I Found A Stray Dog. What Should I Do?

Try to locate the owner.

Our first strongest suggestion is to take the animal to your nearest public shelter, which you can locate by calling 888-452-7381. You may also enter the dog into any of the databases we have listed on our Lost and Found page.

Legally, you must take the animal to the shelter for the minimum holding period (ten days). If the shelter is full, you can agree to foster the animal while making an attempt to find the owner with flyers, ads, during those ten days.

With the new micro-chipping technology, a dog could very well have a microchip that would be scanned immediately upon their entrance into a public shelter. 

While it is true that shelters are terribly overpopulated, and approximately 70% of all impounded animals are euthanized, the city and county shelters are the first place an owner will look for their lost dog. It should be noted that many animals have been successfully reunited with their owners because they were taken to the public shelter to be reclaimed by their owners. Even if a dog does not have a collar or appears filthy, it still could very well belong to a desperately searching person. Collars can come off, and many dogs are excellent escape artists and can make their way out of what seems the most secure yard.

Suggestions for your ads.

Most newspapers allow you to place found pet ads free of charge. When placing an ad, be careful to give simple descriptions that do not describe too much about the animal, so that you can determine whether or not any callers really do own the dog or cat in question. For example, a good ad would be: “Found small dog, Saticoy, and Sepulveda. Please call xxx-xxx-xxxx” When someone answers your ad, make sure they can give you an accurate description of the animal. You can ask the caller to produce a photo of the animal, a veterinary reference, or other proof of ownership. Ask the owner for the animal’s name and call it out to see if the animal reacts.

What if the animal is not claimed?

If you have placed flyers and ads and no one has called you during the 10-day period, you have the option of taking the animal to a public shelter or trying to re-home it yourself.

If you decide to take it to a shelter, call 888-452-7381 to determine which shelter is closest to where you found the animal.

If you decide to find a home for the pet, you can try to call various private rescue groups in your area to see if they might let you sit at their adoption shows with the animal in question. You will have to find a place to house the animal in the meantime, however. If you cannot house the animal at your home, you have the option of boarding it in a low-cost kennel or veterinarian’s office. Some kennels and veterinarian facilities will give you a reduced rate if they know the dog or cat is a rescue looking for a home. Or you can attempt to find a foster home through a friend or relative.

Try to rehome the dog.

The first thing to consider before re-homing the animal is whether or the animal is adoptable. Dogs who act aggressively toward people are not good prospects for adoption. If you need assistance in evaluating the dog, please call your local shelter for referrals to professional trainers in the community who can help with this. The more you know about the dog will help you to find a good home for it as well.

Determining whether the dog is good with children, other dogs, cats, etc. is very helpful to the adoption process. Does the dog have a type of personality where an experienced owner is optimal? Or can it make a good first-time family dog?

If the animal appears to have medical needs, you should have it examined by a veterinarian as well. You should also have the dog or cat spayed or neutered before it is adopted. If you have the time and financial resources, you might want to consider taking him or her through a basic obedience training class, which will make him or her a more attractive prospect for adoption.

What if the home is your home?

If you have exhausted all attempts to locate the owner, have been unable to locate a home, and have since become attached in the process – you may legally adopt the dog through the shelter you have been working with, (after the mandatory 10 days).