RescueMe Documentary Help a Lost Pet

Help a Lost Pet
Austin is a hard place to be a lost dog. Whether you find a box of puppies by your apartment dumpster or keep seeing the same, sad, skinny dog running around your neighborhood, there are a few things you can do to help.

Lost Dogs
Not all dogs are dumped. Some really are lost. Some dogs see something interesting beyond the fence and dig under or jump over (losing a collar or tags in the process) then take a few wrong turns and end up far away from the sites and smells that mean "home". If you think you've found a lost dog, there are a few things you can do. (Note: If you have concerns about the dog's temperament, it may be best to call Animal Control.)

Check for tags or a collar. If the dog has tags, the problem is probably solved. A city registration tag will lead you to the dog's veterinarian and they can call the owner.

Call local veterinary offices if the dog isn't wearing tags or a collar. One of them may recognize the dog as a patient.

Place a free Found Dog ad. When potential owners call, be careful not to provide any distinguishing characteristics and don't say, " I found your dog." Instead you "may have found their dog." Ask each potential owner for their name and their vet's name. Then call the vet to confirm. You can place an ad in the Austin American Statesman Lost and Found section. A three day Found Dog ad is free. You can also place a notice on Austin360.com pets and search their lost pets section. Perhaps an anxious owner has already listed the dog you found! www.austinlostpets.com is a free service for listing and locating lost pets in the Austin area.

Post a notice on the No Kill handbill. This email newsletter is run buy Austin Pets Alive! Check their site for instructions on posting notices.

Put signs up in the area where you found the dog. Often local businesses will let you place fliers and notices on their bulletin boards.

Place a notice on a neighborhood email list.

Go to Town Lake Animal Shelter. They have a notebook full of dogs whose owners are looking for them and a form you can fill out describing the dog you found.

Have the dog scanned for a microchip. Many veterinarians do this, or you can also bring the dog into Town Lake Animal Center to be scanned. They will do it for free. The microchip is embedded under their skin and contains the name and address of the owners.

Dumped Dogs
These are the ones that are clearly not owned. They might be a litter of puppies you find in a cardboard box in some public place, a dog that has been left tied to a pole, or one that is so mangy or thin that you're sure it's been alone for some time. This is harder.

Contact rescue groups. Sometimes, but not always, rescue groups can help you with these. The truth is that most rescue groups are always full of dogs. Unlike the fire department, we can't zoom in and scoop up every litter of puppies or injured dog in town. There are more lost dogs than there are rescue groups. When you call describe the dog, and ask if they can evaluate it for their group. You might even offer to foster the dog for them, make a donation, or make it easier to take in yet another mouth to feed, de-flea, spay/neuter, train and home.

Contact a No Kill shelter:

Contact the Humane Society. They will sometimes take in dumped dogs depending on the condition of the dogs and their own space and time constraints. The dogs at the Humane Society won't be euthanized for lack of space.

Contact Sara Sanctuary. This No Kill sanctuary between Austin and San Antonio will take in dogs (and cats) depending on space. Currently they house and care for over 400 dogs.

Keep the Dog until you find it a home. Yes, this will require you to make a commitment to yet another animal, and yes, it's hard. But, the advantages are great: You'll be a part of the solution to pet overpopulation in Austin.
You'll set an example for your kids, their friends, your neighbors and everyone else who knows you on why it's important to take care of the creatures that can't take care of themselves. When you find the dog a permanent home, you'll proudly watch him wag away with his new owners, knowing there is one more success story in Austin, rather than one more story about a dog who died because there were simply too many needing a home.

Resources
Animal Trustees of Austin provides low cost spay/neuter, heartworm and flea preventative and vaccinations.
Local Rescue Groups allow strays found by the public to join them at their adoption days and will often include their postings on their website.

Why taking a stray to TLAC isn't the best idea: With an average of 75 dogs coming in every day and an average of 30 dogs being euthanized every day, the dog will likely not get out alive. The dog is guaranteed humane and kind care as long as TLAC can keep it, an evaluation for possible adoption or rescue and if necessary, a peaceful and humane death. Believe it or not, this is preferable to a life on the streets where many dogs die of diseases, injuries from cars, or abuse. This also ensures that the dog won't be going back on the streets unaltered, resulting in even more homeless puppies. Still, it is only through a community wide effort that the massive pet overpopulation problem can be solved. This means that each one of us may have to do the hard work of taking in the lost strays, and helping them find their way home, or when necessary, finding them a new one.

Good dogs die due to overpopulation. Until we can start to make a difference for the dogs in Austin, nothing will change that.