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Comments on Help! I found a lost dog - what do I do next?

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Help! I found a lost dog - what do I do next?

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I was working today when I saw a small dog run across the road in front of my apartment, narrowly being missed by a car. I went out and lured the dog in with a hotdog, brought her to my apartment, and gave her some water. She is groomed and has trimmed nails, so she's clearly someone's pet.

What should my next steps be to make sure she gets home safely?

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I found a lost dog

Probably not. Nothing in your description suggests the dog was actually lost. If dogs are supposed to be on leash in your particular area, then the dog got out somehow. That doesn't mean it's lost, though. The vast majority of dogs that get out when they aren't supposed to, come back on their own, especially when it's time to get fed.

what do I do next?

Nothing, at least in most cases. Others have already explained what to do when a dog is truly lost or really needs to be identified. However, in most cases, bringing the dog into your home only makes things worse. The dog then won't be able to go home on its own, and the owners that might be out looking for it won't find it.

About the only time what you did is justified is if the dog is in obvious danger. This would include if it wanders onto a road seemingly unfamiliar with avoiding cars, looks malnourished, the weather might put the dog in danger, etc.

Otherwise, leave the dog where it was, and the situation will most likely resolve itself on its own faster and better than if you intervened.

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Dog was in danger (2 comments)
Depends VERY much on the dog, should NOT be the default assumption (1 comment)
Depends VERY much on the dog, should NOT be the default assumption
Canina‭ wrote about 3 years ago · edited about 3 years ago

The vast majority of dogs that get out when they aren't supposed to, come back on their own,

leave the dog where it was, and the situation will most likely resolve itself on its own faster and better than if you intervened.

This VERY much depends on the dog. While it is true that some dogs will stay in the general area of their home if loose, and quite a few others may try to find their way back home after a while, there are also many breeds that have a huge action radius, easily to the tune of tens of km or more (at which point it might as well be infinite). To assume the former when it could be the latter is at a minimum completely needlessly putting the dog at further risk, and even if one assumes correctly, it's putting others at risk. If one is able to identify the owner and the owner says "oh, just set her loose, she always finds her way back home eventually", then that's a different matter, but might still be grounds for, say, an animal welfare complaint.