamb for a while.
So she walks outside first thing this morning and sees the dog passed out by his vomit and looking utterly awful. She thought he was dead actually, that’s how bad of shape he was in.
Who’s Puppy is This?
Well, Christy, her husband Christian and their two boys are animal lovers. (Naturally. Would I be friends with anyone but?) They took the pup in without a second thought and immediately proceeded to try and locate the dog’s owners.
Since the pup was collar and tag-less, they had no clues there. Undeterred, they headed to their vet and had him scanned for a chip. Sadly, still no luck.
Next step was to call the shelter. But there was some confusion about whether they could drop the pup off or not. They couldn’t get a person on the phone, only a recording that said only owner-surrendered animals were being taken Saturday, Sunday, and Monday.
Foster Care
Where they live in Arizona, strays are held for 72 hours then go up for adoption. People who’ve dropped off the strays get first dibs on the pet if they want after the 72 hour period.
Christy and Christian have already decided to keep the pup if the owners can’t be located, but in the meantime they’ll foster him while attempting to reunite him with his rightful owners.
How Do You Know It’s The Pup’s Real Owner?
This is where Christy wanted my advice. (Because she was well aware I’d had experience with Tabby and the little stray pup I helped puppy sit a few weeks back.) She wanted to know the best ways to spread the word about the found pup while also screening actual owners from fakes.
1. I told her to limit the info they put on the flyers. Stick to the basics. (i.e. Found dog, vicinity where found, dog’s gender, breed –but not coloring—and contact phone number.) I even told her not to include a picture, however… I did that because that’s what I’d always been told. (Better to make potential claimants describe the pet to you.)
But, if you use pet finder sites like Petfinder.com, Pets911.com or FidoFinder.com (which they’re also doing), oftentimes you can include the pet’s picture there. So…actually photos can be useful.
2. If anyone claims him, I told her to watch how he interacts with them. If he runs right to them tail wagging and answers to the name they call him, he could be theirs.
But to make sure, ask them to bring along either adoption papers or pictures of the dog. Because what pet parent doesn’t have pictures of their puppy?
It can be an awkward request, but phrasing it diplomatically like, “I really want to make sure I reunite this dog with his proper owners and since there aren’t tags or anything would you mind bringing along some kind of proof?”
Real dog owners will appreciate someone being so conscientious and will gladly do so. People with dishonest intentions likely won’t show up to claim him anymore.
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