Found 2 stray dogs - did I do the right thing?

fwed

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#1
Today I went outside and saw our neighbor's kids with two dogs. They said the dogs didnt' have owners and they were wandering around the neighborhood. Their parents didn't let them keep the dogs so I agreed to take them in until I found the original owners.

Both dogs seemed to be well fed, neither had collars. 1 is a senior dog with really rotted teeth. She only has about 5 teeth total and they are filled with plaq. The other is a puppy, about less than a year but one of his eyes is cloudy so I think he may be blind in that eye. I plan to keep them but put flyers up around the neighborhood with my contact in case the owners run across the flyer. I was going to give it a week then take them to a shelter.

Now I can't imagine losing my dog and I know some people let their dogs run loose around the neighborhood and they eventually come back. I'd hate to think I just took two dogs away from some people who actually cared for them but then again, I myself don't think it's very responsible to let your dogs roam around. It is possible they escaped though. So, did I do the right thing here in taking them in or should I have let them go about to see if they end up back to their owners?

Also, any other tips on how to find their owners would be helpful.
 

Sit Stay

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#2
The flyers are great - I'd also post on Craigslist and any local missing pet pages on Facebook. Please also call any and all vet clinics and shelters in the area and give them your contact information and a description of the dogs - chances are if these dogs are being looked for their owners have/will call or visit these places.
 

Barb04

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#3
You did the right thing, thank you. If your supermarket has a bulletin board, you could put up a flyer there too.
 

misfitz

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#5
Yes, you did the right thing to take them in. At least with you they aren't in danger of getting hit by a car or attacked by wildlife.

Don't assume the owners are bad - dogs can get lost when they dash out the door, slip their collars, in car accidents, from the groomers...it happens all the time. There's no telling how long they have been lost, or what could have happened.

Take them to the shelter. Even if you don't leave them there, they can scan them for microchips and file a found dog report. The owners will likely look at the shelter first.

You can also post on these sites, and search them for lost dogs that match the description of the ones you found:

(List is from https://www.facebook.com/notes/lost...websites-and-shelter-listings/159827104046232 but in case you're not on Facebook, I copied it here.)

Lost and Found FACEBOOK pages (local and/or national):

LOST AND FOUND PAWS IN LOS ANGELES METRO AREA - http://on.fb.me/Hz0pQg
MISSING SMALL DOG ALERT - https://www.facebook.com/MSDAlert
HELPING LOST PETS - http://www.facebook.com/pages/Helping-Lost-Pets/122576304467949
OLIVER ALERT - https://www.facebook.com/OliverAlert?ref=pb
MISSING PET USA - http://www.facebook.com/missingpetsusa
MISSING PET PARTNERSHIP - http://www.facebook.com/missingpetpartnership?sk=wall&v=wall
LOST PAWS FINDER - https://www.facebook.com/LostPwsFinder
LOST PET FOUND PET - http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lost-Pet-Found-Pet/162625657117463?sk=wall
LOST AND PETS L.A. - http://www.facebook.com/LostPetsLA?sk=wall
SAN DIEGO LOST DOGS- https://www.facebook.com/pages/San-Diego-Lost-Dogs/143080305964
MISSING PETS ALLIANCE - https://www.facebook.com/missingpetsalliance.net
CALIFORNIA PET AMBER ALERT - https://www.facebook.com/pages/Californias-Pet-Amber-Alert/182866565070480?sk=wall
MSDALERT Craiglist crossposting - http://www.facebook.com/CraigslistCrosspostsWelcomeHere
LOST DOG SEARCH - https://www.facebook.com/pages/Lost-Dog-Search/339346860334?sk=wall
LOST AND FOUND PETS AMERICA - https://www.facebook.com/lostandfoundpetsamerica?ref=pb
PIT BULLS LOST/FOUND/MISSING/STOLEN - https://www.facebook.com/pages/Pit-Bulls-LostFoundMissingStolen/231981680213393?sk=wall
SAN DIEGO, CA. LOST/FOUND PITBULLS - https://www.facebook.com/sdlostandfoundpitbulls
LOST/FOUND HUSKY DOGS - https://www.facebook.com/huskydogslostfound
LOST AND FOUND HOUNDS - https://www.facebook.com/LostandFoundHound
CHARLIE TO THE RESCUE Crossposts - http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=123615467679051
HAUTE DOGS - https://www.facebook.com/HauteDogs?fref=ts

As a suggestion, post your LOST or FOUND animal on your CITY and community news facebook pages as well to reach local residents.

LOST & FOUND WEBSITES and Services w/ free listings:

K9 ALERT - http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/K9Alert/
CRAIGLIST - http://losangeles.craigslist.org/laf/
HELPING LOST PETS - http://www.helpinglostpets.com/#Search
PETFINDER - http://www.petfinder.com/classifieds/classifieds.html
THE CENTER FOR LOST PETS - http://www.thecenterforlostpets.com/
LOST AND FOUND PETS AMERICA - http://lostandfoundpetsamerica.com/
PETS MISSING IN ACTION - http://petsmissinginaction.com/petads/164_California/
EBAY CLASSIFIEDS - http://losangeles.ebayclassifieds.com/lost-found/?catId=100244&output=gallery
PETS 911 - http://www.pets911.com/services/lostandfound/
FIDO FINDER - http://www.fidofinder.com/
TABBY TRACKER - http://www.tabbytracker.com/
MISSING PET NETWORK - http://www.missingpet.net/cgi-bin/search.pl?CA
DOG AMBER ALERT - http://dogamberalert.com/
BLOGS about LOST PETS - http://en.wordpress.com/tag/lost-pets/
LOST AND POUND - http://www.lostandpound.com/
AKEKEE - http://www.akekee.com/
PENNY SAVER - http://www.pennysaverusa.com/classifieds/usa/index.html
LOSTANDFOUND.US - http://www.lostandfound.us/

(also check for free ads on local paper and their websites, and contact your pet's microchip company to send an alert and post on their sites)

Good luck, hope you find the owners!
 

fwed

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#6
Good ideas, hopefully I can find the owner soon. One of them ran away today and went into another persons house that lives in the neighborhood. I thought that might be the owner but turns out it's just a guy that feeds him when he comes around and that's why he came straight over there. I have a feeling they may just be two dogs no one wanted. What's worse is one of them is in heat and I found them doing it in the backyard. They ended up getting stuck together, I my have a pregnant dog on my hands now.
 

fwed

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#7
So I took both of them to the animal shelter today (CAPS - Citizens for Animal Protection). They advertise on their website that they will only euthanize if the dogs are seriously ill and suffering. Well, one needs dental work and the other may be blind in one eye. I don't think that qualifies since other than that, they are perfectly fine. Well to my suprise, when I get there, I'm told by CAPS that both of those conditions could be grounds for euthanization. I was shocked. The one with one bad eye is only a puppy, I was like you would put him to sleep just because of that?? On top of that they required a donation of $25 from me to bring them in. That I can understand and was ready to pay but not just so they can put them to sleep. I was furious, this is an animal shelter meant to help needy dogs find a home, not descriminate them based on minor imperfections. I can understand if they were dying or on their last leg but two perfectly healthy dogs should not be put to sleep.

Anyway, I used to think highly of this organization but my views have changed today. I still respect the overall idea of what they are doing as it's better than not doing anything but just sickened by the fact that they would consider putting these two dogs to sleep over a bad eye and one needing dental work. The guy at the counter said the dental work can get expensive. Well that's why people donate you money, so that you can take care of stuff like this.

The goods news is that I got a call from the owner of the maltese and turns out they live down the street. They were more than thrilled to have her back and offered me a reward but I turned it down. Getting the dog back safely was enough of a reward for me. Now I need to track down the owner of the other dog.
 

ptc48

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#8
Bless you for all you have done and are doing for these two dogs. Over the years, we have had many dogs show up on our property. Some we have found their owners and some we have ended up adopting. Thank goodness our local shelter is now a no-kill shelter and we can take strays there if we can't take care of them. I don't understand the shelter you took the dogs to saying they were going to put the dogs down. I too would be outraged. No matter what the cost our shelter takes care of dogs unless they have a life threatening condition that cannot be cured or treated in some way. Good luck with finding the other dog's owners.
 

fwed

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Bless you for all you have done and are doing for these two dogs. Over the years, we have had many dogs show up on our property. Some we have found their owners and some we have ended up adopting. Thank goodness our local shelter is now a no-kill shelter and we can take strays there if we can't take care of them. I don't understand the shelter you took the dogs to saying they were going to put the dogs down. I too would be outraged. No matter what the cost our shelter takes care of dogs unless they have a life threatening condition that cannot be cured or treated in some way. Good luck with finding the other dog's owners.
I felt like fussing at the guy but I didn't. I'm not sure if that is generally how the shelter is or maybe I ran into a guy that didn't know what he was talking about. CAPS has a reputation in my area of being a good shelter to take animals and I just couldn't believe what I was hearing. I should have asked the guy whether he would like being put to death by the city because he broke a finger or something? It worked out thouh, had I left the maltese with them, I would have had to explain to the owner that I dropped their dog off to them already and she would have been devastated. I"m sure she could have gotten her back but not sure what kind of hurdles they would have had to go through.
 

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