You are protecting this animal by temporarily caring for it.
- A pet is regarded as private property. A stray cannot be kept.
- Pet owners who are upset depend on
- The sole means of
To help the animal get home as quickly as possible, kindly take the following actions:
Did you find a lost dog?
- If the dog is registered with San Diego County Animal Services,
- If you discovered a dog with a license from a different organization, kindly
Here’s your six-digit license number:
- Please bring any dogs you come across who don’t have licensing tags to
- Use the app for free. Finding
- Please inquire if you are interested in adopting this dog.
- the pet
Can I make a call to have my dog picked up?
Have you ever been concerned for a dog or cat that you saw running loose on a busy street? You might have attempted to remove it from danger or you might have wished to but lacked the knowledge to do so. The following advice can be useful the next time you notice a lost animal:
Carefully capture and contain it. If possible, attempt to capture and contain any stray dogs or cats you come across. Always make gradual, cautious approaches to stray animals and use a soft, soothing voice. Food can also be used to entice an agitated animal to come close to you. Avoid scaring or chasing the animal while there is traffic since occasionally this causes the animal to flee into the road and get hurt.
Dogs should ideally be kept on a leash or confined to a fenced-in area. In an emergency, a belt or piece of rope can be used as a slip lead, but keep in mind that these objects are not suitable for everyday dog management. Since most cats dislike being carried for lengthy periods of time, it’s best to keep stray cats in a cat carrier, secure box (with air holes), small room in your home, or even temporarily in your car (as long as the car is well ventilated and not too hot).
Make a call to the police. Never attempt to capture an aggressive animal because you put yourself in danger. Call your neighborhood animal control or police department as soon as you can if you can’t safely approach the animal or if it runs away. Give the dispatcher the precise street address of the location where the animal was last spotted.
Verify your ID. Once the lost animal is contained, look to see if it is wearing an identification tag. If so, you might be able to get in touch with the owner right away and give the animal back to them. If the animal is wearing identification but you can’t reach the owner right away, you can decide to keep the animal for a few hours while you wait for a call back. In the event that you take this course of action, it is still suggested to submit a “found report” with your neighborhood animal shelter right away in case the pet’s owner phones or visits there to look for it. If you are unable to keep the animal, you can either take it to an animal shelter in your community or arrange to have it picked up by your local animal control or police department.
Get the animal’s microchip checked. The best course of action if the animal is missing an ID tag is to either take it to your neighborhood animal shelter or arrange for the police or animal control department to pick it up and bring it there. The animal will be checked by the shelter personnel for a microchip. If the animal is chipped, the shelter workers will be able to contact the microchip firm or search the microchip database online to find the owner’s details right away. It may be alluring to retain a lost pet and try to track out the owner yourself, but it is crucial that the animal be checked for a microchip.
Bring pets without identification to an animal shelter. The best opportunity for the animal to be reunited with its owner if it is without an ID tag or microchip is typically at an animal shelter. The only obvious location where owners are likely to check for lost dogs is the shelter. Although the majority of shelters have a database of “found reports,” these reports are frequently erroneous since the person describing the animal was subjective. Many people lack knowledge of breeds and coat colors, making it difficult for them to describe an animal accurately. If the shelter has software that can do this, posting a picture of the recovered animal in the database on the shelter’s computer would be a respectable alternative. As a result, you would be able to handle the lost pet while still enabling the owner to locate it at the shelter using a picture.
Place an online or local newspaper ad about your lost pet. There are a number of ways you can assist in locating the owner, regardless of whether you keep the lost animal yourself or give it to your neighborhood shelter. If at all feasible, photograph the animal and put flyers in and around the location where it was discovered. Don’t forget to hand out the flyers to the neighborhood veterinary hospitals. Using social media sites like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter to share information with your friends and local community is a fantastic idea; just be sure to make the post “public” so that others can share it as well. A discovered report and picture should also be posted on Petango or Pet FBI. If the animal was found in your own neighborhood, knock on doors carrying a photo of the pet to see if anyone recognizes the owner. In addition, you can publish a found ad on neighborhood websites like Nextdoor or Ring or in the classifieds section of your local newspaper.
Safety first
An unfamiliar, alarmed, and possibly ill or injured animal may act in an unpredictable manner. They may become startled by abrupt movements from you, such as opening your car door, and may run off—possibly straight onto the road. Stay in your car if the animal seems aggressive or acts in a way that makes you feel nervous.
Put the animal in a restraint if you can. To keep the animal contained, either construct a barrier or use a carrier, leash, piece of clothing, or length of rope. If you are unable to contain the animal, warn oncoming traffic to slow down, or if it appears injured and is still on the road, reroute traffic around it.
Use caution
When approaching the animal, exercise caution. You stand a considerable possibility of getting bit or scratched if you manage to get close enough to capture them.
Speak quietly to the animal as you approach to reassure it. As you get closer, make sure they can always see you and consider feeding them strong-smelling food, like canned tuna or dried liver, to tempt them to come to you.
Lure them into your car
If you are confident that animal control will arrive to assist you shortly, try to entice the animal into your car with food, then shut the door and wait. A unfamiliar dog left unattended in your car while you try to drive somewhere is typically not a smart idea since they could grow agitated or aggressive. It can be perilous to attempt to remove cats from under the car seat because they might do the same thing.
Call for backup
Call your neighborhood animal control facility if you are unable to safely detain the animal (in rural areas, call the police). Regardless of whether the animal is hurt or carrying an ID tag, follow these instructions. Give the dispatcher your phone number and ask for an estimation of how long it could take someone to reply. If at all possible, remain on the scene to watch over the dog or cat until assistance arrives. Use road names, mile markers, or other landmarks to provide the authorities with specific location information when reporting an animal.
What should a stray dog in San Diego be done with?
If you can keep a stray animal overnight after business hours and are able to, please do so. Call 619-299-7012 and press 1 for instructions if you are unable to safely care for the animal during the course of the night.
These tips can help you reunite the animal with their family!
Please read the advice listed below to assist direct your search if you are in a position to keep the animal in your house while looking for their family:
- Look around for an ID tag. Check the animal’s collar for any identifying information to see if it is on.
- Consult your neighbors. Within a mile of their house, 80% of lost pets are discovered. If the animal is familiar to you or the locals, ask them if they know who the owner is.
What should you do if a stray dog gets inside your home?
I don’t know a single dog owner who hasn’t, at one time or another (or fairly regularly), wasted too much time attempting to find a lost or stray dog. In the little town or its rural surroundings where I’ve resided for the past five years, I’m sure I’ve caught more than my fair share. I’ve captured dogs with burrs covering them who were obviously lost hunting dogs, dogs with injuries indicating they had fallen from a truck, as well as some fluffy little lap escapees that appeared to be just out for an adventure.
You’re in luck because the remaining information in this article is irrelevant if the dog is wearing a collar and tags with current contact information for his owner. However, just one of the 20 or so dogs I’ve rescued in the previous five years had a collar and an ID tag that was still current. The owners of dogs that always wear collars and tags appear to be the ones who successfully keep them contained, yet mishaps can happen to any owner. Here’s what to do if you come across an unknown dog.
Take him to your local shelter
If you’re worried about how secure, clean, or well-managed your local shelter is, don’t panic; you don’t have to leave him there. The shelter should be used for a few things, though (see #2 and #3).
The owner of the dog will probably visit the shelter to hunt for the animal if the owner is truly trying to locate the dog. Except for the most devoted owners, very few individuals think to read the classified advertisements in the newspaper or on Craigslist.
Ask the shelter staff to scan the dog
A microchip ID may have been inserted in the dog. If he does, the staff ought to be able to assist you in locating the dog’s owner’s contact details.
It may sound obvious, but I didn’t realize it until recently that my 14– or 15–year–old cat, a stray that a friend found and gave to me 12 long years ago, had never been scanned. I recently got her scanned at my local animal shelter because I hate to think that I might have been able to return someone’s much-loved lost cat years ago. I’m not sure why I never thought to check before. (Thank heavens she didn’t have a chip.)
File a “found dog report at the shelter
You should at least make a report if he doesn’t have a microchip and you don’t want to leave him at the shelter “dog report discovered at the shelter. This gives you protection in case you decide to keep the dog (or give it to a friend); it demonstrates that you made a sincere effort to track down the dog’s owner. You’ll need to be able to show that this attempt was taken to uphold your ownership rights if the dog’s owner later comes up and wants his dog back.
Some animal shelters photograph the dog for their “Others simply store a binder full of the reports, without photos, on a counter at the shelter. Some people record found dog reports and post these online. Most folks only check the shelter kennels and/or website; few people are aware that shelters keep these reports. Although it’s rare, these reports have helped facilitate reunions.
Take a photo of the dog and make a “found dog flier
Post it as widely as you can in the neighborhood where the dog was discovered. Most dog owners scan lost-and-found pet posters, and many of us know our neighbors’ pets better than their owners! By doing this, you are enlisting a small army of individuals who may be able to aid in reuniting the dog with his owner.
Be cautious if you take the dog home
If you bring the dog home, safeguard your pets right away. Check to determine if the dog has fleas; if so, apply an effective flea control solution right once to prevent the fleas from infesting your home or automobile. If your dogs are immune-suppressed or have incomplete vaccinations, you may want to keep the stray dog as far away from your dogs as you can for at least a few days so you can be sure he isn’t contagious. After touching the stray, thoroughly wash your hands, and immediately wipe up his feces.
In addition, you must keep everyone in your household safe from the stray dog’s attacks until you are assured that none will occur. It’s simple to forget about other dogs’ potential for predatory behavior when your own dog gets along well with children, cats, and your parrot.
Be careful when feeding him and the first time he discovers a nice chew bone or toy that he enjoys because he can have resource-guarding concerns. Until you have a chance to get to know the dog, keep him on a leash or use baby gates to restrict his access to particular areas of the house.
