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What to Do if You Find a Lost Dog

We get a lot of messages from people who have found lost dogs, so we'd like to share what to do with a found dog in case you didn't know. Assuming your own efforts to locate the owner have failed, here are some steps to follow: 




1 Check for tags -  Dogs in Texas are required by law to be vaccinated for rabies, so this is often an easy way to find the owner. The vet's office issuing the tag will have owner contact info.

2 Scan for a Microchip - take the dog to a vet, animal shelter or fire station and ask for a microchip scan. If one is found, the microchip company can contact the owner and put them in touch with you. Make sure they do a full body scan as chips can migrate.

3 Check Facebook Lost & Found pet groups for the area as well as neighborhood groups. Post the dog as found in those groups and on NextDoor. You can also check the PawBoost website and post the dog.

4 If you haven't visited the animal shelter for the area where the dog was found, check their website and/or call them. Many shelters have lost pet protocols on their website and can list the dog as found as well. Many owners check the local shelter first for their lost dog. The shelter may take your information and ask if you can hold the dog as many shelters are experiencing overcrowding. If you cannot hold the dog, you should be able to bring them to the shelter. Shelters in Texas hold stray dogs for a minimum of 3 days so an owner can reclaim them. We as a rescue follow the same rules and just like the shelter we have returned dogs to their owners with proof of ownership, like vet records or rabies vaccination certificates. If you take a dog to the shelter, we as a rescue can usually tag that dog to take them in as soon as the stray hold period is up if their owner is not found.

5 If you have exhausted all other means to find the owner, you can visit our website to fill out a rehome form. This form goes directly to our intake team, so it is the best way to bring a dog to our attention. As a finder and not an owner, you'll need to fill in details to the best of your knowledge. You can find our rehome form here




We hope this information helps you get loved pets back to their families!

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