found a dog- what to do?

[rfuerst911sc]

My son called me earlier and said he found a dog roaming his apartment complex. His apt. complex does not allow dogs. Anyway this pup appears to be 6-8 months old and I'm guessing a Yorkie. It has a collar with a tag with the dogs name and the owners phone number. We called the number and the person that answered said they recently moved to town and this IS their phone number but they don't own the dog My son brought the dog over to my house and I now have the dog. We tried to call animal control but they are closed today. My son and his girlfriend walked all over the grounds at the apartment and found nobody looking for a dog. I already own 2 dogs so that's not my intention. This looks like a purebred dog and it's a shame if someone just let him loose So any suggestions on what to do? I don't think I want the dog to end up at the pound, too afraid he might be put down. Anyone looking for a dog ?

[Steve Carlton]

Sure sounds like a pet the owner would like to get back. I'm assuming there's something wrong with that phone number situation- was there an area code, did you dial the right number? Hard to believe the dog has the wrong collar or tag on it.

I'd hang onto the dog and check craigslist for starters. You could also have it scanned to see if there's a chip. Call the local pounds and see if they have someone looking for their dog and give them your information. You could post up flyers, maybe leaving out the dog's name and phone number so you have something a caller could verify.

[stomachmonkey]

People that dump pets usually take the collars off.

Do a 411.com reverse look up on the number.

If it has changed recently it may still contain previous persons name/address.

Post flyers.

As Steve said take the dog to a vet and have it scanned for a chip.

Use a vet local to where the dog was found. You might luck out and get the vet that the owner uses.

Possible that the owner is on vaca and had someone sitting the dog and it got loose. (happened to me once with one of my cats, my sister let it out by accident)

Take care of it for a couple of days.

The owner will turn up and if not a purebred Yorkie is not difficult to adopt out.

[Seahawk]

If it is a Yorkie with a collar, and looks well cared for, try local vets and ask them to compare the phone number on the collar to customers.

Also try any breeders in the area. Internet search should turn up some leads.

Best of luck.

Oops, too slow!

[TerryH]

Yeah, someones missing their puppy. The pound would be one of my first calls if my pet was missing, so don't remove that from the equation. You can always ask for it back if unclaimed probably with expenses though.

Christmas Eve, just as the inlaws drive up at dusk from Az, this huge Aki/Husky sled dog type just show up at our back gate. The inlaws brought their fox terrier and we have our fox terrier and this 100+ lb strange dog is really out of place here. The dog is beautifully kept and wearing a big red collar, with no ID on it.

Our street is busy and 200 yards away is a 45 mph main road, so I put the dog in our fenced yard, and put our two mutts in the house, then grabbed a flashlight and walked a few miles around the neighborhood looking for an open gate with no luck. I made a "dog found" poster and stuck in our front yard, put a leash on the dog/horse hoping he would drag me back to his house. We turned one corner and luckily his owner drove up and was profusely thankful. The owner said his daughter had accidently removed the dog tags just the day before.

I was so relieved that we didn't have to deal with that dog with our dogs, heavy rains and holidays all mixed together. It may have been 2-3 days before the pound even repsonded. I think I was more thankful than the dog's owner that he got him back.

[pwd72s]

As archaic as it may sound, do place a "found" ad in area newspapers...

[rfuerst911sc]

Great suggestions everyone. I did the reverse lookup on 411.com and it said it's a cellphone with the provider being Omnicorp Communications. I called the number on the dog tag myself after my son said he did, no answer but I left a message. I'll check Craigslist next and then tomorrow we'll take the dog to our vet to get scanned for a chip.

[unclebilly]

if the dog has a rabies tag or other tag, there will be a seral number on the tag and a vet name and number. call the vet and give them the serial number. they will put you in contact with the owner. i have done this before with great success.

[varmint]

4th of july, new years, big thunder storms. dogs go missing.

move fast whatever you do. you've got about three days before your family bonds with the dog.

[Tishabet]

Many dog owners these days "chip" their dogs with a subdermal implant. Most shelters, vets etc have a reader, so if the other options don't pan out you can check for a chip as well. Most shelters will scan incoming found animals for a chip as a matter of course.

[rfuerst911sc]

Originally Posted by unclebilly

if the dog has a rabies tag or other tag, there will be a seral number on the tag and a vet name and number. call the vet and give them the serial number. they will put you in contact with the owner. i have done this before with great success.

No rabies tag on the dog. Just one tag with the dogs name and a phone number. I just looked on Craigslist and went back to before Christmas and there are no postings for a lost dog that matches his looks. Tomorrow we'll have the dog scanned for a chip.

[Garyo4]

Cover with Olive oil, 350f for 4 hours....bon appetite!

[Steve Carlton]

What's the dog's name?

[ramonesfreak]

my parents have an 8 month old yorkie. its the sweetest most loving dog ive ever met.

however, like all yorkies, its absolutely fearless and very energetic. i can see how it could get out of the house and then run in order to explore and find new friends to play with

i can not imagine any yorkie owner (like any dog owner I suppose) not going totally insane not knowing where their puppy is

try posting an add on craigs list lost & found, put up some fliers, maybe a message could be left with the local police department.

if it were mine, i would not sleep or work until i found it

[vash]

is the dog microchipped? take it to a vet and have the dog scanned. maybe call the microchip company and see if they have the phone number listed. i think there is only one company.

opps sorry, you mentioned the chip already.

[TerryH]

Put it on a long leash, let it lead, and see if it goes home. The dog I mentioned earlier was taking me to his house when the owner saw us.

[vash]

i love yorkies. is it a teacup or bigger?

how much is a coast to coast roundtrip ticket anyways?

[rfuerst911sc]

This morning we took the dog to our vet to be scanned for a chip and no dice. We made up one page posters and dropped them off at our vet and 3 other vet / pet stores in our immediate area. No one was looking for this dog as of this morning at those spots. My son has taken the dog back to his apartment even though they don't allow dogs to see if someone shows up. He took copies of the posters and is posting them at the apt. complex. I left a voicemail yesterday on the phone # on his tag and no calls back Such a cute pup this really is a weird situation. Hopefully a happy ending is coming soon.

[Heel n Toe]

Originally Posted by rfuerst911sc

My son has taken the dog back to his apartment even though they don't allow dogs to see if someone shows up. He took copies of the posters and is posting them at the apt. complex.

Y'all should also put some of those posters up at other apartment complexes in the area.

Likewise in adjoining neighborhoods... anywhere within a mile or two, the dog could have easily wandered from.

And a brief classified ad in the local paper that someone mentioned is a very good strategy... it is one of the first places a lot of people look. If you call now, you could probably get one in for Monday - Wednesday.

Will local animal shelters let you post a flyer? People usually go there to check for lost pets... most hold pets 4-5 days before euthanizing them and people want to make sure that doesn't happen.

[aigel]

Simple:

Have animal control pick it up. Animal control / pound is where the owners will look first. You do not have to surrender the dog - unless picked up by owner. Then, if it is not picked up, you can take it back in a couple of weeks and place it yourself.

George