When you find a stray animal, you may want to keep it separated from any of your own animals. There is a possibility the stray is carrying an illness it can pass on. It is a good idea to bring the animal to your vet as soon as you can, to make sure it is healthy and safe to have around your family and pets.
Your next objective should be to make sure another family is not missing their beloved pet. You can take the animal to your vet, and they will be able to scan the animal to see if they have a chip inside them, which will show that they are owned by someone else. But just because an animal does not have a chip does not automatically mean they are true strays. Be sure to keep your eyes open for lost pet signs, a family that is missing their friend will surely have them posted everywhere! The first places you should check for missing pet fliers are pet stores, on mailboxes, gates and light poles. You can also call local pet shelters and find out if anyone has called in about a pet matching the strays description. People will most likely call animal shelters to make sure the shelter is aware that their pet is missing, and if it is found they should be called to retrieve it.
You should also put up your own, Found fliers. When you make these, do not put a picture or description of the animal. Keep it short and simple; make sure the words “Found Dog/Cat” are in big, bold letters at the top of your flier so that people know right away what has been found. And have your contact information below it in smaller, but still readable, print. You don't want to include the animals description because it would be easy for anyone to call you and say it's their dog, what if they are lying? By not providing this information, when someone calls you can ask them to describe their missing pet, and if they are wrong you know they are not the right owner.
You can make an ad for the classified section of the local newspaper , and they will let it run for two days free. Since it does cost money after the first 2 days, you'll have to decide how long you keep the ad up.
After two or three weeks of trying to locate a pets owner, with no luck, it's safe to assume the animal is either ownerless, or was abandoned on purpose. If you wish to keep the animal, make sure it is appropriately tagged so if it gets lost again it can be safely, and quickly returned to you. You must have a tag that proves the pet has had the appropriate rabies shot. You should also have a tag that includes the pets name, your name and your phone number, you can include your address, but this is not a necessary piece of information. If you've found out the pet has some kind of problem people should be aware of, for example the pet is blind or deaf, you should have a separate tag stating this.
If you do not wish to keep the animal after failing to locate its owner, you should never bring it to an animal shelter. They may not have the room; and either this stray, or another one may have to be put down to make room. You should try to find the dog a good home by yourself. You've already had it for a few weeks now, what's it going to hurt to keep it a little while longer? Many people will be happy to adopt a friendly dog, especially if you do not charge for it. You can put an ad in the newspaper, “Free to Good Home.” And you want to make sure it is going to a good home, do not just throw it at the first people who want it. You want to meet the people, talk with them for a little while. Learn about their living situation and you can decide if they can really care for the pet. This animal deserves to have a good home, whether or not he had one before.
