Portland, OR Filter: We found a dog, what should we do?

June 8, 2013 7:05 PM

We were on our way out when we saw a small dog running down our street with no human attached to it, it looked lost, so I followed it and managed to grab it. It has a collar, but no tags. Right now it is corralled in the backyard, but we can't keep it overnight, we have a tiny place and cats. What should we do?
posted by nanook to Pets & Animals (16 answers total)

-Knock on doors and ask neighbors if they recognize him
-Call your local county animal services (they're probably closed)
-Call around to find a vet that is open that can scan for a microchip and/or house him until the county can pick up
-Call the Oregon Humane Society
posted by faethverity at 7:07 PM on June 8, 2013 [2 favorites]

Try an emergency Vet clinic and see if they can scan her for an ID tag/chip. If not them then they can direct you to the right place. Possibly a shelter (hopefully no kill in case her owners don't come forward).
posted by MyMind at 7:07 PM on June 8, 2013

You could post a "found" ad on craigslist - don't post a picture, and ask for a description of the dog.

You can take the dog to a vet or shelter to be scanned for a microchip.
posted by insectosaurus at 7:08 PM on June 8, 2013 [1 favorite]

MyMind has a good idea - emergency vets have scanners! Depending on where you live these are the ones to call:
Dove Lewis - Portland area
Tualatin Emergency
VCA NWVS - Clackamas
VCA SEPAH - southeast Portland
posted by faethverity at 7:15 PM on June 8, 2013

Response by poster: So we are going to Dove Lewis to see if he has a chip.

He is a Mexican Hairless. Will try and get a picture.
posted by nanook at 7:23 PM on June 8, 2013

If you have a lot of local facebook friends, post a picture of the dog there.
posted by headnsouth at 7:32 PM on June 8, 2013 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: When we got the emergency vet, the dog became pretty upset at their efforts to scan for a chip, so they are keeping him for the time being, and will put out ads for his owner. I will be able to call periodically and check on him. Such a sweet little dog.
posted by nanook at 8:19 PM on June 8, 2013 [5 favorites]

Good for you. That's the best thing you could have done, since you couldn't keep him overnight. At least you know he's in good hands, and you can keep tabs on what happens to him. Good on you, and good luck to the little lost guy!
posted by trip and a half at 9:34 PM on June 8, 2013 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: Here he is at the vet. Not sure why he is wearing the cone: he was snappish at the tech who tried to scan for a chip, or maybe he had some injury we hadn't spotted.
posted by nanook at 8:42 AM on June 9, 2013 [1 favorite]

I occasionally see a dog out running around by itself with no owner in sight, but it always seems to happen when I'm already late getting somewhere so I can't stop and do what you've done. Good on you, Nanook. Come back and post if this dog's owner is found, please.
posted by Sleeper at 9:08 AM on June 9, 2013

5 Things to Do if You Have Found a Lost Dog (pdf from Lost Dogs Illinois)

It sounds like the arrangements you made are great! If you want/have time to do even more, here are a few suggestions:

Report the found dog to all your local police departments' non-emergency numbers, in addition to animal control.

Post flyers around the neighborhood, or stick them in people's front doors or under their cars' windshield wipers if that's allowed/common where you live. Not everyone (especially older people) will think to go online and check Craigslist or Facebook, especially if they're a bit frantic and not thinking logically. The flyers don't have to be fancy. "Dog Found 6-8-13. Taken to Foobar Vet on Fred Street" is plenty. You don't want to give away too much info so the people at the vet can weed out the cranks and weirdos.

In addition to your own Facebook friends, post and ask for shares on other local groups' sites, like community service orgs, newspapers, stores, churches, schools, etc.

Contact all the other local vets, shelters and rescues. Vets sometimes trade info on lost and found animals, but not always.

Hang flyers at or call pet stores, especially locally-owned ones who know their customers' dogs well. Even the folks at PetSmart/Petco might get to know their repeat customers, especially unique-looking ones like you found.

THANK YOU for taking the time to see to the safety of this little beastie!
posted by SuperSquirrel at 10:43 AM on June 9, 2013 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: I just called to check up on him, and his owners are on their way to pick him up. So glad. Though I am a little down on them for not having him tagged or chipped (and neutered). But he has clearly been loved and taken good care of, and that is the most important thing.
posted by nanook at 11:13 AM on June 9, 2013 [4 favorites]

Again, good on you! Sounds like the owners are suboptimal, though. That dog (and every dog) should be tagged and chipped (and neutered). If you have the opportunity, tell them so. I imagine they will hear that from the Emergency Vet, too.
posted by trip and a half at 12:43 PM on June 9, 2013

nanook, do you know how exactly the vet "put out ads" for the owners? Where did the owners see the ad? My experience is that Craigslist's lost and found section works great for this kind of thing, so I'm curious if that's what did it here.
posted by mediareport at 3:39 PM on June 9, 2013

Response by poster: Mediareport, the vet put out ads on its own website and also on craigslist, I couldn't ask any details today on the phone, they were swamped, but my guess is that craigslist is where the owner would have seen the ad. The vet then requires that owners bring documentation that proves that it is indeed their dog (photos/vet paperwork, something like that) in order to claim their dog.
posted by nanook at 4:32 PM on June 9, 2013 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: Trip and a Half, I sure hope so. The place is great. And I was half-hoping the little guy would make his way into the adoption process so he would have all that. He would be snapped up by someone in a heartbeat, due to his oddball appearance and winning nature.
posted by nanook at 4:39 PM on June 9, 2013 [1 favorite]