Stray Dog! Now What?

We've all encountered a stray pup at one time or another.  Hopefully all went well and the dog didn't pose a danger, but that's not always the case.  There some important things to remember and do when you come across a stray for everyone to be safe.

Stay Safe
Strays are often seen running on busy roads or in other dangerous places.  It's important not to put others and yourself at risk to reach the stray by running into a busy traffic area or suddenly stopping your car in the middle of the street.  Stay at a distance and calculate when it's safe to approach the pup where you won't cause an accident or possibly be injured yourself.

Call Animal Control
If you do not feel safe approaching a stray or it's a particularly dangerous situation, call your local animal control officer.

Stand Still
If you come across a stray, it's always a bad idea to run the other way.  When you're trying to asses whether a stray is friendly or not, it's important to stay still.  Nervous or scared dogs are more likely to react to a person running around and making a lot of noise.  Standing quietly still allows a dog to more calmly check you out.  Don't approach an obviously angry dog (growling, ears back).

Check for ID
If you are able to approach and capture the dog, next you'll want to look for any kind of ID tags.  If none are present, start by asking close by neighbors, as most strays found to live nearby.  If you have no success, next would be to either take the dog to your local shelter, or hold the pup and post notices about the found dog.  If you decide to shelter the dog yourself while looking for the proper owners, it's a good idea to notify your local animal control officer so he/she can contact you should the proper owners come forth.

A stray I found recently