Dogs are highly intelligent animals with an excellent sense of smell, able to help them find their way back home if they are lost. Although sometimes they may feel disoriented or scared, something that would make it very difficult for them to return home. On the other hand, if we find a dog, it can also be a dog abandoned by his family.
Regardless of whether it is abandoned or lost, it is crucial that we take certain steps to protect your life. Perhaps there is a family desperately looking for you or perhaps it is an abandonment or stray dog, whatever your situation, we must act responsibly. We explain the steps to follow.
Index of contents
- 1 Steps to follow if we find an abandoned dog
- 1.1 Maintain contact with the dog
- 1.2 Call the authorities
- 1.3 Identify the dog and check its health
- 1.4 Taking care of the dog
- 2 Things you should never do before an abandoned dog
Steps to follow if we find an abandoned dog
When we say abandoned it may be that it has simply been lost, but how we do not know, until we can verify it we will refer to the how abandoned. We must be cautious and follow these simple but necessary steps, in this way we will avoid running away and endangering his life (either crossing a road where he can be run over or losing himself even more … going hungry and cold).
If you choose to ignore a lost or abandoned dog, you are letting it die. It costs you nothing to follow these simple steps and help him, you can do it, do it.
Maintain contact with the dog
The main thing is to try to maintain contact with the dog, but with great caution. We must assess whether it is a friendly dog that will allow us to approach him and take him by the leash or if, in contrast to an aggressive dog, in which case we must simply maintain eye contact from a prudent distance.
It could also be that he is a disoriented or scary dog and tries to run away if we run away, in which case we should not pressure or scare him, we will simply watch him from afar to keep him under control.
An abandoned dog will be suspicious and scared, something completely normal. We can try to earn their trust with a little food or with words of calm.
If the abandoned dog is not allowed to catch, we must maintain visual contact with it and notify the authorities, either the police or the animal protection department of the civil guard, the Seprona.
They will come to the place and try to help the dog, they will also locate an animal shelter where to take it so that it is not loose and in danger. The police can do a great job with the dog, don’t hesitate to call them.
- Emergency telephone number / police in Spain: 112
- Emergency / Police telephone number in Mexico: 060
- Emergency telephone number / police in Argentina: 800-555-5065
If the dog gets caught, you can call the police to come pick it up, or you can take it to a veterinary center yourself.
Identify the dog and check its health
If we go to a veterinary or animal protection center, they can read the dog microchip and locate its owner. The dog may also have a nameplate or plate that indicates a form of contact with the owner. Even in some countries tattoos are still used, if the dog has a number tattooed on his ear it will be easy to locate his family.
If, on the other hand, the abandoned dog does not have a microchip, identification plate or tattoo, it will be very difficult to locate his family. We can take a photo and print leaflets to place or distribute them around the area where we found the dog, perhaps his family will see them and get in touch to retrieve him.
The vet will also examine the dog to verify that its state of health is good, it can be the vet of a protector who will do it for free or a private vet.
Taking care of the dog
Although it is not obligatory, we can, with the permission of the authorities and the animal protector, welcome the temporarily lost dog in our home. If he is an abandoned dog we can adopt him and give him a good life.
If we do not want to assume this responsibility, it will be the police or the animal protector who take care of the dog. Do not think that it is mandatory to pay any expense or keep the dog if you do not want to, just think about it, maybe putting a dog in your life is a good idea.
Remember that keeping a dog is a great responsibility, we must feed and care for it, pay its veterinary expenses, etc … You can get more info at: Everything you need to know before adopting a dog.
Things you should never do before an abandoned dog
Believe it or not, there are people without hearts capable of abandoning a dog, or even mistreating it. If you see a case of animal abuse, call the police and report it. If you see an abandoned or lost dog, never ignore it because perhaps you, are its only hope.
But it is important that you follow the steps described above and that you be cautious, you do not know if the dog is friendly or not. Do not bend down towards him or never put your face at his height, keep your distance until you know his character.
Do not make sudden movements or scare him, do not approach if he moves away because he will run more than you and he will lose himself. He thinks that if he runs away, he could end up in the middle of a highway hit by a car, or lost in the mountains suffering from hunger and hardship.
Just stay calm, try to win her friendship and give her something to eat if you can. Follow the steps mentioned and if it is a dog without a family and you decide to give it a chance, congratulations, you will have saved a life.
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