What do I do now??? UPDATE -- Good news!!!

[MushyMushy]

I can't believe not one person here suggested putting up signs in the area where you found the dog.
I know if he were my dog I would be driving around the area all night and day looking for him. I did that with my cat who finally came home after a 3 night binge.
Get those signs up and put your home or cell number and wait for a call.

That's a good suggestion. I'll have to print some up and I'll send the kids off to do that after dinner! DS's girlfriend is coming over, as is a friend of DD's. That'll keep them busy while the rest of us clean.

 

[manning]

if the dog was well cared for, they did the wrong thing by taking it, since the family was probably looking for it, and now that family will be having a lousy thanksgiving looking for a member of its family.

And what happens if it gets hit by a car????

 

[Traveliz]

I can't believe not one person here suggested putting up signs in the area where you found the dog.
I know if he were my dog I would be driving around the area all night and day looking for him. I did that with my cat who finally came home after a 3 night binge.
Get those signs up and put your home or cell number and wait for a call.

The second poster to reply made that suggestion.

Liz

 

[Buckalew11]

You did the right thing. Your DH is the one with the problem today, not you. Hopefully you will find the owner soon and easily. It had not collar with its rabies tags? They can easily trace them if it did. I am sure you'll find an ad in the paper or something with someone searching for a lost lab. Good luck.

Hugs, I know all about rough Holidays.

 

[mamamary]

You have got to be kidding me?! She probably saved the poor thing!

I agree!

 

[PatsGirl]

Sounds like something else is bothering hubby? I know that I'm usually "down" on the holidays, and for no apparent reason Today I just got out of work and I'm dising for a bit before heading to the family get-together but I'd rather just stay here. Maybe hubby is not looking forward to the commotion and chaos so many others love

 

[SydneyFalco]

I just went through this a month ago. I found an apiricot poodle wandering our neighbourhood. We drove around the block a couple of time to see if anybody was looking for it. We didn't see anyone so we took it to the CSPCA (just SPCA in the U.S., of course). The next day my wife came home with a flyer for the dog. We called them up. They had already found the dog at the CSPCA and had gotten her home.

(We really had trouble handing the little, shivering thing over to the CSPCA. We already own a poodle and love the breed to death.)

 

[Soarin08]

if the dog was well cared for, they did the wrong thing by taking it, since the family was probably looking for it, and now that family will be having a lousy thanksgiving looking for a member of its family.

Better than it ending up like my neighbors' dog- missing for a week then found on the side of the road dead- my dad ended up burying the dog for them when he found it.

So OP- good for you!!! You saved the dog from becoming possible roadkill! I'm certain it's owners will be glad to find that out!

 

[MushyMushy]

Sounds like something else is bothering hubby? I know that I'm usually "down" on the holidays, and for no apparent reason Today I just got out of work and I'm dising for a bit before heading to the family get-together but I'd rather just stay here. Maybe hubby is not looking forward to the commotion and chaos so many others love

He and I both are recovering from a very nasty bout of bronchitis, so he's not resting well at night from all the coughing. He does have good reason to be irritable, but I thought he was a bit irrational by being mad at me for doing the right thing.

He's over it now, thankfully.

I just went through this a month ago. I found an apiricot poodle wandering our neighbourhood. We drove around the block a couple of time to see if anybody was looking for it. We didn't see anyone so we took it to the CSPCA (just SPCA in the U.S., of course). The next day my wife came home with a flyer for the dog. We called them up. They had already found the dog at the CSPCA and had gotten her home.

(We really had trouble handing the little, shivering thing over to the CSPCA. We already own a poodle and love the breed to death.)

I'm so leery of handing him over to our local shelter. They will keep the dog for 48 hours and then they will take ownership of them. There was recently a big controversy because they gave away somebody's dog -- it went to court, but nothing could be done because of the 48 hour thing.

 

[SydneyFalco]

I'm so leery of handing him over to our local shelter. They will keep the dog for 48 hours and then they will take ownership of them. There was recently a big controversy because they gave away somebody's dog -- it went to court, but nothing could be done because of the 48 hour thing.

Wow. Up here they told us seven days. 48 hours -- that would've given me pause. (I'd probably have a third dog now.)

 

[bumbershoot]

I don't know if he's just an outdoor dog or what, but he's having a heckuva time walking on the kitchen tile and hard wood floors.

Probably has carpet in his home.



I've never owned a dog as an adult, but if my mom had found a dog, she would have dropped all plans and looked *in that neighborhood* for the owner. Since the dog was in a parking lot, she would have stayed in that parking lot, with the dog (she owned dogs so she always had an extra leash and collar in her car, at least until the last place she lived when she decided she was tired of dealing with the death that you have to deal with when you have animals), trying to find the owner. She would have talked to the store owners or mall management, letting them know THAT evening that a dog had been found, so if the panicked owners showed up they would know that the dog wasn't in the road somewhere.

So to me, taking the dog back to your home wasn't the most fabulous idea, but then I've been the home-front "wait for the dog" person while my mom was out for HOURS, in the pouring rain, at night, searching on foot for our aging dog who had somehow gotten out of our locked, very tall fence, back yard. I know what it's like to lose a dog (and a cat, sadly, when hubby didn't check for her when he was dealing with his dad's hospitalization...we never did find her) and to look frantically, all holiday plans forgotten entirely, and surely would have appreciated it if the finders had stayed in the area.


It's hard, your first holiday, after losing your mom. I remember that well. And I had all through spring and summer to get ready for it; it's so soon for you.


Just don't get too used to that dog, b/c I'm sure the owners are desperate to find it!

 

[npmommie]

OP you did the right thing. Even if you had told the store owners, today is a holiday, they will probably be closed early, and plus you don't even know if the owners have any idea at all where the dog got lost, they may not even live close by, dogs can travel great distances if lost.
so the owners may not even look in the parking lot or anywhere near it, so it wouldn't be effective to sit in a parking lot on a holiday just in case the owners come looking

and another sad fact I want to add is the poor dog may have been dumped. It happens, its a terrible fact, but you said it is near a busy road, maybe the dog was left there on purpose.

I would have done exactly what you did. I would also go back and put up lost dog signs all over that area. and put an ad on craigs list or freecycle, let the dog officer in the town know, and also the animal shelters so that if the owners call looking they can find you.

good luck!!

4 of our dogs came to as strays that were lost, one I am sure was dumped, and she found us!

 

[Serena]

You did the right thing, and it sounds like it is just what you needed today. Your hubby knew it too, but was just put out by it. It sounds like he's over it already.

Definitly do what others have suggested about putting out signs, checking with animal shelters and vets. At least let all of them know you found a dog, give the description, etc.

Have fun with him, while he's there.

 

[chisnpeke]

Why exactly is he mad?

Are you willing to introduce your dogs to the new comer? Do they take well to vistors? Maybe if he has a shock collar he is well trained and would be happy in the house?

I hope the vet has a chip. If he is young and from a breeder he may not have a chip. Our dog from a shelter has a chip.

I was wondering why he was mad too. Seems like a petty thing to get angry over.

OP, you did the right thing. Hopefully the doggie can find its home.

 

[SeeVee]

Call the police and have them come pick it up.

Why on God's green earth would the police come pick up a dog?

 

[freckles and boo]

Why on God's green earth would the police come pick up a dog?

Ours do if the animal control officer isn't on duty. I found two beautiful bulldogs running down the street one morning. One had a tag with a phone number and an address that was nine miles away. I called but it went straight to voice mail. It was going to be a very busy day and I couldn't spend it watching two dogs, looking for the owner. I called for animal control and they sent the police with the animal control van. They took the dogs to the shelter. Not a big deal.

 

[Tigger&Belle]

Can you go back to that area and ask around, check for signs, and put up a Found Dog sign if you don't have any luck. Make sure you don't put too much identifying info on the sign so the wrong person doesn't try to claim him.

I can't believe not one person here suggested putting up signs in the area where you found the dog.

 

[tiggger1]

Where are you located? Have you checked the pet section of your local craigslist or checked petfinder? they have a lost and found pet section....

 

[minnie56]

He's in your room not talking to you?? Jeez-there's a loss..what is he--12?


You did the only thing you could...good for you for having both a heart and common sense.
I am sure the poor baby has someone who loves him just as eager to have him home as your husband is to have him gone!

 

[Colleen27]

I'm so leery of handing him over to our local shelter. They will keep the dog for 48 hours and then they will take ownership of them. There was recently a big controversy because they gave away somebody's dog -- it went to court, but nothing could be done because of the 48 hour thing.

I wouldn't get our shelter involved until I had exhausted everything I could think of in trying to locate the dog's owner on my own. A friend recently lost her dog. He's a purebred, registered black lab who got out when her landlord came to check on something in the back and didn't properly latch the gate. The dog is always wearing a collar and is microchipped, but he spent 4 days at the county shelter before she went up there to see if he was there. They told her over the phone that they didn't have any dogs matching his description, but another neighbor told her he saw animal control on our street so she wanted to be sure. The animal control people didn't call the phone number on his tag or look up contact information from his dog license, much less check for a microchip. They did, however, fine her $200 for him getting out plus $25/day for the time he was in the shelter, which she had to pay before they would return him.