January 28, 2008 Lost and Found Dogs

Lost and Found Dogs

It never ceases to amaze me how many dogs are found by caring people that have no means of identification, no tag, no collar and no microchip. The caring people end up calling and visiting local vets and groomers to see if they may know who the dog belongs to and getting the dog scanned to see if it has a microchip. They scour the town putting up flyers to find the home of the dogs, yet they don’t see any flyers posted from anyone who has lost the dog.
What on earth do people do when their dog goes missing? Do they just sit back and wait for Fido to come home when he’s good and ready? Do they assume he was ran over and forget about it? What goes through their minds?
Once my dogs had decided to take off one day, aided by a gate latch left open and after I had scoured the neighborhood streets and alleys and alerted strangers I saw, I made a phone call to the police describing them and told them they were friendly and to call me if they were found. I had to leave that night to go to Lafayette, and when I pulled into the drive my dogs weren’t’ in the driveway as I had hoped they would return on their own. My heart sank. I opened up the door to my house and there were my dogs, safely inside. An Attica police officer had found them and was so kind he even brought them home! You have no idea how much I love the Attica police for doing such a kind thing. I know it’s not in their job description to take home lost dogs. A larger city I’m sure wouldn’t have cared so much. We are blessed to have such caring people in our town. My dogs were found near highway 28 and could’ve been killed. Where else in the world would the police bring home your lost pet?
Lately there has been a rash of found dogs that caring people have found. Sadly I don’t recognize them as clients of mine; otherwise it would be easy for me to find their homes. One thing in common with many lost dogs is the fact that they are “intact” or not neutered or spayed, and that is the number ONE reason dogs leave home! Spaying and neutering your pets may not prevent your dog from wandering off, but it will give him a one more reason NOT to leave home. Male dogs can smell a female dog in heat 2 miles away. Ina 2 mile radius at any given time, there are numerous females in heat. Whenever there seems to be many calls about found dogs, it’s usually because there is a female in season in the general vicinity. Hormones win against obedience. Spay or neuter your dog.
The other very important thing to do is to microchip your dog. Your vet can do this very simple and painless procedure that will make it so much easier to reunite your dog with you should he become lost. Call up your vet and ask about it.
The other thing that astounds me is the number of dogs that are dumped off to fend for themselves in the country. What goes through these idiots minds? Do they think that some caring schmuck will take the dg in and care for it without another thought? Do they assume the dog will “hunt” for its food and thereby be fine? Do they think their dumped pregnant dog will deliver her litter safely without a home and food and water? Don’t these people have a brain? They apparently don’t have a heart.
I recently groomed an emergency found dog that came in looking like a much larger breed except that it wasn’t the dog I feeling , it was matted hair. The pelt came off in one gnarled piece that was filled with burrs and all sorts of debris. When I removed the dog’s hair there was no dog underneath. There was a mass of skin and bones. This dog hadn’t eaten in a very long time. The person that found it made sure it was fed and found a home for it, vowing never to give it back to whomever it belonged to or dumped it off. I can’t blame them. The dog had been neglected for a vey long time by the looks of it. Obviously, they don’t care for the dog properly, so why would anyone give it back?
What scares me most is that many humane societies are now shutting the door on owner surrenders. They can’t care for the ones they have and can’t take in any more. Rescues are constantly full and have no more room yet the people just keep on letting the dogs breed and dump them. Rescues in other counties can’t take any animals from anyone but their own counties because they are so overloaded.
How can we change things? First, let’s take personal responsibility for our own pets by having them spayed or neutered so we don’t bring in anymore sweet lives to give away that somebody will dump down the road. Trust me, even when you think you have good homes for the babies, something may happen and they give the dog away to a not so good home. Do you really want that on your conscience?
Second, please put some identification on your pets. It’s very hard to reunite people with their pets if we don’t know who they belong to.
Third, get the word out the second your dog is missing. Someone may have picked your dogs up, and they don’t see flyers posted, the police haven’t received calls about a missing dog, how do you plan to get the dog back if nobody knows they are lost?
Fourth, if you can’t care for your dog, find a good home for it. I know how hard that is, but you have to do it. You acquired this dog, it is your responsibility. Dumping the dog in the country isn’t an option. Free to good home ads do not cost you anything. Putting up flyers is easy. Calling a rescue, pound, or veterinarian is worth a shot.
Fifth, if you can’t afford to vet it, don’t get it. Resist the urge to get a dog if you cannot afford to get it properly cared for with vaccinations and spaying and neutering and grooming and feeding. If you can’t do it right, don’t do it at all. Wait until your life is on track financially before you commit to an animal for life. Animals are not disposable.