Dogs 101: What do I do with a lost or found dog in Atlanta?

May 24, 6:45 AMAtlanta Dogs ExaminerSandy Weaver Carman

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   Gizmo, the wayward Shih Tzu - Viera photo

A tale of woe for a Sandy Springs family is a learning opportunity for dog owners, and those who find lost dogs.

The Viera family lives in an apartment complex, where a fenced-in area is provided for the dogs that live there.  A family member took Gizmo, a Shih Tzu puppy, to play in the dog-walk.  Gizmo spied an opening at the bottom of the fence and slipped out.

A chase ensued, but Gizmo eluded his family, who then put up signs around the neighborhood and knocked on doors trying to find their furry friend. 

Meanwhile, a neighbor did find Gizmo and took him in.  That neighbor placed an ad, complete with photo, on Craigslist, asking the owner of the dog to please hurry because they couldn't take care of the dog very long.

A woman responded to the ad and when she arrived, the neighbor gave her the dog.  Later, when he saw the lost dog posters, he went to Gizmo's real owners, told them what had happened and gave them the contact information he had gotten from the woman.

Of course, the woman didn't respond to emails or phone calls, and now the number has been disconnected and the email address disabled.  

Hopefully the police have enough to go on to help Gizmo's family recover their dog.  Meanwhile, here are some tips to remember in case your dog ever gets lost:

• If your dog gets away from you, DON'T run after him.  This will cause your dog to run even faster.  Get your dog's attention and then sit down and get very fascinated with something near you.  Use a coaxing voice, do not look directly at your dog, and talk about what an interesting blade of grass you're seeing, or whatever you've decided to be interested in.  When your dog comes near you, resist the urge to move quickly to grab him.  Keep all of your movements slow and steady so you don't startle your dog into running off again.  If your acting skills are good, your dog will come to you to see what you have found.  If this approach fails, follow your dog in a car if possible, and when he stops to investigate something, open the door and ask if he wants to go for a ride.  Many dogs will hop into the car.  If that doesn't work, find someone who has a dog and see if they will walk their dog near where yours is, talking to their dog and giving their dog little treats.  This will often make a loose dog investigate, to see if he, too, can get a treat.  If he gets close, resist the urge to pounce on him, as this will make him skitter away again.  Instead, have the person with the leashed dog continue talking to and treating both dogs and walk them back to your house.  Again, the most important message in this paragraph is do not chase your dog.
• If recovery attempts fail, put up posters in the area where the dog escaped and was last seen.  Have a clear picture of the dog on the poster, and offer a reward but don't specify how much.  Be sure the phone number on the poster is one which will be answered nearly all the time, as people often don't leave messages.  Tell your neighbors, especially those with children, about your lost dog and ask them to be watchful and let you know if they hear or see anything.  Children see and hear things that adults don't, so be sure that any area where children congregate has posters up.
• Take a stack of fliers to the nearest post office and ask that one be placed in each of the letter carriers' mail boxes.  That way, the local postal system is alerted and can be helpful if your dog is spotted.
• Get a list of all of the local veterinary clinics and take a flier there.  If someone finds the dog and takes it in for treatment or to be scanned for a microchip, the staff will make the connection and contact you.  
• Call the local animal control office and let them know your dog is loose.  Ask them what time the trucks come back to the pound and call after that time to see if your dog has been picked up.  Take a flier to the pound so that those working with the homeless dogs can be on the lookout for yours.
• Find out which governmental agency in your area is tasked with picking up and disposing of dead animals found on roadways, and call there daily.  This is a hard call to make, but a necessary one.  If your dog has been hit by a car and killed, at least you will know what happened. 

• If you find a lost dog, put up posters.  Do NOT put a photo of the dog on any poster or ad, as it makes it easy for anyone to be able to identify the dog as theirs.  Put enough info about the dog on the poster so that the owner will recognize it but leave enough off so that someone trying to get a free dog won't be able to positively identify the dog found as "theirs."  For instance, if the dog had on a collar, say that, but don't say anything about color or style.  The real owner would know that.  Someone trying to falsely claim the dog would not.
• The local animal control should be called, even if you're not going to take the dog there.  Tell them that you have found a dog and give them your name and phone number, so that if the owners call the pound to see if their dog is there, they will know you have the dog and can get him from you.  If you can't keep the dog, it's much better to take him to the pound than to just let him go to some random person, because the owners will probably check with animal control in their quest to find their dog.  
• Take him to the nearest vet office and have him scanned for a microchip.  If he has one, the owner can be located and can come and pick him up.  If not, leave one of your fliers at that vet office and ask if there are others in the area.  Get fliers to all the vets in the area, so that if one of them treats a dog that's similar to the one you found, they can contact the owners to see if their dog is missing.  If so, voila - reunion time.

And to all dog owners - please microchip your dog.  It is as easy as getting a shot, and once the chip is registered, your dog is positively identified as yours.  No one else can claim to be the owner, because you will have proof positive.  Plus, your contact information is stored with the chip number in the registry database, meaning that as soon as your dog is found and scanned for a chip, you will be contacted.  Isn't that a much more civilized way to get your lost dog back?

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