Finding a dog or stray and keeping it in your house without trying to find its owner? (San Antonio: foreclose, how much) - Texas (TX) - Page 3 - City-Data Forum

Annie53 · 09-09-2011, 01:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Viny80

It depends: Does the dog have a collar? Are there flyers, basically does the owner care enough to search for it? Does it look malnourished?- if it does the owner didn't take care of it and it's better off with me or at a shelter. Reward or not If a dog shows any signs of abuse, neglect, the owner will never see that dog again, if it finds me. If it's healthy, has a collar, etc then I'll return it .

BigFish2 · 09-09-2011, 01:56 AM

we found our dog running down the street on a sunday night at 1am. He literally laid down on the ground with his legs up begging to be picked up. We put up flyers around the neighborhood and got no responses...Turned out to be the best dog we've ever had

majormadmax · 09-09-2011, 05:58 AM

We found and kept a stray once, but only after going through an exhaustive effort to find the owner.

Let me bore you with the story, we were stationed in Belgium and I was out mountain biking in some woods not far from where we live when I saw the same breed of dog that we owned (a West Highlander White Terrier). At first I thought it was our dog, and wondered how it followed me the five miles from our house; but then as I got closer I realized it was a female and covered in dirt and twigs. I shouted out to see if the owner was nearby, then I kept telling the dog to “go home” in hopes it would head in that direction. I ended up walking with the dog for a little while, asking everyone we passed if they were the owner or if they recognized the dog. Eventually the dog stopped walking in the middle of a field and I called my wife to come pick us up.

Once we got home I gave the dog an extensive bath, it appears to have been in the woods for a while. My wife fed and brushed her while I called the veterinarian on base. They told me to bring the dog in so they could check it for a chip or a tattoo (an older method used to indentify dogs). I did but they could find neither, and suggested I file a report with the closest gendarmerie (police); so our next stop was there where I completed the necessary paperwork and was told that if no claims were made for the animal within 30 days, it would be our decision as to what to do with her.

Well, a month goes by and we hear nothing. The dog was a sweetheart and was already sleeping in our bed (as our dog did) the first night she was with us. She was a little skittish which led my wife to believe she may have been treated badly, otherwise she got along great with all of us and especially our male dog (he had been fixed, so there were no worries there).

She was with us for ten months before falling seriously ill, our vet did everything within his power to save her but it was a lost cause. Turned out she had a bad problem with her kidneys and they failed, and while her past was always a mystery to us we do know the last part of her life was as happy and full of love as we could make it. She was a great dog and I only hope her previous owners weren’t looking for her but we did everything we could to locate them. Our Belgian neighbors assured us that if the owners were indeed trying to find her, they would have gone to the places where we reported her missing.

So, I can easily understand someone taking in a stray and keeping it; but only after an exhaustive search for the owner. We had one of our dogs (we still have two Westies, albeit different ones) get loose about a year ago while I was away on a work trip and it was heartbreaking. Normally she wore a collar, but my wife had taken it off to give her a bath and hadn’t put it back on yet. Luckily, someone nearby had found her and responded to our numerous ads (I posted on here, Facebook and put up posters at the main entrances to our neighborhood when I got home). I also offered a healthy reward for her, as I wanted to dissuade someone from trying to sell her. We were very fortunate to get her back, and our lives would have been greatly changed if we hadn’t; but not all owners are as close to their pets as we are. Still, you have to make an effort to reunite a stray with its owner, as you never know…

Oh, and if you do decide to keep a stray, please have them spayed or neutered. Many homeless animals are the result of irresponsible owners who fail to do so. Please don’t bring in any more unwanted animals into this world!

Cheers! M2

stan4 · 09-09-2011, 09:14 AM

Um, dogs can slip their collars. In fact, my little dog doesn't wear one at home anymore because she takes it off and eats it. Or it gets destroyed from all the swimming. Or she goes swimming and then her skin gets raw from where the still-wet collar is rubbing on her.

I wouldn't be too quick to judge the collarless dog. That little sucker LOVES to eat the ID tag on her collar and it's a game for her to take the thing off. Since she has a skinny head, it's not hard.

Annie53 · 09-09-2011, 09:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by stan4

Um, dogs can slip their collars. In fact, my little dog doesn't wear one at home anymore because she takes it off and eats it. Or it gets destroyed from all the swimming. Or she goes swimming and then her skin gets raw from where the still-wet collar is rubbing on her.

I wouldn't be too quick to judge the collarless dog. That little sucker LOVES to eat the ID tag on her collar and it's a game for her to take the thing off. Since she has a skinny head, it's not hard.

That's why you should get your dog chipped. Those chips have brought many lost dogs and cats safely home.

stan4 · 09-09-2011, 04:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Annie53

That's why you should get your dog chipped. Those chips have brought many lost dogs and cats safely home.

Those only work if people bother to take them in to get the chip read.

According to many on here, if it doesn't have a collar, they are just going to stop looking.

I've worked at the animal shelter - they know which are my dogs. And my entire neighborhood knows these are my dogs.

momzillajen · 09-09-2011, 04:47 PM

I'll add my story... I've loved reading how many of you have given dogs homes!

I am NOT a dog person. I love other people's dogs but never wanted one. One day my son comes home with a dog - it literally "followed him home". The dog was so sweet, but very skittish. Fleas, mange, dirty, hungry, thirsty, you name it. We did what we do with all dogs we find loose (and we find a ton in our neighborhood)... took it to the vet to see if it was chipped.

He was... but the phone number was disconnected and the address was really far away from us, leading me to believe he was dumped. Still we tried... Craig's List ads, lost pet websites, posters... finally was able to track down the rescue he was adopted from through his chip. The lady there told me that she had fostered him and he'd been adopted by a "lovely couple"... but they called and said they couldn't keep him. She said she'd take him back, but they promised her they had a home lined up. Maybe, but if so, why didn't they transfer chip ID or at least call the microchip place when he went missing?

During our hunt for owners, other neighbors told us they'd seen him around the neighborhood for a week or so, and some had tried to feed him. By now I'd bathed him, taken him to the vet for flea meds/mange, and he was inside the house (gasp!). We were falling in love. I talked to the foster/rescue lady and eventually (after sending a certified letter to the previous owner's last known address, assuming it would be forwarded) the rescue transferred the adoption to us, so he was officially ours.

We named him Kevin and did the DNA swab because I had to know his breed - he looks like part dingo or something. The rescue was a Great Dane Rescue (which he is SO not) but they fell in love with his ears (they're huge) when they were picking up a Great Dane from a shelter, thus why they took him. Turns out he's mostly Australian Cattle Dog (heeler) with some Icelandic Sheepdog thrown in. No wonder he likes to herd the cats and run like the wind outside.

Long (too long, sorry) story short, he's been ours for over a year now, could not be a better dog, and is so incredibly loved. I agree - make every effort to find an owner, but if you can't, and the dog is a good fit with your family, giving it a loving home is always the right decision.

momzillajen · 09-09-2011, 04:50 PM

OH also - our neighborhood has a Yahoo Group site... many neighborhoods have that or Facebook groups or something. We have a photo folder called "Pets" where people can post photos of their animals along with contact info, so if we find a stray we can check there to see if we can locate the owner. Thought I'd share...

stan4 · 09-09-2011, 04:50 PM

^^ That's a great story and a great idea.

Annie53 · 09-10-2011, 01:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by stan4

Those only work if people bother to take them in to get the chip read.

According to many on here, if it doesn't have a collar, they are just going to stop looking.

I've worked at the animal shelter - they know which are my dogs. And my entire neighborhood knows these are my dogs.

Since chips are now so popular....that is the first thing I think of if there is no collar. Last summer friends of mine picked up a stray without a collar.....the first thing I said..... take him down to the vet so they can check for a chip....which they did.....no chip.

He was a miniature doberman pincher, an expensive dog. The owner had an ad in the paper, so my friends got him home {my friends made them bring pictures to prove they were the owners too}.

That dog was 15 miles from home. The owner had tied him out in the yard while she took a quick shower....and someone stole him.

Fast forward to this May.....the owner called my friends and asked them if they would give the dog a home.....her home was being foreclosed on....so my friends took him. They didn't need another dog either, they already had nine....all strays they rescued.

Guess what? The owner had found out who stole the dog too.

It was her ex-huband.....he stole the dog and dumped him way out here....to get even with his ex-wife.

PS: They had a 14 year old daughter too.....who was so grateful when they got the dog back.....great father, huh?

PPS: My friends also told them they could come visit the dog whenever they wanted to......but so far they haven't. Probably better to make a clean break with a child involved though.