If you find a pet, it is important to ensure that you and the pet are safe before you attempt to catch it. Scared pets may run, scared dogs may bite. It’s always best to try and coax the pet to you rather than pounce on, scare or wrestle the pet to catch them. Treats work well if you have any, but a friendly calm voice and an outstretched hand to smell may be all that you need.
We find pet’s often – lately birds and dogs. We keep a spare lead and pet seat belt in the car for such occasions and it has come in handy many times. Every pet we have found has been returned home. Sometimes straight away (dogs), sometimes after a short stay with us.
If you find a pet, remember it is not your new pet, it has a family missing it out there somewhere and you just have to find them.
What to do if you find a pet:
- Gain it’s trust and bring it indoors, into your yard, or hold onto it for a moment.
- If the pet is injured or has a suspected injury or health issue , get it straight to the closest vet.
- Check to see if it has a collar with an ID tag and phone number. If so, call the phone number and inform them that you have found their pet and organise to return it or for the owner to pick it up.
- If it has no phone number, check for a registration or an identifying tag/bracelet etc.
- Phone the local Ranger and inform them that you have found a stray. If it is a registered dog, the phone number should be on tag along with their registration number. Note the colour, species, breed and any extra identifying marks. Often the pound will ask if you would like them to collect them (Dogs especially.) If you can look after them until the owner is found, please do. Dogs in the pound may have a limited time only.
- Take the animal to a vet (preferably your local vet as they might also recognise them) to check for Microchip identification. The vets (and pounds) can scan the pet and check for a Microchip which has the owners information stored in a central system.
- Call and inform all vets in your area of the pet that you have found.
- Do a doorknock and/or flyer drop around the local neighbourhood.
- Perhaps post signs saying ‘Found Dog’ or whatever pet. Do not give out too much information about the pet as it is best if the owner identify the pet to make sure it is the correct owner. Put information such as breed, species, basic colour, sex and your contact details.
- Post on Lost and Found websites, perhaps put a found add in the local paper (Most often these are free.)
- Take note of lost posters at your local shops, on the radio, on the web, and local pet stores, and at local parks etc.
- If you don’t find the owner straight away, don’t give up. The owner won’t be giving up!
- If you can, look after the pet as you would your own. If you’ve never cared for that kind of pet perhaps speak to a vet, pet store or search the internet to find out what exactly this pet requires. If you can’t look after the pet yourself, phone a local vet, ranger or rescue centre and they may be able to take the pet in until it’s home is found. Ensure that everyone knows that the pet is not being surrendered, but lost.
- Treat the pet like one of your family but remember it has it’s own family out there somewhere. Make sure you tell your children that you are only looking after it. It will be sad when the pet leaves your house to go back with their family, but just think what a lovely time you had with it and how happy their family is now that it’s home.
Please ensure that before you feed them, you know what is safe for them to eat! Do a bit of research into the correct food, seed, or whatever the pet requires as some foods are bad for, or poisonous to some types of animals. It won’t take long. A quick phone call or search on the internet will generally point you in the right direction and keep your little charge healthy and happy until their home is found.
Hopefully you will find a very relieved family soon after finding the pet, but if not keep looking for them and looking after their baby.
In the meantime, enjoy the company of your new little friend 