Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
what ever the situation is with this dog the "owners" should have kept a better eye on the dog. if she was in heat they should of made sure she was unable to get free. at the very least she should of had a collar and tags on so when this kind of things happen she can get back to the owner. these "owners" really don't care much for this dog and I hope they don't come for her. the op sounds like a way better person to take care of the dog then the people who let her wander away without tags. thanks for looking after her op
Our neighbors had a male husky, and that dog was a terrible escape artist, and once he was out, he would RUN like the wind for days. Days and days. He jumped through a screen on a second floor window once, he learned how to open their door (they had a lever door knob) and he learned how to get out of every cage and crate that they put him in. I've never seen anything like it. He was chipped and had tags, so when he finally got hungry and someone caught him, they would get calls from miles and miles away.
It's possible that this is a breeding dog, hence not being neutered, and if she was in heat, that could cause the wandering itch. Being that she is fat and healthy, and knowing how dirty a dog can get in a short time, and that she might have slipped her collar, I would say that the owners, if they show up, should definitely get her chipped, but other than that, knowing what huskies are capable of, they might be, literally, many miles from you and not looking where you are.
I would post in your local CL, and adjoining areas, and post to Pet Harbor.
Don't you have a County ASPCA or something in your area? Animal Control? Something?
In my area there's a number you can report lost or found dogs. Or sightings.
NOT FACEBOOK.
I wouldn't automatically assume neglect. Huskies are notorious. And I do NOT keep collars and tags on dogs 24/7. And I'm a pet sitter. None of my clients do either. But I've never lived in an area that has "outside dogs" either.
You are doing the right thing to try to find the owner, but my bet is the owner may not want to be found (i.e. a dumped dog).
I would give it about two weeks of an honest, visible effort to locate the dog's owner, and after that I would consider the dog mine.
Laws will vary by state and location, but here, I can list the dog with the OSPCA as a found dog, and seven days later can adopt the dog from the OSPCA if it is not claimed - at that point the dog is legally mine. That may be something to look into to protect yourself legally.
Here's the situation, sorry for length but I want to paint a complete picture:
Last weekend a Husky wandered into our yard. I hadn't seen her before on our long walks through the neighborhood, and she came with no collar, no tags, and as I found out at the vet, no microchip. She was caked in dirt and mud, but seemed otherwise healthy. She's actually a little overweight for her size. She was very friendly after a tiny bit of initial skittishness, so I brought her inside and gave her a much needed bath. I checked her teeth, her ears, her paws, examined her body for any wounds or mange or anything that might affect my dog but she seemed fine, so I let her and my pup play together. They hit it off instantly (BFFs, seriously).
I left her in the backyard over night because I thought she might want to return home, and because she isn't housebroken and I couldn't subject her to suddenly being crated if she's never been crated...But she stayed on the back porch, and I fed her with my dog the next morning. She's stayed at our house ever since. I took her to the vet on Monday, they said she's very healthy...young, and unspayed (currently in heat, actually). I got her her rabies and distemper vaccines, just in case, and if she isn't claimed, I will be having her spayed immediately following this heat.
In the meantime, I've put up fliers at local businesses (we live in a very small town) and put her info and photo up on a local yard sale-type facebook group page, hoping to find her proper family.
My questions are:
1. Is it right or ethical to return her to her proper family if I suspect she has been neglected? (I don't know it for a fact, but just the idea that she was left to wander...filthy, untagged and unchipped, makes me think at the very least neglect).
2. How long do I need to make efforts to find her owner(s) before I microchip her with my info?
Husky's run. A lot. And far. Just because she was dirty and untagged doesn't mean she was neglected. And if she's in heat, all the more likely that she ran for a distance. As for being unchipped, some people wait and have it done when they are spayed. Giving the benefit of the doubt, she might have taken off (Husky's are also BIG escape artists) just before spaying.
1. So yes, IMO, if her owners are located, you should return her. But, you can also ask if they might be willing to let you keep her (if that's what you want). They might be at their wit's end, and are regretting getting a dog that gets out. Just speculation, but possible.
2. Hard to say. I might wait a month or a few weeks? At least until she's out of heat.
I was in this exact situation almost a year ago. An elderly Beagle wandered in to our yard while we were putting up a fence. It was blistering hot, so we offered her some water, and she laid down in the shade and went to sleep. She had a collar (brand new) but no tags and no chip (ran her up really quick to the vet to have her scanned). Beagles are also escape artists and can run for miles, so I checked with all the shelters in our area, lost and found boards, and all the local vets. I didn't want to put her in a kennel, so I kept her at our house, but let our local AC know I had her (we live in a very small town. No threat of her being put down if she was in the shelter, but it's cold and cement :-) I cruised Craigslist and checked everyone I know that might have a lead on her owner. I did get one call from a man hundreds of miles away. He sent me his dog's photo, and at first they were identical. But closer inspection showed a white marking on "my" Beagle that his lacked. I felt so awful for him - he'd lost his dog months before, and was in tears when he realized it wasn't his dog (which is why I say return them to their owner). I looked for her owner for 6 months, while I looked for a good home for her at the same time (did not need another dog).
Here we are almost a year later, and Bagel the Beagle sleeps on the couch and snuggles with the rest of my dogs. Yup, kept her. She's an awesome little girl. I wonder what caused her to be loose. Owner died and the family dumped her somewhere? She escaped and the owners had just had enough of her taking off? I'll never know.
Check with animal control, they should be able to tell you exactly what you have to do legally before you can claim and keep the dog. If she had been picked up by them and impounded as a stray how long would the owners have to claim her before she was available for adoption? That is probably how much time you must also allow.
A dog can get incredibly filthy in a matter of hours, just ask me about one of my escapees and what a mess he would be when he got out - horse and cow manure, something dead, a dip in a scumy farm pond and he was a happy dog who would come home, tongue practically dragging on the ground, exhausted and so very, very happy. Me, not so much, especially if it was late and cold and he had to be at least somewhat cleaned up before I could let him in the house.
It is very kind of you to take in a filthy stray dog and spend money and time to care for her.
You should notify local Animal Control and the local police department that you have found the dog; and give them a description of her.
If/when her owners turn up, I would think you would have the right to ask for some kind of proof that she is their dog; such as a license or a picture, a vet bill, something. Also, you have every right to ask for the money you paid to have her checked out by the vet; give them a copy of the bill.
Keep us posted as to what happens. Could be that the dog has devoted owners and a repairman left the gate to a fenced yard open or allowed her to slip out the door of the house. It could also turn out that her owners are shiftless/careless and neglectful and don't want her back. I think you're legally obligated to tell Animal Control at least; and the police are also a source of information both for you and her owners. (many years ago, an acquaintance of mine had his friendly Doberman run out of a gap in the fence of a local park; and head out into the town, not wearing his collar at the time. We searched for the dog, with no luck. My acquaintance called the police almost immediately. Luckily, about three hours later, he got a call back from the police. It seems that the dog had been taken in by one of the few passersby who was not afraid of the sight of a big Doberman; she took him home and called the police to report that she had him; in the hope that his owner would be looking. Luckily, they all lived in the same town, so it was one police force.
Absolutely, positively, PLEASE continue to look for this dogs rightful owners. Use Craigslist and not just in your town, but surrounding areas as well.
I have known dogs that got out, good samaritans pick them up and take them home... and their home may be very far from where the dog was found. Ive helped get several dogs home that were found long long way from home. Also check surrounding counties vets and police.
Now, we also have rescue groups who are scooping dogs out of shelters and taking them hundred and hundred of miles from where they were found. Poor owners, if they don't find their pet in 3 or 4 days, their chances of ever getting them back may be slim.
Thanks for taking her in, taking care of her and trying hard to find her owners!!!!!!
Check with local Vet see if he knows of any one that owns Huskies or Malumutes [they look alike to the adv person] could be she escaped from some one with a male that was to breed her
Hey guys, thanks again for all the replies. There have been several things mentioned I hadn't considered.
Her owner contacted me early this morning via text...though I'm not sure if he/she found me from the fliers or the Facebook posts. It ends up they live one street over from me, and I pass their house every day on my walks with Nico. They explained that they have always had trouble containing her, as she is quite the escape artist (Husky, duh). So she's been confined to being tied up in their small backyard, which is fenced with a tall privacy fence. They said their backyard is a mud pit now, which explains why she was so filthy upon arriving at our place.
The owner goes on to say they feel bad having to tie her up and that if I know anyone with a lot of property for her to run free on, they would be willing to let her go. I texted back and asked if we could meet up later today and talk about it and they agreed, so I guess I will see what happens and go from there. I don't want to take someone's dog, but I would also hate for her to stay tied up or escape and be injured. I'm thinking of offering to foster her until a suitable home can be found, but I'm not sure how they will take to that. I guess I'm going to have to play it by ear.
Thanks again for all the feedback, everyone. Its really, really appreciated.
I will be sure to update tonight after talking to the owner(s).
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
