Dog people. I have a situation

[BlackVelvetElvis]

A dog has shown up in my neighborhood. He's been hanging around for a couple of weeks. He has a collar with a rabies shot tag, but no ID.
My next door neighbor has been feeding him and I have fallen in love. He hangs around with the same neighbor's dog, they appear to be friends. They even look alike.
How can I go about finding the owner from just a rabies tag? Classified ads? I live in the country.
He's SO SWEET and I want to adopt him. What should I do? I've never owned a dog before (but adore them).

[Shrek]

1. Look closely at the tag.

It should have the vet's name & phone, along with a registration number. If you call the vet and provide the number, he or she can put you in touch with the owners.

I know you're fond of the dog, but you should make an honest attempt to find the owner. There could be a heartbroken child somewhere who really wants that dog back!

[BlackVelvetElvis]

3. I agree with you

I see no vet name, just a registration number. Nor is there a county on it. I live very near two counties.
He's so sweet, I'd hate to hurt a family who misses him. I'd also hate to see the dog suffer.

[benburch]

2. Here is how to find the owner;

Look at the tag, note the county and the number. Call the County offices, and they have a cross-index.

Then, of course, the right thing to do is to contact the owner, no matter how much you have come to love the dog.

-Ben

[SoCalDem]

4. Take the dog in.. call the local shelters

give them the information on the tag.. He may even have a "chip" under his skin.. Some papers will allow free found ads.. Run one.. If no one calls you after a few weeks, I would say that doggie is yours.:)

Bear in mind that he may have gotten out, and someone may be cruising the streets looking for him..

[DemoTex]

6. Someone may be cruising the streets ...

In addition to "FOUND" ads, you might try putting up signs in your neighborhood.

[MuseRider]

Happened to me 2 summers ago.

A sweet, beautiful Boxer showed up at my farm, covered with ticks and thin as a rail. She had a collar and after I fed her and found out she was friendly I found her rabies tag. I am in Kansas but the number on the collar was from Washington State. I got on the net, found some vets in that area code, eventually ended up with a university vet who knew where she was from. The vet for this dog had died, we found the vet who took the practice over, eventually I found out where her owners were from and that they had moved. The university vet knew the post office person in this small town and we found out that they had moved 20 miles from my farm. Her owners were out of town for the summer and the person taking care of her left her out over the 4th and there she was. I had her for over 2 months before they returned. LONG story but trace the tag, call your vet and they will start the ball rolling.

[Bunny]

12. Wow!

That's some story. Congrats to you for going to such trouble to find the owner. I hope someone would do the same for my two pups if they ever got loose. You're a good egg!

[MuseRider]

14. Why thanks!

She was an old, sweet dog. I was able to find out that she needed meds and took care of that but she also leaked. It was the time of summer when it was usually over 100 degrees so I put doggie diapers on her and left the air conditioning on the office. We would walk around the ponds daily and she helped me exercise the horses. I cried for days when her owners came back. I am just a HUGE sucker but a happy one.

[Robb]

5. What everyone else said.

Someone out there loves him enough to take him in for his shots. I've been tempted before with runaways, but I always just think how I would feel.

[ajacobson]

7. The tag

should state the municipality that issued the tag and if the tag has a number on it the issuing municipality should be able to tie it back to the license.

If the tag doesn't provide any information, then submit a found dog classified ad and check with local law enforcement to see if anyone has reported a lost dog with that description. If there is an animal shelter or animal control agency seperate from law enforcement in your area, check with them too.

Of course, the ease or difficulty of doing these thing vary widely from area to area. It sounds like a lot of bother, but if you can reunite a lost dog and their people, that's big time good karma. If you give it a shot and don't find anybody, then you did what you could.

[Supormom]

8. Many dogs today have

electronic chips in their ears with an identification number. Your vet or the local humane society would know how to retrieve the info.

[Dookus]

9. As mentioned above...

it's quite likely the dog has an implanted ID chip. Go to just about any shelter or vet and they can scan the dog quickly. Good luck!

[TexasSissy]

10. You say you've never owned a dog before.....

You should certainly rescue that dog and use the tag to try to locate the owner, as the other posters suggested.

But if you decided to, or end up keeping the dog, you should be aware that owning a dog is a BIG responsibility.

Is it small or large? Will it be a house or yard dog? Is your yard fenced? Solo dogs out back in the yard alone all the time are unhappy dogs. When you hear stories of dogs that have barking problems & such, these are often dogs stuck out in the yard with no companionship, or human contact, or something to do.

Dogs are social animals. They need a pack to be their happiest. CAn you take on the responsibility of a "family"? Can you afford vet bills? Monthly heart pills? Can you devote the time to bathing and grooming? Are you a young person who would want to go out of town for the weekend with friends? At work all day and out partying all night? A dog will throw a crimp in that lifestyle and be unhappy if he's left alone so much.

If you can do all these things, then this may be your fella. I found my dog on the street. I wasn't looking. A dog is like having a child in many respects. But they give you back so much than you invest! IF you have the time and $$$ to care for them. I LOVE my little cocker spaniel I found. I don't know what I'll do when he passes on. But sheesh, he's cost me a bundle, and I've missed out on fun with friends because I couldn't leave him behind or take him. But it's worth it. He's my buddy. My friend who loves me unconditionally. Who always loves to see me. Who forgives me when I've yelled at him. Who makes me laugh with his silly ways. Lucky you, if you've found your doggie soulmate!

[BlackVelvetElvis]

11. Thanks.

I do know how much attention a dog entails, that's why I put off getting one for many years.
I have another neighbor who has a dog whom they haven't trained and she steals stuff from people's yards, including my newspaper. They seem to think of her as a prop, they ignore her and don't train her properly. Makes me mad as hell. They don't deserve her.

[Faygo Kid]

13. I hate people like that.

See it all the time, even with friends. If you don't want a soulmate, don't get a dog. They need so much, but give so much more back. All they ask is to be loved. That's it. Best animals on the planet (yeah, I like cats, too, but they don't demand total love like dogs).

[xchrom]

15. first things first

bring the dog in. that's before anything else.
then do the lost and found homework.
dogs need and love to be with their human companions.

[NJCher]

16. finding a dog story

Yep, that's why I have a cat. But I love dogs, too. Lucky me, my neighbor has two bulldogs that I can have fun with.

My friend Linda in Houston found a dog running around on the street one day and so she got him into her car and took him home. She began the process of finding his owners and was able to find them via flyers she'd posted in the neighborhood.

The family was overjoyed to have the dog back. The children had been heartbroken over the loss of their dog and the mother, a lawyer, told Linda that the entire family had cried every day over the loss of their pet.

This family tried to give Linda a $100 bill but she refused it. She said she was just happy to have gotten the dog and the family back together. But every Christmas for the past two years, she has received a gift certificate to a nice restaurant from this family.


Cher