My husband brought home a puppy... ( New UPDATE in post)

[youhadmycuriosity]

That was wandering on the street outside his work. He stopped the car, called it over, and it ran right up to him. No collar. Close enough to military housing, but still way too far to guess where it may have come from. Our best guess is 4 months old. He is definitely not a stray, clipped nails, super friendly with people, knows how to "sit". H called Humane Society and filed a report- it was too late for us to get to get anywhere to check if he is microchipped, which we will do first thing in the morning. But he did immediately file a report with the Humane Society, posted on CL where he found the dog and enough details that the rightful owner would recognize it, and I posted to FB.

So far, no one has contacted us, and my heart is aching. I hope that we find his family tomorrow. I am trying not to assume the worst, because we live in a place where the weather is temperate, and there is a huge problem with people just setting pets "loose" when they are over it. It is the fact that he has no collar that is putting the negative thoughts in my head, because he is obviously not a stray.

Besides putting the notice on Humane Society, CL, Facebook, and checking if he's microchipped, what else should we be doing? I want to find his owners, assuming that they are looking for him- I am also scared of my paranoid possibility that they just set this dog loose, and in that case, I want to make sure hefinds his forever home.

[mrsukyankee]

Do you have a no kill shelter near you in case you can't find the owner? That's about all I can think of. Unless there's a lost dog site in the US (we have one in the UK).

[underwaterrhymes]

I would call some local vets and put up some flyers in their offices.

Good luck!

[jellymankelly]

My state has a statewide "lost and found dogs" page. Maybe search Facebook for "Lost Dogs 'your state'" and see if any pages come up? The one here in NC seems to be very successful.

Also, I'm sure you know this, but whoever claims it should have to show some kind of proof of ownership, like photos of them with the puppy, vet records, etc. please don't just take someone's word for it!

[cbwm1]

This post is unacceptable without a photo.

I have nothing else to add.

[motzie]

See if your area has a "Lost Dogs of ..." FB page where you could share the picture.

[workaholic]

My local PD has a FB page and they post lost/found pet pics there with success. It sounds, to me, like the pet was well taken care of and I'm really hoping it has a chip in it. I also second contacting a no kill shelter. I just recently adopted a dog and mine was from one. She was only there four days before I got her. They have great success with placing dogs quickly. So even if an owner can't be located, chances are this pup will still get a great home.

[speckledfrog]

FWIW, my dog doesn't wear a collar but he is very much loved and if he's out it's because he escaped and not because he was let loose. If the puppy is that young he might not be microchipped. I hope you find his owners soon!

[Deleted]

Dec 20, 2014 9:09:24 GMT -5 speckledfrog said:

FWIW, my dog doesn't wear a collar but he is very much loved and if he's out it's because he escaped and not because he was let loose. If the puppy is that young he might not be microchipped. I hope you find his owners soon!

My dog too! I don't put a collar on him because I walk him in a harness and the collar seems to irritate his breathing (and if I put it on loose enough that it doesn't, he backs out of it). He's never out wandering by himself, but on the off chance he got out I hope nobody would assume I don't love him and want him back desperately  

I hope your puppy finds its owner!

[compassrose]

Good luck! I hope you find his people and that he has them.
Please update us after you have him checked for a microchip.

[RoxMonster]

PIP please!

And I'm another dog owner signing in who doesn't always put a collar on my dog when we're at home. If we go for a walk or in the car, I do, but many days if we're just hanging at the house, she doesn't have one on. So I wouldn't give up hope that a family loves the pup very much and he just escaped. Either way, I hope you find his original family or a new family that loves him.

I agree with the recs of FB lost dog pages, military FB pages, calling area vets, etc.

[mrsp7309]

I'll ditto putting up posters around where you found the dog. DH and I found a clearly cared for dog in a harness with no tags a few years back, and the "Found" flyers got him reunited with his family.

Our pups don't wear collars at home, either. They have sensitive skin, so the collar/harness is only on when we go out.

[phdprocrastinator]

All of the above suggestions are good. I'd make a giant poster to put up near the entrance to the base, too. If I'd a military family, there likely going to drive on and of base frequently.

[youhadmycuriosity]

Thanks everyone! We are heading over to get him scanned shortly, fingers crossed for a microchip. I agree that fliers are needed, it was just late yesterday and we do not have a printer. We will have to work on that today.

He appears to be a pit mix, but I am not 100% certain. Crazy adorable little guy and super well behaved.

I did post on the military FB, and as some posters mentioned, and I definitely left out enough details that anyone calling would have to truly be his owner to know the answer to a few questions about his distinguishing marks.

Hoping we find his family today, will update.

[miniroller]

Wishing you lots of luck, OP!! So pleased such good people as you & your H found him.

[sequins]

We got a bigger collar around 4 months and once our dog slipped through it and ran away. We ran after her and caught her but still. Anyway, I wouldn't think the dog is abandoned. Pups are litter houdinis. Call the local vets and put flyers around your neighborhood. I really hope there's details on the microchip.

[Deleted]

My girls don't wear collars when we are at home with them. It matts their fur and they can chip a tooth on it. So it is absolutely possible for a very loved dog to not have a collar.

[jmc325]

Maybe check local dog groomers? My sister recently found a dog and checked with a groomer in the neighborhood, the employee recognized the dog and he was reunited with his owner! Good luck!

[joshlyman]

Be careful with craigslist, especially with a potential pitt mix. I would take down identifying details and make the post more vague, then require details from anyone that contacts you. It's horrible, but people that are the shittiest on earth browse craigslist for lost dogs to use as bait dogs :/

[youhadmycuriosity]

UPDATE: We took the pup to the hospital, he had a microchip. Proceeded to the Humane Society while they tried to contact his owner. Once we got to the Humane Society, they were able to tell us that his name is Maximus, he is 5 months old, and was actually adopted from the Humane Society after being surrendered to them previously. The address on record for the owners who got him from the Humane Society is 13 miles from where he was found. The owners were not picking up their phones.

With a heavy heart, we left the pup with them. The Humane Society told us that they would hold him for the owners on record, while trying to contact them repeatedly, for 9 days, after which he would be put up for adoption. They said he is an ideal candidate for adoption- he's a puppy, social, and has already passed all of the Humane Society's behavioral and health screenings.

I hope so much that his family is out there, and will come get him. I also feel really shaken, because all of the little factors together leave me with a bad taste in my mouth. Thanks to a lot of you sharing your perspective on the fact that he had no collar, I was assuaged on that, but add in the fact that he seemed TERRIFIED to enter our house, no one has called into the Humane Society despite getting him there, or answered on FB or CL (though, heartbreakingly enough, a lady called thinking we had her pet - the vague description sounded spot on, but she was missing a female dog. She cried, it was awful.), and most strange, the fact that this young and a little bit frightened dog was THIRTEEN MILES from home, in an area that is fairly inaccessible, worries me.

I feel terrible, because one of our options was to essentially foster the dog while the Humane Society tried to contact the owner. None of our dog's collars, kennel, etc, would fit the little guy, and we would probably end up spending a couple hundred dollars for the dog just to have the owner show up a few days later to claim him. We were not financially, time-related, or emotionally equipped for that. However, we will be calling the Humane Society tomorrow to beg them to let us know if no one claims him. They told us that they cannot give us updates, but I hope that they will at least allow us to know if no one claims him, because we are more than willing to adopt him.

Sorry for the word vomit, I have been feeling really emotional today about this situation, and I am usually BREEZY, dammit. Long story short, I hope whatever happens for this little guy is the best situation for HIM. Whether it is a loving family that lost him finding him again (and hopefully all the weird stuff is explainable, and he is truly taken care of well), or getting adopted by a new loving family. Thank you all for all the advice and kind words, it has really helped me work through this situation.

[Deleted]

This is probably flameful, but after everything you posted, I really hope you end up with him.

[youhadmycuriosity]

Dec 21, 2014 2:51:44 GMT -5 @beachbella said:

This is probably flameful, but after everything you posted, I really hope you end up with him.

Thanks for the vote of confidence. I really hope that he has a loving family looking for him that will pick him up soon, and I am just being paranoid. If not, though, I would be more than happy to take the little guy in and give him a great life. I don't get very emotional often, but I can't stop thinking about him and worrying.

[mrsukyankee]

Thanks for the update. I hope that they just can't be reached because they are at a holiday party and can't hear their phones. But if not, then I hope you get him.

[dojo]

That totally sucks I was keeping my fingers crossed that because he had his nails clipped it showed enough care that the owners would want him.

Now I'm moving on to ideal situation #2: His true owners are on vacation and that's why they're not answering their phones. They left the pup with incompetent dog sitters who live 13 miles away and who are shitting bricks right now because they lost a dog on their watch. Next they're going to go out into a snowy night on a crazy goose chase to ultimately find the pup just in time for X-mas Eve when the true owners (and their little girl who LOVES The dog and didn't want to leave it in the first place) come home. A true Christmas Miracle with a lot of laughs, a few teary moments and a heart-warming reunion.

I do not care that I just described a Hallmark Christmas movie. This is what I am choosing to believe and it is completely plausible.

[midnightmare81]

I was just going to say what dojo said, minus the corny hallmark film add ons. ? Since many military families are stations far away from their families, it's a common time for people to take leave around the holidays. Very possible that the dog escaped from a dog sitters house, thus the distance from home. Hopefully the owners will be back within the 9 days to claim him!

[Norticprincess]

Hope everything works out so the pup gets either back home to a happy wanted home or finds a new happy home.


They can travel a fair distance even the smaller ones. It might be as dojo said a pet sitting fail. I've had a commercial kennel lose mine, so it can happen. Our vet said it isn't a rare occurrence. If the pup has been bounce around this much already (first home, shelter, new home) changing places on him might not have gone over too well in his mind - he left to find his people. Our local rescue has it happen every so often.

If you need a smaller or larger crate - craigslist usually has a number of choices.

[phdprocrastinator]

Interesting... We got one cat and our dog from the humane society. For both our contact clearly stated that if the animal was returned without a collar they would not return the animal to us.

Our humane society workers are also hard asses and almost refused to let us adopt our dog because we said that we were finally getting a dog because we finally had a backyard and they immediately assumed we were looking for a guard dog (which explain why we wanted the 25 lb pug mix and not any of the many Pits they had)...

[youhadmycuriosity]

Dec 21, 2014 13:35:08 GMT -5 phdprocrastinator said:

Interesting... We got one cat and our dog from the humane society. For both our contact clearly stated that if the animal was returned without a collar they would not return the animal to us.

Our humane society workers are also hard asses and almost refused to let us adopt our dog because we said that we were finally getting a dog because we finally had a backyard and they immediately assumed we were looking for a guard dog (which explain why we wanted the 25 lb pug mix and not any of the many Pits they had)...

Would they not returned the animals if they were turned in without a collar but microchipped? I can see their point, but I guess it depends on location. And the backyard thing... When I lived in the Midwest, where it was cold, it would have been a lot more difficult to lose a pet without there being a element of neglect (though still possible, of course!), since most animals lived inside. Here in Hawaii, a large majority of dogs that live in single family homes stay outside during the day in the fenced in yards. My dog is the opposite of a guard dog, but he loves being able to run and play in the yard, rather than being stuck in a house that was built in the 50's with no AC. I go a little overboard with a big sign on my gate when I know USPS might be coming, AND caribiner (sp?) the gate, because my worst fear is that someone will try to deliver something, open the gate, and let my dog out. He does always, and at all times, have his collar on and knows not to exit the gate unattended, but a one off could happen. That is why he is microchipped. When the gardener is scheduled to come, I put him inside during the day, but he hates it SO MUCH that I feel terrible and try to come home early so I can let him out in the yard.

Additionally, while I don't trust my dog off leash in public, a lot of people let their dogs off leash at the dog beaches (which are not enclosed), and I could see someone's pup getting away. Though, hopefully, they would have a collar on if they were off leash. Hmmm.

[phdprocrastinator]

Dec 21, 2014 15:34:25 GMT -5 youhadmycuriosity said:

Dec 21, 2014 13:35:08 GMT -5 phdprocrastinator said:

Interesting... We got one cat and our dog from the humane society. For both our contact clearly stated that if the animal was returned without a collar they would not return the animal to us.

Our humane society workers are also hard asses and almost refused to let us adopt our dog because we said that we were finally getting a dog because we finally had a backyard and they immediately assumed we were looking for a guard dog (which explain why we wanted the 25 lb pug mix and not any of the many Pits they had)...

Would they not returned the animals if they were turned in without a collar but microchipped? I can see their point, but I guess it depends on location. And the backyard thing... When I lived in the Midwest, where it was cold, it would have been a lot more difficult to lose a pet without there being a element of neglect (though still possible, of course!), since most animals lived inside. Here in Hawaii, a large majority of dogs that live in single family homes stay outside during the day in the fenced in yards. My dog is the opposite of a guard dog, but he loves being able to run and play in the yard, rather than being stuck in a house that was built in the 50's with no AC. I go a little overboard with a big sign on my gate when I know USPS might be coming, AND caribiner (sp?) the gate, because my worst fear is that someone will try to deliver something, open the gate, and let my dog out. He does always, and at all times, have his collar on and knows not to exit the gate unattended, but a one off could happen. That is why he is microchipped. When the gardener is scheduled to come, I put him inside during the day, but he hates it SO MUCH that I feel terrible and try to come home early so I can let him out in the yard.

Additionally, while I don't trust my dog off leash in public, a lot of people let their dogs off leash at the dog beaches (which are not enclosed), and I could see someone's pup getting away. Though, hopefully, they would have a collar on if they were off leash. Hmmm.

I believe the rule applies even with microchips as all the animals are chipped before they're adopted. Like I said, our humane society seems really strict!

We're in the bay area and have excellent weather most of the year. We let our dog roam in and out of the house when we're home. He can chase squirrels and lay in the sun to his heart's content. We were really taken aback when they accused us of looking for a guard dog. He's anything but!

[youhadmycuriosity]

Dec 22, 2014 14:50:05 GMT -5 intentionalsnarkshark said:

phdprocrastinator that policy doesn't make sense. It seems like it'd be common for lost animals to lose their collars in the process.

This is kind of where I'm at. We never take our dog's collar off, but when he young and growing, hence collar size changing, he managed to wrangle his way out of his collar once. Luckily we were in an enclosed area, but I feel like if this had happened on a walk and he took off after a squirrel, I would have had a really hard time catching him, as he can run twice as fast as me.