Have you ever seen a dog or cat running loose on a busy street and feared for its safety? You may have tried to get it out of harm’s way — or you may have wanted to but weren’t sure how. Here are some tips that can help next time you see a lost pet:
Get the pet scanned for a microchip. If the pet is not wearing an ID tag, the best course of action is to either take it to your local animal shelter or call the animal control/police department to pick it up and transport it to the shelter. The shelter staff will scan the animal for a microchip. If the animal is chipped, the shelter staff will be able to immediately look up the owner’s contact information by calling the microchip company or accessing the microchip database online. Although it may be tempting to keep a lost pet and try to find the owner yourself, it is absolutely essential that the animal be scanned for a microchip.
Take pets with no ID to an animal shelter. If the animal has no ID tag or microchip, its best chance of being reunited with its owner is generally at an animal shelter. The shelter is the one obvious place where owners are likely to look for lost pets. While most shelters maintain a database of “found” reports, these reports are often inaccurate due to the subjectivity of the person describing the animal. Many people are not familiar with breeds and coat colors and may not be able to give an accurate description of the animal they have found. One acceptable alternative would be to post a picture of the found animal in the shelter’s computer database if the shelter has software with that capability. This would allow you to hold the lost pet, while still allowing the owner to find it at the shelter via a photo.
Capture and contain it with care. If you see a stray cat or dog, try to capture and contain the animal if circumstances permit. Always approach stray animals slowly and cautiously while speaking in a calm, gentle voice. You can also use food to coax a frightened animal into approaching you. Try not the scare or chase the animal when around traffic as this will sometimes result in the animal running into traffic and becoming injured. Ideally, dogs should be secured using a leash or contained in a fenced yard. A belt or piece of rope can be used as a slip lead in an emergency, but keep in mind that these items are not appropriate as a routine means of controlling a dog. Most cats do not like to be held for any length of time, so stray kitties are best confined inside a cat carrier, secure box (with air holes), small room of your house or temporarily in your car (as long as the car is well ventilated and not too hot).
Post the missing pet online or in local papers. Whether you hold the lost animal yourself or place it in the custody of your local shelter, there are several ways you can help find the owner. If possible, take a photo of the pet and post fliers around the area where the pet was found. Be sure to also distribute the fliers to local veterinary clinics. Social media such as Facebook, Instagram and Twitter are great platforms to share information in your local community and with friends, just make sure to make the post “public” so that others may share as well. You should also post a found report and photo on Petango or Pet FBI. If you found the pet in your own neighborhood, go door to door with a photo of the animal and see if anyone knows who owns it. You can also place a found ad in the classified section of your local newspaper, or post on neighborhood sites such as Ring or Nextdoor.
Despite your best efforts, you can still end up bitten by your neighbor’s dog — and dog bites have the potential to be very serious, even when they’re relatively mild. Infection and scars are a real possibility. Make sure that you understand how to claim fair compensation for your losses. Share
Maybe your neighbor’s dog is simply an escape artist whose skill at sliding through your neighbor’s gate or jumping the fence knows no bounds. Maybe your neighbor is simply terrible about keeping track of their dog. Whatever the reason, a loose dog can be a big problem. Handle the situation the wrong way, and you can end up seriously hurt.
If you are unable to find any identification on the dog, you can either bring the dog to ACC or you may wish to keep the dog in your home. If you decide to keep the dog in your home, it is important to register them in our found pets database (see button below). This is a listing of all found animals in New York City, both in the shelter and in homes, and is one of the first places pet parents go to try and locate their lost animal.
If you find a dog that has a New York City dog license tag, use the NYC Dog eLocator to help reunite them with the owner. Enter the 7-digit number on the dog license tag, your name, email or telephone number. An email will be sent to the dog’s registered owner asking them to contact you. An email is also sent to the NYC Department of Health, which will try to contact the owner by telephone or mail.